Subject: Canon IR-C4080 – Blue Background
Question: I’m getting blue background on the entire page. It looks kind of wavy too. You can still see the image of what you are copying / printing though. It happens on Full color, Auto Color and all single colors; yes, even when I pick “Yellow” as a single color I still get the blue background. However when doing a black / white copy or print it is fine. The transfer belt is clean and I just changed the Cyan drum too, but it didn’t help. Also, I switched the Black and Cyan laser units, but no help there either. Could it be the DC controller? Hi-Voltage? Cyan drum ground? Help!
Answer: Go into service mode, select “Copier,” “Function,” “Clear,” then “D-con.” Press OK. Reboot copier. Good Luck. Hope this helps.
Q: Thanks so much! Would doing a D-con clear reset anything important? Like Network scan settings, DV Bias, voltages, etc? Also before I do this should I print out or write down all settings first? I know on the IR C3200 doing a D-con clear wouldn’t affect all the above but not sure on this box.
A: Before you do a D-con clear, check the drum door ground. Open the door the drums are behind; on the left side of the door near the yellow label is a hole with a ground contact. Make sure it makes contact with the machine because this causes cyan background that is wavy looking.
A: It could be a bad drum unit.
Q: Thanks for the help! It was the ground peg on the drum door for Cyan; it was pushed under the cover. I touched it with my screwdriver, it popped back up and now the machine works great! I learn something new every day. Thanks to everyone else for your help as well!
Subject: Ricoh Afficio MF 161 – Faded Copies
Q: I am working on this machine that was called out for lines on the copy. I cleaned the optics and replaced the drum. Now I am getting a perfect copy when printing, but when copying on the left side about 2 inches in, it is very faded. The rest of the copy is dark only when copying. It is like the mirrors are out of position. I checked them and everything seems to be ok. Any ideas, please let me know. Thanks in advance.
A: It sounds like the drum/developer cartridge needs to be replaced.
Q: I replaced the whole unit. It seems to be something with the optics but I don’t see anything out of place.
A: Try cleaning the slit glass and, if needed, the laser unit.
Q: Thanks everyone for your responses. I went back out and it was a mirror out of place.
A: I’ve had this problem several times—at the end of cleaning the mirrors you must air brush them.
Subject: Canon PC940 – Jams on Multiple Copies
Q: I have a customer with a Canon PC940 that runs one copy at a time just fine, but when you try to run more than one it jams and makes a noise. Any suggestions besides replace the machine? Thanks.
A: Jams where? Fuser, before fuser, paper feed? Give us something to work with. I know it is hardly worth the effort if the customer doesn’t want to pay a service call but call them up and ask them where, if toner is on the page, etc. Is it in the middle, sticking out and so on.
A: I am having a déja vu. Or am I? I seem to remember this scenario on other old equipment. Not necessarily this make and model. Isn’t it the registration clutch? One feeds fine. But if the solenoid or (in the olden days) the wrap spring clutch is sticking, the reg rollers continue to turn and jams. Also, this can happen on some if the paper size is set incorrectly. Not an issue on these models. But the reg clutch on these gets all gummed up. If you can remove the side cover and watch during feeding you may see it. Or maybe it’s the paper feed clutch. Good luck.
A: I’ve seen the sticky solenoid foam tape on lots of others, especially Canons, but this doesn’t have that. It could, theoretically, be a feed problem with feeding a second sheet, but I’ve never seen that particular problem on this model and I’ve seen probably a thousand of them. And of course, we have no idea what kind of jam he’s getting—are the copies blank, does registration shift, etc. And like you said, this machine does not sense paper size in cassette. Reg clutch problem means usually it’s either not stopping the paper (which will look half blank with lead edge in middle of page) or it’s a complete stop.
Q: As Paul Harvey would say, “And now the rest of the story…” One copy at a time works fine. On copies of two or more the first copy comes out fine but the second jams right in the nip of the reg roller, but it works fine through the bypass though. Thanks.
A: Since you can’t run multiple pages through the bypass, that doesn’t help as much as usual for troubleshooting. You said “at the nip of the reg roller.” By that, do you mean the lead edge is at or in the reg roller? If the lead edge is past the reg roller, it should have print on it at normal registration if it is not the reg clutch. It does sound like the reg clutch is hanging up but usually if it does it allows paper to pass right through. But who cares what is “usual.” I had one in my shop last week that after repairing a broken frame tab (sheet metal screw) copies would shoot right through and the reg clutch would not engage; no pause. Not feeling like taking the clutch apart (I don’t remember if that one is easy or not and I was lazy) I just sprayed the reg clutch area with carburetor cleaner or some solvent in my garage. Within two copies, the machine came back to normal and ran beautifully. I think in my case, my home-made repair with an oddball spring and sheet metal screw may have overpowered the clutch. But you can try the same thing; or, just pour some alcohol over the clutch.
A: I seem to recall the feed rolls can be in wrong. The rubber part is not in the plastic holder correctly.
Q: Thanks for all the input! We sold them a new machine instead.
