MP-C305 vertical faint lines

[s10]

I have inherited a Ricoh C305 for very cheap as the printer had issues, I originally got it for the scanner but I would now like to use the printer.
The prints all have faint vertical lines on black and cyan only so I assumed a dirty laser.
PXL_20230713_203142301.jpg
I have cleaned the laser glass to no effect, I then swapped the Black/Cyan laser unit with the Magenta/Yellow laser unit and it made no difference.
Any idea what else to try?

The printer has done about 120k pages and unfortunately I have no idea what maintenance the previous owner did.

[luca72]

Re: MP-C305 vertical faint lines

I have inherited a Ricoh C305 for very cheap as the printer had issues, I originally got it for the scanner but I would now like to use the printer.
The prints all have faint vertical lines on black and cyan only so I assumed a dirty laser.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]58998[/ATTACH]
I have cleaned the laser glass to no effect, I then swapped the Black/Cyan laser unit with the Magenta/Yellow laser unit and it made no difference.
Any idea what else to try?

The printer has done about 120k pages and unfortunately I have no idea what maintenance the previous owner did.

Seem that some pcdu's, need of replacement....the Mag. doctor Blade, its dirty in most point....anyway, you can try to extract them, and rotate the gear of the developer unit with your fingers, back and forth ...a lot of time, and look the effect...maybe your are lucky

[davel]

[slimslob]

Re: MP-C305 vertical faint lines

Definitely appears to be developer voids or possibly dirt on the laser shield glasses.

For developer voids follow luca's instructions or order some Doctor Blade cleaners A2949560 Paper Dust Cleaner - 5pcs/set
Either way if the problem returns, may not be in the same place, then you have toner clumps and will need a new PCDU.

Since apparently these entry level models do not include a shield glass cleaning wand you may have to remove the laser units to clean them.

[copier tech]

Re: MP-C305 vertical faint lines

I have inherited a Ricoh C305 for very cheap as the printer had issues, I originally got it for the scanner but I would now like to use the printer.
The prints all have faint vertical lines on black and cyan only so I assumed a dirty laser.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]58998[/ATTACH]
I have cleaned the laser glass to no effect, I then swapped the Black/Cyan laser unit with the Magenta/Yellow laser unit and it made no difference.
Any idea what else to try?

The printer has done about 120k pages and unfortunately I have no idea what maintenance the previous owner did.

There was a bulletin on this. Before you replace all the PCDU try this method.

MP C305 white void.pdf

[Gift]

Re: MP-C305 vertical faint lines

Yes, turning the dev roller forward and backwards helps sometimes - from my experience one might have to repeat this more around ~50 times to crush the cloggage via friction so the problem won't reappear soon (not guaranteed of course).
Back in the MPC2500 days there was a bulletin to order the plastic gear from the DEV drive to improve the handling of that procedure, actually that gear still fits with all DEV units.

[RicohBoomer]

Re: MP-C305 vertical faint lines

Since the laser units are above the PCDUs in this machine as opposed to below them in most other models, then you are unlikely to get toner leakage onto the glass. Which is the usual cause for these types of lines.
If the machine has done 120k pages and the PCDUs haven't been replaced yet then you are most certainly looking at a PCDU gone bad, the MP C305 PCDU don't last very long.
They've likely been replaced once already but if they've been replaced a second time is more unclear.
If the above mentioned RTB doesn't help you then replacing the Cyan PCDU is your next step.

Since the lines in black(Except for one) match with the Cyan lines then my guess is that it isn't the Black PCDU that is broken, but that your test page's black field isn't actually black but some mixture with Cyan in it which is causing these lines.
I'd swap Cyan first and see if that solves the issue before ordering a black PCDU as well.

[GIUBOSS]

Re: MP-C305 vertical faint lines

I often find lumps of toner or fluff in the developer even in not too old units, in rental mfp I was better off using a flour sifter lined with a women's stocking!!

[satins]

Re: MP-C305 vertical faint lines

I have inherited a Ricoh C305 for very cheap as the printer had issues, I originally got it for the scanner but I would now like to use the printer.
The prints all have faint vertical lines on black and cyan only so I assumed a dirty laser.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]58998[/ATTACH]
I have cleaned the laser glass to no effect, I then swapped the Black/Cyan laser unit with the Magenta/Yellow laser unit and it made no difference.
Any idea what else to try?

The printer has done about 120k pages and unfortunately I have no idea what maintenance the previous owner did.

It interesting that there is a continuity of horizontal white lines in cyan and black and a thick white band over the top.
I believe that I may be missing visibility of white lines in magenta and yellow due to light reflection.
If that is the case you might want to look in the ITBU before you go for the individual PCDU.
Even if you go for the PCDU, pls. ensure to check each colour testing before you order the replacement.
Thanks.

[Gift]

Re: MP-C305 vertical faint lines

That black is composed by C/M/Y/K instead of just K so the diagnostic towards cyan PCDU makes sense.

[s10]

Re: MP-C305 vertical faint lines

Thanks for all the useful tips, I have cleaned the laser glass and tried the steps in the bulletin and the lines have changed slightly so I will give it a go a few more times.

Unfortunately now I also have another error!
The paper tray 1 doesn't seem to detect paper anymore so I have to use the bypass tray.
The error is SC501-00.

When you insert the tray you can hear the lift motor and I have checked the motor turns, so I suspect a bad sensor is the cause?
Could this be caused by old toner as when I took it apart to remove the PCDU I found old toner falling out of pretty much every hole in the base of the machine...

[slimslob]

Re: MP-C305 vertical faint lines

I see a some have noticed a similar location of the lines in K and C. To me, that indicates a potential dust contamination inside the laser unit for Cyan and Black. There is a separate laser unit for Yellow and Magenta.

If the black was composite then instead of being white, the lines would be orange.

[s10]

Re: MP-C305 vertical faint lines

I see a some have noticed a similar location of the lines in K and C. To me, that indicates a potential dust contamination inside the laser unit for Cyan and Black. There is a separate laser unit for Yellow and Magenta.

If the black was composite then instead of being white, the lines would be orange.

I have swapped the two laser units round and the problem persists so I am pretty sure it is not the laser.
Also under good light the lines do look a bit orange on the black section.

I am pretty sure it is the cyan PCDU.

[Gift]

Re: MP-C305 vertical faint lines

I also see fromt he picture that the bright lines within black are "color-ish".

@Tray issue - check the back of the tray, perhaps the lever for the lift mechanism broke (assuming it's built like MPC306, 307..)

[Zeldaman]