Problem with Canon Pixma ip4000 printer

[Paul Heslop]

shnaggletooth@yahoo.com wrote:

They said something about me having to take out the printing head of
the old one when the replacement arrives (I wasn't clear on exactly
what that meant, or maybe I misheard). That might mean they're shipping
a 4000 unit that doesn't have a head. But they'll be shipping it
Thurs., so I'll be able to relate the conclusion soon.

Shnaggletooth

Cool, good luck with that!
--
Paul (Take my hand, I'm standing right here)
-------------------------------------------------------
Stop and Look
http://www.geocities.com/dreamst8me/

 

[zakezuke]

They said something about me having to take out the printing head of
the old one when the replacement arrives (I wasn't clear on exactly
what that meant, or maybe I misheard). That might mean they're shipping
a 4000 unit that doesn't have a head. But they'll be shipping it
Thurs., so I'll be able to relate the conclusion soon.

You should phone them back asap, and explain you can't remove your old
head.
This leads to a new printer with a new head and new ink, and unless you
take a hacksaw to your printer, you in all honesty can't remove the old
head.

The alternative is phoning them when you get the referbished version
and telling them you can't remove the old head, and waiting a couple of
days for a new one, but odds are you wouldn't get the free ink. This
is assuming they will honor the warranty, which it looks like they may.

 

[Taliesyn]

shnaggletooth@yahoo.com wrote:

They said something about me having to take out the printing head of
the old one when the replacement arrives (I wasn't clear on exactly
what that meant, or maybe I misheard). That might mean they're shipping
a 4000 unit that doesn't have a head. But they'll be shipping it
Thurs., so I'll be able to relate the conclusion soon.

Shnaggletooth

It's pretty well standard procedure that you keep your old printhead
when the problem doesn't seem to be printhead related.

But in your case you CANNOT remove the printhead because the printhead
assembly won't center.

You better call them again and ask the not-too-smart service tech how
you're to go about removing it when you can't get to it . . . ;-)

-Taliesyn

 

[Tony]

shnaggletooth@yahoo.com wrote:

It will blink short blinks orange-green-orange-green a total of 12x
(ie. the orange blinks short blinks 12x). Then there will be a longer
green blink. Then another 12x alternating, and so on.

(I should have also mentioned: The printer is no longer hooked up to a
USB into my computer; I'm trying to get it into service mode and
diagnose it separated from my system.)

Shnaggletooth

Ok. I see that Canon are going to replace it and that is great. The 12x blink
is a fatal error so replacement is appropriate.
There probably is a way to centre the carriage, but I suggest as others have
said that you should call and tell them that the carriage does not centre and
they should send you a printer with a new head, much better for you.
Tony

 

[Lionel]

On 17 Apr 2006 08:49:32 -0700, shnaggletooth@yahoo.com opined:

X-No-Archive

My Canon Pixma ip4000 printer: I haven't used it in months, and barely
used it all before then, but just 2 weeks after my warranty ran out it
has decided to stop working. When power is turned on, the printer head
refuses to snap-to the center; it behaves as if it's locked or a pulley
(rubber band?) isn't working. The power light flashes alternatively
orange and green (which, according to the manual indicates a possible
"repair shop" problem.)

I'm a former Canon service center tech, & my advice is to call Canon
ASAP, explain the problem the way you've described it here, & ask
them nicely if they will cover it under warranty anyway.
Under the kind of circumstances you're describing, Canon are often
willing to stretch their warranty period a little.
--
W
. | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because
\|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

 

I told the service tech that I could move the printhead manually (it
just won't snap-to center on power-on as it's supposed to, and
therefore the printer won't work at all).

Shnaggletooth

 

I think I will call them tomorrow. Hopefully they haven't shipped out
the new unit already.

Shnaggletooth

 

[Lionel]

On 18 Apr 2006 08:24:03 -0700, shnaggletooth@yahoo.com opined:

I called them right now. They're going to send me a replacement. I'm
surprised, because the warranty has expired by a couple of weeks.

I should've read the whole thread before replying.

Like I said in my other post to you, I'm an ex-Canon service tech, &
they try hard to do the honourable thing by their customers. I've seen
hundreds of cases where they've honoured the warranty on a machine
that's failed shortly after going out of the official warranty period.
--
W
. | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because
\|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Lionel]

On Tue, 18 Apr 2006 19:02:54 -0400, Taliesyn <taliesyn4@netscape.net>
opined:

shnaggletooth@yahoo.com wrote:
They said something about me having to take out the printing head of
the old one when the replacement arrives (I wasn't clear on exactly
what that meant, or maybe I misheard). That might mean they're shipping
a 4000 unit that doesn't have a head. But they'll be shipping it
Thurs., so I'll be able to relate the conclusion soon.

Shnaggletooth


It's pretty well standard procedure that you keep your old printhead
when the problem doesn't seem to be printhead related.

But in your case you CANNOT remove the printhead because the printhead
assembly won't center.

On most Canon inkjets it's easy to do it manually, via either of two
methods:

(1) If the printhead moves at all when you turn it on, do so, then
unplug the power cord as soon as the the has moved out of the
'parking' position.

(2) Turn off the printer & *gently* drag the head over to the center.
--
W
. | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because
\|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Taliesyn]

Lionel wrote:

On Tue, 18 Apr 2006 19:02:54 -0400, Taliesyn <taliesyn4@netscape.net
opined:


shnaggletooth@yahoo.com wrote:

They said something about me having to take out the printing head of
the old one when the replacement arrives (I wasn't clear on exactly
what that meant, or maybe I misheard). That might mean they're shipping
a 4000 unit that doesn't have a head. But they'll be shipping it
Thurs., so I'll be able to relate the conclusion soon.

Shnaggletooth


It's pretty well standard procedure that you keep your old printhead
when the problem doesn't seem to be printhead related.

But in your case you CANNOT remove the printhead because the printhead
assembly won't center.


On most Canon inkjets it's easy to do it manually, via either of two
methods:

(1) If the printhead moves at all when you turn it on, do so, then
unplug the power cord as soon as the the has moved out of the
'parking' position.

(2) Turn off the printer & *gently* drag the head over to the center.

Thanks for the handy tips. I should print this out and store it should
mine ever go.

Welcome to the printer group. Nice to see any kind of Canon
representation here. HP's been served very nicely by Bob Headrick.

-Taliesyn

 

[Tony]

Lionel <usenet@imagenoir.com> wrote:

On 17 Apr 2006 08:49:32 -0700, shnaggletooth@yahoo.com opined:

X-No-Archive

My Canon Pixma ip4000 printer: I haven't used it in months, and barely
used it all before then, but just 2 weeks after my warranty ran out it
has decided to stop working. When power is turned on, the printer head
refuses to snap-to the center; it behaves as if it's locked or a pulley
(rubber band?) isn't working. The power light flashes alternatively
orange and green (which, according to the manual indicates a possible
"repair shop" problem.)

I'm a former Canon service center tech, & my advice is to call Canon
ASAP, explain the problem the way you've described it here, & ask
them nicely if they will cover it under warranty anyway.
Under the kind of circumstances you're describing, Canon are often
willing to stretch their warranty period a little.
--
W
. | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because
\|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

That is exactly my experience, on one occasion they replaced a printer 3 1/2
months out of original warranty. The customer had reported a fault one month
before warranty expired, the printer was replaced promptly and it failed with a
different problem one week after the warranty on the replacement printer ended.
HP are just as good in my experience.
Tony

 

[Lionel]

On Tue, 18 Apr 2006 22:45:04 -0400, Taliesyn <taliesyn4@netscape.net>
opined:

Lionel wrote:
[retrieving stubborn printhead carriages]
(2) Turn off the printer & *gently* drag the head over to the center.

And I forgot another good method:
(3) If the model is one of the ones where the carriage parking
position is completely inaccessible (usually to the extreme right),
you can often extract it by pulling the toothed rubber/cloth carriage
belt to the left. (Watch out for the inevitable stray ink &/or white
grease in the area!)

Thanks for the handy tips. I should print this out and store it should
mine ever go.

Welcome to the printer group.

Well, I'm reading this from RPD, where I've been a reg for a few years
now, but we often see printer-related questions here.

Nice to see any kind of Canon
representation here. HP's been served very nicely by Bob Headrick.

Thanks for the kind words, Taliesyn, they're much appreciated.

Do please bear in mind that I'm very much an *ex* Canon tech though,
as I haven't serviced any Canon printers in a professional capacity
since about '99, (when I finally finished switching over to the
networking side of the IT industry), so I have had no 'official'
connection with Canon, (other than as a mostly-happy customer) since
that time, & don't claim to speak for Canon in any 'official'
capacity.
That said, I worked for Canon (Business Equipment Service, Australia)
for several years, then went on to work in, then manage
Canon-authorised service centres for another 6 years or so, so I'm
pretty familiar with their equipment, their service policies, &
service procedures.
--
W
. | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because
\|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Lionel]

On Wed, 19 Apr 2006 00:19:53 -0500, Tony <TonytheTigurrrrr@aim.com>
opined:

That is exactly my experience, on one occasion they replaced a printer 3 1/2
months out of original warranty. The customer had reported a fault one month
before warranty expired, the printer was replaced promptly and it failed with a
different problem one week after the warranty on the replacement printer ended.
HP are just as good in my experience.
Tony

Good point, Tony. Canon will nearly always (totally unofficially)
'reset' the warranty period on a fault originally repaired within the
'official' warranty period.
For example, the old BJC-600 had a couple of nasty design faults that,
at some sites, resulted in recurring printhead (ie; expensive!) errors
through no fault of the users, for several years after the original
purchase, but Canon kept on fixing the printers for free until they
finally came up with a permanent fix for the design fault.

The lesson here for Canon users who run into a fault shortly before or
after the original warranty period is to *get straight on the phone*
to Canon, ASAP! Because Canon *wants* to keep you happy, & will
usually cut you some slack if they think it'll turn bad word-of-mouth
into good word-of-mouth.
(And in the printer market segment, there's another good reason for
this attitude, which is that they make way more profit from the
consumables than they do from the original sale, so they don't mind
eating a repair bill to keep you from switching to the competition.)
--
W
. | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because
\|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

 

[zakezuke]

I told the service tech that I could move the printhead manually (it
just won't snap-to center on power-on as it's supposed to, and
therefore the printer won't work at all).

You are a resourceful honest person, you don't get a printhead and free
ink.

 

[Lionel]

On 19 Apr 2006 06:53:28 -0700, "zakezuke" <zakezuke_us@yahoo.com>
opined:

I told the service tech that I could move the printhead manually (it
just won't snap-to center on power-on as it's supposed to, and
therefore the printer won't work at all).

You are a resourceful honest person, you don't get a printhead and free
ink.

Perhaps not, but he (?) /does/ get Karma points, self-reliance points,
& the respect of one or two Canon Service staff, none of which are
things to be sneezed at.
--
W
. | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because
\|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

 

[zakezuke]

Perhaps not, but he (?) /does/ get Karma points, self-reliance points,
& the respect of one or two Canon Service staff, none of which are
things to be sneezed at.

Well, karma is nothing to sneeze at... it's just sad when you solve a
problem your self it means no free ink or replacement printhead. If I
was still running my epson r200 during it's warranty period, I would be
thankful if it broke, as that means good karma and free ink.

But I would also agree from my limited experence getting on their good
side and doing "some" troubleshooting does by-pass much of the
checklist and saves time. Though I kick my self for telling them "oh
no, the print head moves around, you told me to unplug it, so it's not
moving" "Well you don't get a new printer with ink" "damn it".

 

It will blink short blinks orange-green-orange-green a total of 12x
(ie. the orange blinks short blinks 12x). Then there will be a longer
green blink. Then another 12x alternating, and so on.

(I should have also mentioned: The printer is no longer hooked up to a
USB into my computer; I'm trying to get it into service mode and
diagnose it separated from my system.)

Shnaggletooth

 

[measekite]

LIKE I SAID. TALK TO CANON TECH SUPPORT.

shnaggletooth@yahoo.com wrote:

It will blink short blinks orange-green-orange-green a total of 12x
(ie. the orange blinks short blinks 12x). Then there will be a longer
green blink. Then another 12x alternating, and so on.

(I should have also mentioned: The printer is no longer hooked up to a
USB into my computer; I'm trying to get it into service mode and
diagnose it separated from my system.)

Shnaggletooth

 

I called them right now. They're going to send me a replacement. I'm
surprised, because the warranty has expired by a couple of weeks.

Shnaggletooth

 

[Paul Heslop]

shnaggletooth@yahoo.com wrote:

I called them right now. They're going to send me a replacement. I'm
surprised, because the warranty has expired by a couple of weeks.

Shnaggletooth

But, as has been pointed out, some things should last longer than
guarantee time, such as cookers, televisions and three piece suites.
Your problem appears to be with the operating system of the printer
which are not replaceable by you and should last longer than the
consumable parts.

--
Paul (Take my hand, I'm standing right here)
-------------------------------------------------------
Stop and Look
http://www.geocities.com/dreamst8me/