HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

[techie0419]

Hi all.

I have a HP M402 here in the shop. When it moves paper through the paper path, I can hear it start to crinkle. It eventually stops in the rear door, at a slight angle, and accordioned in the fuser. It doesn't make it to the exit rollers. I checked that the rollers were installed properly. I checked that the paper was loaded correctly in the tray--when it was brought to the shop by a guy from IT, he took the original paper out and put it in the loaner printer, so I had to load it with paper to even test it. I tried a different fuser, just in case, even though the issue seems to be starting with the paper feed. I even tried a different tray. The display registers a jam in the cartridge area, even though the paper is all crunched up past the cartridge leading into the fuser. When I take the cartridge out, I don't see any paper anymore; it's only accessible from the rear door/fuser area.

The left leading corner is dog-eared, and comes out slightly ahead of the right side of the page.

Total meter: 3,750. Call history shows a meter of 3,079 on March 1st.

Anyone seen anything like this in this--or a similar--model?

[floody]

Re: HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

print something off when you hear the crinkly noise open the main cover and see if you see if the paper is being fed through the machine straight, I don't no much about these machines but is the secondary transfer roller spring loaded?

[Phil B.]

Re: HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

Hi all.

I have a HP M402 here in the shop. When it moves paper through the paper path, I can hear it start to crinkle. It eventually stops in the rear door, at a slight angle, and accordioned in the fuser. It doesn't make it to the exit rollers. I checked that the rollers were installed properly. I checked that the paper was loaded correctly in the tray--when it was brought to the shop by a guy from IT, he took the original paper out and put it in the loaner printer, so I had to load it with paper to even test it. I tried a different fuser, just in case, even though the issue seems to be starting with the paper feed. I even tried a different tray. The display registers a jam in the cartridge area, even though the paper is all crunched up past the cartridge leading into the fuser. When I take the cartridge out, I don't see any paper anymore; it's only accessible from the rear door/fuser area.

The left leading corner is dog-eared, and comes out slightly ahead of the right side of the page.

Total meter: 3,750. Call history shows a meter of 3,079 on March 1st.

Anyone seen anything like this in this--or a similar--model?

sounds like the fuser is not turning ... pull fuser inspect drive gears or film.

[jper34]

Re: HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

Hi all.

I have a HP M402 here in the shop. When it moves paper through the paper path, I can hear it start to crinkle. It eventually stops in the rear door, at a slight angle, and accordioned in the fuser. It doesn't make it to the exit rollers. I checked that the rollers were installed properly. I checked that the paper was loaded correctly in the tray--when it was brought to the shop by a guy from IT, he took the original paper out and put it in the loaner printer, so I had to load it with paper to even test it. I tried a different fuser, just in case, even though the issue seems to be starting with the paper feed. I even tried a different tray. The display registers a jam in the cartridge area, even though the paper is all crunched up past the cartridge leading into the fuser. When I take the cartridge out, I don't see any paper anymore; it's only accessible from the rear door/fuser area.

The left leading corner is dog-eared, and comes out slightly ahead of the right side of the page.

Total meter: 3,750. Call history shows a meter of 3,079 on March 1st.

Anyone seen anything like this in this--or a similar--model?

I,ve seen both fuser cause this, another time had to replace the swing plate assembly, gears that drive the fuser rollers, I've done it quite a few times, it takes a awhile, but gets easier to replace, after doing it a few times..Good Luck !

[Lance15]

Re: HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

another time had to replace the swing plate assembly, gears that drive the fuser rollers

Are you thinking of the right model? The M400 series is a really low-end model and doesn't have a swing plate like the 4250/4350's do. Nor are any drive gears of any kind available for this model unless they were pulled from a junker.

[Phil B.]

Re: HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

Are you thinking of the right model? The M400 series is a really low-end model and doesn't have a swing plate

i didn't think it did... have seen a few of them but never tore it down to that point... thanks for the re-affirmation!

[zoraldinho]

Re: HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

Try with another cartridge.

[theengel]

Re: HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

You're gonna have to stop the printer in the middle of a job to find out where it's going bad. You'll probably have to do it quite a few times.

[techie0419]

Re: HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

Try with another cartridge.

Heh, I did. The cartridge that it had when it was brought back to my shop was so low that it wasn't putting an image on the page. New cartridge, there was an image on the paper, but it still got all bent out of shape before the fuser. It honestly sounds like the paper is feeding crooked out of the tray; I can start to hear it sound weird fairly soon after the paper feed starts. I may have to do what another poster said and stop the print job partway through to see where it starts to go wrong.

In the meantime, I have also tried a new registration assembly (as per the HP Support guy). I looked at both the old and new one side by side before putting the new one in and couldn't see any difference, no gunk on the old assembly, but ya never know sometimes. With the new one, the paper did feed all the way out through the fuser, but was still so crooked that the image was skewed, and the paper wrinkled as it passed through the fuser. Deep down I never really thought it was the registration assembly. I'm going to have to mess with the very front of the machine, between the tray and the registration. The dog-ear is still there (did I mention a dog-ear in the original post?).

I'll keep plugging away...

[Phil B.]

Re: HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

is this coming from the cassette tray? have you tried MPT?

[techie0419]

Re: HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

is this coming from the cassette tray? have you tried MPT?

*Facepalm*

MPT/bypass tray feeds fine. No crinkling, no skew...but we're back to an accordion when it pulls from the cassette tray. Base model, no extra trays. I took the front off, between the tray and the registration (black piece under the bypass pickup roller), nothing weird there that I could see. Could it be the tray, or the lift motor?

If it's feeding correctly from the bypass, it isn't the registration assembly (obvious now)--I should have tried that before I called HP in the first place.

[Phil B.]

Re: HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

*Facepalm*
MPT/bypass tray feeds fine. No crinkling, no skew...but we're back to an accordion when it pulls from the cassette tray. Base model, no extra trays. I took the front off, between the tray and the registration (black piece under the bypass pickup roller), nothing weird there that I could see. Could it be the tray, or the lift motor?
If it's feeding correctly from the bypass, it isn't the registration assembly (obvious now)--I should have tried that before I called HP in the first place.

no worries... in the field and customer standing on your shoulders, can get anyone ( even an old timer like me ) on edge.

ok sooooo.. like other have suggested do a "stop test" " half test ". start a print job... when you hear the VERY FIRST SIGN of crinkling ... open a cover... that will stop ALL engine movement and show you WHERE it starts.

oh and show a little LOVE to the suggestions... Thank or Like a positive suggestion please.

[floody]

Re: HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

is the separation tyres spring loaded on these models? also the plate that lifts the paper is the pressure even on both sides?

[techie0419]

Re: HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

HA!

First of all, I want to thank everyone who replied. Once I finally followed the good advice found here and stopped the paper in its tracks, I was able to narrow down where the problem was occurring. [Yes, I know...."duh!"]

I am grateful for the collective mind of all the techs on this site willing to share their thoughts, tips, complaints, etc. I am also grateful for a spare printer that I could take apart and look at. Figured out the problem in about 30 seconds after I got the front off a M426. One of the teeth in the guide just above the paper tray (behind the metal plate that goes across the front, below the manual feed pickup roller) was bent out of position. That's all it was. Once it was back in position, it feeds paper from the main cassette just fine.

Thanks again for helping me think through this. Figured I'd post a followup with the resolution in case anyone else has a similar issue in the future.

[Phil B.]

Re: HP M402 accordion jamming "in cartridge area"

HA! Thanks again for helping me think through this. Figured I'd post a followup with the resolution in case anyone else has a similar issue in the future.

'
YES PLEASE always post the end results on any machine issue.

Congrats on getting it right!