Clean Old Deskjet

by blogith

25K139

Intro: Clean Old Deskjet

I was able to get a whole year of printing out of a old deskjet that was thrown out by cleaning it up.

STEP 1: Get to Reservoir

You want to first get to reservoir to clean up the caked ink that accumulates there from the ink cartridges. This means that you have to carefully take the printer apart and save all the screws and parts so that you can put it back together again. You may want to document this just in case you get interrupted or you forget what you did last.

STEP 2: Messy

When you get to the reservoir it can get messy cleaning up the plastic spindle or wheel that usually has all the ink around it. You might want to wear gloves or do this away from everything. Have something to throw the soiled rag or napkins or whatever your using because it will get very messy and you will want to dispose of the excess ink somewhere.

STEP 3: Run a Test

When your done putting it back together you want to reconnect it to your pc and run a color test and alignment test to see how it does.

10 Comments

htrod49 12 years ago

WOW!! You certainly can not download the pdf file..

bzyk123456 13 years ago

Someone may give instruction step by step for dissasemble hp deskjet 980cxi? I be grateful!

notmyfault 15 years ago

After you get it cleaned, Monitor the reservoir monthly. Open the lid, the ink carriage will move to the change ink area. Unplug the power, you can then move the carriage by hand. Move it away from the reservoir. Using a paper towel held in a pair of hemostats, swab out some of the ink that has been deposited. You do not have to make it spotless, just knock down some of the excess ink. You can see better using a mini-mag flashlight or something similar. This will make it last longer between take-apart cleanings. While you are at it, there is a celioid strip that is located parallel to the carriage rail. If you look at closely you will see it has black lines on it. The printer uses it to tell the carriage where its at. It will get ink mist on it and cause the carriage to get lost. Look at the ends of the strip and you will see where it is hooked to the frame. One side will have either a spring or a leaf spring. Move the carriage to that side. Then take a small piece of paper towel and put a little window cleaner on it. Pinch it over the strip and pull. Move the carriage and do the other side. Be careful that you do not unhook the strip from the spring. It is a royal PAIN to get back in place. Also, do not pull so hard you break the other side. Do not scrub the strip. It is like the old film strips and if you clean the black marks off, the carriage will really get lost. One wipe should be enough. Sorry for the long post, I hope this helps keep these old printers working and out of the waste stream.

sootches 16 years ago

So I have an EPSON Stylus CX 5400 that will not print a darn thing. After test printing, running the "clean heads" function, and doing head alignment repeatedly, I called EPSON with my frustrated bafflement. To which they replied that my printer heads must have dried out, therefore the printer is shot, and they would be happy to sell me a new one. Which I think is nonsense - There's got to be a way to clean out dried printer heads, right? Or is this wishful thinking? I opened it up, but being the non geek I am have not figured out what the heck printer heads look like, and can't figure out how to remove the component where they must be. Is cleaning out dried up printer heads a pipe dream, or can someone tell me how to do this for this type of printer? Thanks

notmyfault 15 years ago

Oh,man I hate EPSONs. The heads are not the same as in an HP. They are a separate unit. NOT easy even for a tech. Also the ink is not the same type. You can clean the heads if you can get a special type of head cleaner. I do not know if finger nail polish remover is the same but it smells about the same. You might try alcohol. Remove the ink tanks and using a dropper or syringe put a little in the hole where the ink tank supplies ink. Then using mini screwdriver, push down on the one way valve. As you are pushing down, use a straw to GENTELY blow the cleaner down the valve pipe. Repeat several times. Then go to the next color. IF you are LUCKY this will clear the heads. Be prepared that this MAY fail and you will have to replace the printer. The root of the problem is that where the waste ink is collected ink builds up, and becomes a staligmite. It is because ink dries when exposed to air. If you do not clear that, then the problem will come back. Do not throw it away. I suggest you break it down in to robot parts. It has a very nice DC motor and there usually is a nice stainless steel bar that would be great for a CNC project. NMF

ctsned 16 years ago

I kid you not. I once took my 935c HP Deskjet outside and hosed it down...inside. and out. till the water ran clear. I don't remember how I dried it...either left it in the sun or used a hair dryer. In any event that printer has work for at least 3 years since I did that. It's really gunked up now so I came here to see if there was a saner method. (Which there appears to be). Mine however required no disassembly....and comes with no guarantee....

Bayberry 16 years ago

I liked the washing idea for my 932c, but I POWER WASHED it with my power washer. I took about 10 min to get all of the junk out of the printer. It is REALLY messy, the old ink get on everything. I let it drain for about one hour, dryed it the best I could, let it sit overnight, and now it works great ! Thanks for the idea...

PeterTheUnGreat 17 years ago

I have a naughty way of cleaning gummed up heads. Plunge them in boiling water with a little washing up liquid in it then leave them to soak for 5 minutes. (This has worked well and repeatedly with my infrequently used DesignJet 350 which tends to gum up when left unused for a few months) I would only use this on heads that would otherwise go in the bin as I would imagine that you could perminantly damage them if you are unlucky. Pete

westfw 17 years ago

It's surprising how much equipment with "moving parts" can be fixed simply by giving it a good cleaning. Nice photos here; Someone else pointed out recently in another forum (?) that a digital camera can come in handy for taking pictures as you dissassemble things, to help you remember how it goes back together.

LasVegas 17 years ago

To clean the reservoir sponge, pull it out with a pair of long-nosed pliers and rinse under cold running water until the sponge is white and the water runs clear. Let it dry completely before reinstalling. You may also want to clean the rubber rollers that feed the paper if they're caked with paper dust. Scrape with the edge of a dull knife (like a butter knife) to remove the dust and restore grip. You can also lubricate the tracking bar with silicone lube (available at the local hardware or home supply) and a paper towel. Be sure to wipe off any excess lubricant. HP's are especially nice for restoring since the heads get replaced with every ink replacement.