LaserJet 4500 paper jam

[techwrtr2]

Got a color laserjet 4500 with a consistent paper jam from tray 2.

Paper usually is pulled up to a half inch from the tray, when it goes that far there's some wrinkling of the paper.

Thus far, I have replaced all rollers. I've gone through and blown out the paper path in that area looking for stray pieces of paper. The service manual mentionesonly these two possiblites for this kind of problem. I also repaired a tab that actuates the paper lift on the tray (it was bent).

When it's printing, I occasionally notice a clunk sound just before I get the paper jam message, but after further listening today, i concluded the sound is towards the rear of the printer.

I pulled the side panels and observed the mechanics, nothing seems out of sorts from what I can see. However I cannot see the drive on the right side of the machine, it's obscured by a PCB.

The printer works just fine when printing from tray 1, it's only tray 2 that has a problem.

I'm thinking I've got one of three problems given how the paper looks when I get the error.

A solenoid is intermittently bad
The powersupply PCB has a fault
The engine board has a fault.

I don't know offhand where the feed roller is driven from. It seems that it's at the point of that roller that the machine doesn't feed the paper any furhter.

Like I said previously, I have replaced all rollers with new.

Ideas?

 

[netmanrick]

You can test paper path from the menu.Select tray 2 as the
source and run paper path test.
Should help with noises and feeding problems.
Have you verified the tray mechanical settings(loose or broken plastic parts) ? What about paper size settings on menu? What application(s) are you using to print ?

Rick Harris
SC Dept of Motor Vehicles
Network Operations

 

[techwrtr2]

I've sat and watched all the viewable mechanicl functions and I can see no difference between how it functions when working properly and when not. However, there is some mechanical stuff on the opposite side of the printer that I cannot see, maybe there's a difference on that side.

Tray seems to work perfectly, nothing broken or cracked.

I've noticed that if it's been idle for a while, it will often print several pages before doing the jam, after that it'll jam about 80% of the time.

 

[netmanrick]

The paper you are using;it MEETS HP specs ? Check your documentation if you are unsure.
Remove all the paper in tray 2;fan the paper on both short
eds of the paper. Load the tray to capacity and monitor operation. I'm thinking a possible media/tension problem.

Rick Harris
SC Dept of Motor Vehicles
Network Operations

 

[techwrtr2]

Tried the paper route... turned it around, fanned it, even tried a different paper. The quantity of paper in the tray doesn't seem to have an effect.

 

[polymath5]

Just for fun, try removing the torque limiter from the tray feed roller. See if that helps. I know you said you changed rollers, but I don't know if you changed the limiter. If so, sorry I couldn't help.

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Mens et Manus
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[techwrtr2]

I'll try a torque limiter.

 

[polymath5]

Just realized I didn't point out that it's the little black and white thing behind the roller on the shaft.

Just be sure you don't push the roller back past it's normal location when you put it back on. I know it's kind of obvious, but...

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Mens et Manus
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[techwrtr2]

Since there's another one of these printers around, I swapped trays. The problem didn't follow the tray, so I know it's not the torque limiter.

I had a suggestion that I try swapping the ITB drawer between printers to see what happens. That'll be my next step.

 

[polymath5]

Hell yeah. If you have an identical printer the fastest way to test is to swap parts.



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Mens et Manus
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