bizhub c252 with C-2551 error

[Xmodgeek]

Hello all, I've been charged with maintaining our c252 at work. I normally do the CAD work but I'm proficient with computers and there hardware.

I've been having trouble with a error C-2551 saying the cyan toner density is too low. It shows up in the 1 to 2% range vs the other 3 in the 6 to 9% range.
I've noticed the error a few times before usually because we were trying to get the most out of the toner cartridges but the past month its gotten to the point it cant print much at all.
What seamed to kick it off last month was about 100 18 page double sided color brochures... I also had a time with that because, maybe every 100 pages or so it would jam up because it
looked like the paper was sticking to the fuser and would pull it in.

I noticed then that the blue in the prints looked light with some lines in it. and sure enough I had to replace the cyan and magenta toner cartridges.
and all seamed ok but about a week later it started the C-2551 error.

I suggested we get a new IU but that's too expensive for us right now with it not even being the oldest and recently replacing the magenta one.
So I would take the IU out and shake it about even manually adding toner once to see if that would help. It would be good for a few days then error again.

I took the TCR sensor out of the old magenta IU we had and put that in the cyan one to see if it was that and nope, still reading about the same density.
I've also tried cleaning out the toner supply tube best I could.
Also I've noticed it take a longish time to start up running a motor that sounds the same as when I did the "TCR Toner Supply" for cyan (I'm guessing that's to manually add toner?)

What really got me and made me sign up on these forums was I noticed the cyan toner cartridge was pretty light compared to the magenta... so I thought well where is it all going?
(until then I was thinking the printer was not taking the toner from the cartridge maybe a bad gear or clutch as I've read some may have)
I checked the waste toner can and it was full of cyan toner (not literally but I had emptied that back in late November and the color then was brownish gray)
And that's something I had not seen any once else mention when I was looking up the error and possible fixes.

the counts on the image units are as follows, if that helps?
Cyan 1132M
Magenta 119M
Yellow 4458M
Black 4421M


So any ideas of what to do next or any suggestions would be appreciated thanks.

[copier tech]

Sounds like the cyan developer is used up etc, you'll need to replace the cyan image unit, as this is an old model you maybe able to pick one up cheap on eBay etc

[EarthKmTech]

I have a customer that does not print much colour and the colour toners end up settling into a lump at the back of the cartridge and then it throws this (or other colour TCR) errors.

Its a once every 6 months deal, go in, shake the hell out of the toners, get the machine to recover (TCR toner supply i think the button is called) and away it goes till next time.

[Xmodgeek]

Thanks for the replies

We do print color quite a bit and the toner shank thing doesn't do the trick. What about the IU is getting used up? I know the drum
wears out over time and doesn't hold the image as well, but compared to the others its pretty new.

What would cause it to be dumping so much of the toner into the waste bin?

[paulrid]

As copier tech said it sounds like it's low on dev, print a full bleed if you can and see what it looks like. Replacement IU is the way to sort it.

[EarthKmTech]

On this series, people used to and probably still do, reset the belts and walk away - the ozone filter is replaced with the belt and is usually completely clogged with toner blocking airflow and preventing ozone from being removed from the imaging units as intended. This is a sure fire way for imaging units to perform poorly and for the machine to over compensate and destroy them in short order. Keep that filter clean.

Worked for a tight ass dealer similar to a POW work camp and a no expenses spared KM branch, guess which one had the constantly failing imaging units.

[allan]

You can check the life count compared to yellow and magenta if they are the same the cyan toner has a hard time reaching the IU. If those unit were chipped (reset) change them. This is a very awesome color machine a bit on the slow side but i have seen them go for more than 9 years in the field and we have a hard time upgrading them.

Get a KM tech to sort it out for you.
Warning => they will try to upgrade it nothing wrong with the new BH C284e, that would be a good replacement for that machine and not too expensive.

[Xmodgeek]

I'll reinforce to my boss that we should try a new image unit.

If you mean the transfer unit I replaced that back in late 2012 and on the unit life indicator it's on 6 of the 10 bars.

I put the count of the IU's in my first post. and on the unit life indicator for the cyan IU it's on the first of 10 bars. Years ago I did disable it so it will keep printing after the IU reads empty until there is a noticeable decline of quality. like I replaced the magenta one before we did that run of brochures.

If my boss dosn't want to by a new IU right now I can't imagine he'd be willing to get a new printer... (tho it'd be nice)

I've pretty much ordered all the supplies from ebay. The cyan IU in there now was sold as 'NEW GENUINE KONICA MINOLTA IU-210C Cyan Image Unit' and looked new to me when I got it. (not saying it's couldn't have been a fake refurbished one)

I've been told it they got the printer in 2007 but the machine says 2-13-2008 in the service menu.

What I don't get its it why is it dumping a lot of the cyan toner in the waste bin if it says it's got low toner density. The sencor looks like a clear plastic squidge looking thing that swipes over the sensor and I'm guessing it measures the layer of toner that gets sweep by the window? so it the toner is low it adds more. but to put the toner into the waste bin doesn't have to go thru the IU and out the top of it? Just saying if it's a problem getting toner in the IU then a new IU won't fix it right?

[fixthecopier]

This guy should get a big thumbs up for giving a lot of information and showing that he made a serious effort to troubleshoot his problem.

You have to change the IU.