Groaning and general noise

[Rex]

Hi there,

My 4050 is hopefully not giving up the ghost!

It has started to make a lot of groaning noise when initializing and printing. In fact, it does not sound at all healthy.

Is this something that is likely to be cured but replacing all the rollers or could it be something else?

Never experienced it before so don't know where to turn.

Many thanks,

Rex

[cs_steve]

A real common source of "groaning" from these is just the worn feed/separation rollers (2 grey rollers with blue plastic tips, 1 in Tray 2 and 1 up in the cavity of Tray 2) ... I'd get a roller kit or full maintenance kit and swap it in ... (we sell those at PrinterTechs, 866-352-7108)

To be sure before you buy, you can pull those 2 rollers off their shafts and then try to print a test page ... obviously the paper won't feed but you can listen for the absence of the "groaning" with the feed rollers removed...

[Rex]

Many thanks for your reply.

The 'groaning' is probably as you suggest, the rollers, but it is there during initialization, when no paper is going through.

I don't think it is slipping cogs, because although it is making quite some noise, it is actually printing fine. But it sounds like slipping nylon/plastic cogs. I just switched on with the lower paper tray removed and the lower paper roller taken out, as you suggest, and the 'groaning' is still there.

May be will give it a big clean this weekend, wipe the rollers with lighter fuel or something like that, and see what happens. Does it even need any lubrication? A single drop of WD40 onto some of the cogs?

Rex

[redcow]

Personally, I would go after the "swing plate".
Pull out the fuser. Look inside where the fuser was. Go over to the left, you will see a gear there. Is there a bunch of plastic "dust" sitting there in front of the gear?
If yes...swing plate.

I just thought of another groaner...pickup rollers(D rollers) and the "joint"(RB1-8877). If the joint gets worn it will groan.

[Rex]

Thanks for the replies.

I gave the printer a bit of a dusting last weekend and the groaning seems to have gone (for the time being.)

Paper jams are not happening, so I assume that new rollers are not necessary yet.

I will have a look at the swing plate and; there is also a 'magnetic clutch' on the pick-up rollers that I have read about, but cannot see how to open it. Probably not necessary to do so.

Rex

[garybear]

it doesn't need swing plate, this is 4050 not 4250

[garybear]

this is a thank you