DI470 jamming/stoppage

[techhelpbr]

I am a PC/printer tech, and I have been trying to diagnose multiple problems with this DI470. I've done a lot of work with copiers/MFPs, but I'm not a bona fide copier technician. Your answers to my questions will probably be to call in a real copier tech, but that's not going to happen in this case. The buck stops with me and my supervisors are making my life hell until I get this !$#@$#@! thing working again.

Background: This copier was moved from one location to another across town. The people who moved it were not gentle with it and it hasn't worked properly since the move. The door latch assembly on the right side had one of its "teeth" broken off, which was causing the door not to close tightly enough and was generating door not closed error. I replaced the latch and now I don't get the error. I've also found various other miscellaneous bits of broken plastic within the machine, none large, but where they came from I have no idea.

Problem #1

Paper is stopping at positions #9 and 10 (as shown on the LCD display), specifically right at the point where the paper path makes the change from vertical to horizontal. At that first roller where it is pulled into a horizontal path, where the paper would enter if using the bypass tray. At first I thought it might be a dirty/worn roller slipping on the paper, but I cleaned it thoroughly. Also, when the stoppage occurs, you can't just pull the paper out (unless you want to tear it) without dropping the transport assembly, so the roller is gripping the paper quite tightly. I don't think that's the problem. For some reason the roller is stopping as soon as the paper enters it.

Problem #2

Paper is getting jammed up just after it exits the fuser. Several sheets will gather and crumple there, until it is so crammed full that paper will no longer exit the fuser. At that point it will stop and show the jam on the display. Upon opening the left door I will find all these sheets crumpled and accordioned in there, and some of them will have been turning brown from the heat. It seems that once they exit the fuser they're simply not going anywhere.

I've searched these forums extensively, and haven't been able to find anything about these particular issues.

I would be extremely grateful for any help with this.

[Darren King]

Problem 1
Remove drum unit. Remove gray cover below where drum unit was. Remove, clean and lube bushing on end of preregistration roller. It gets gummed up and turns slowly.
Problem 2
This could be several things. 1. Broken upper scrapers 2. Broken latch at front of leftside door causing the door not to close fully. 3. Toner build-up on black guide in leftside door.
There could be other things but, try these first.
Hope this helps
Darren

[MILLER4157]

check your entrance sensor into your finisher and verify that you exit rollers are conveying the paper. the di470 has a tendency to jam in the exit unit due to crud on the exit guide and broken plastic as well. you can go into tech rep mode to verify whther the entrance sensor of the finisher and exit of the main body are working correctly

[techhelpbr]

Thanks for the replies. Thanks! As far as problem number one, I actually got a clue from another thread that I dug out on this forum. Many of these problems seem to be coming from the left side door. The stoppage at 9 and 10 are coming from the left side door not latching securely enough. When the rollers start to move it vibrates the door just enough to generate a "door open" error and stop the entire print process. I tested this by merely putting pressure on the left side door during copying. It would then consistently clear the location of error #1 without any jams. I put a slight bend on the metal tabs the door latch grabs on to, which tightened things up just enough to prevent that error permanently. Which gets a lot of paper to the location of error #2, where it fails to exit the machine after leaving the fuser, and accumulates in a dense crumpled wad until it causes jams and shuts the whole damn thing down. It even turns brown from the heat from the fuser, and I'm waiting on the thing to burst into flame.

My supervisors are jerks, but luckily enough they recognize the logic of spending five hundred or a thousand on parts and labor, versus spending $25000 on a new enterprise-level copier. Which means I can pretty much request any part or any number of them and they will be provided, no questions asked. Since the paper is leaving the fuser just fine, and the problem seems to be with the transport assembly that is mounted on the left-side door, I'm considering requesting a replacement door, along with the entire blasted assembly that is mounted on it. Basically everything between the fuser and finisher and duplexer. What do you all think of that idea?

I've tried thoroughly cleaning every single rubber roller in the assembly attached to the left door. It had no effect whatsoever on the problem. Also note that sometimes, the print job will go through to the document sorter without any error at all. I've managed to even accumulate a stack of six or seven printed sheets in the sorter before it went back to creating paper accordions just outside the exit from the fuser.

Supporting my idea about replacing the entire door assembly is the fact that the door itself is misaligned, the components attached to it seem worn and damaged, and the door will not even open without a bit of prying while the latch is being depressed. I'm thinking that perhaps this door came open during moving and was smashed against a wall or something.

I will perform the tasks that you recommended, except the part about going into tech rep mode. I have no earthly idea whatsoever about how to do that and the service manuals are silent on the subject, so far as I can tell.

Thanks again to the persons who replied. If I resolve these problems it will be because of your help.

[MILLER4157]

Glad you were able to find the source of your first problem. Hopefully this will fix your issue. Good luck

[techhelpbr]

I've been informed by the parts people that they cannot get the exit assembly for the DI 470 (yes, I specified that I wanted it as a complete assembly rather than individual parts). However, they say they can get the exit assembly for the DI 450, which they say is similar and shares many parts with the DI 470. Do any of you think this will work?

Once again, I'm grateful for any help you can give.

[Hansoon]

I seriously doubt your problem is coming from the "left side door" and that the machine is worth to invest a new one if available be it from the Di-470 or Di-450.

Standard problems with these machines are: Gummed up bushing of the pre sync rollers, failing exit sensor and turn over sensor together with their flags, fuser delaying cause of worn LFR bearings and/or slipping coil spring in the fuser drive system (machine side) and sometimes a crack in the doorhandle (the grey one) of the exit section door allowing the door to open slightly during copying. Also worn separator fingers causing accordion jams can be an issue. (Just had one yesterday)

There is no part # for the door you mentioned before as a whole unit. We had many and still have a few of these machines around and the problems you describe are always caused by one or more of the above mentioned reasons.

There should be a post here in this forum about the Di450/470 describing similar problems you have in which I participated too but I cannot find it right now.

Hans

[techhelpbr]

Well, what I meant was "the exit mechanism attached to the left side door" rather than the door itself. The paper makes it to the fuser, and then through the fuser, but fails to go anywhere after that. The accordion jams you described are exactly what I'm experiencing with this unit. Could you tell me more about the similar problems you've dealt with? If I could correct the problems through adjusting or cleaning something rather than spending a lot of money on parts that might or might not fix it, it would be wonderful.

As I said in my original post, I'm a computer and networking technician with a great deal of experience working on printers and copiers, but still not a "real" copier repairman or engineer. I'm kind of fumbling blind here. I have the manuals on this machine but there appears to be a great deal of knowledge about these machines that either isn't in the manuals or is there in a form I can't understand. For those reasons I am humbly grateful to you and the others who have responded.

[techhelpbr]

Also, if you could find that thread you were talking about and post a link, I'd be grateful for that too.