Great instructions. I like how you stopped the video and circled areas of interest, how you explain each step, and show errors encountered along the way. Since I don't have an ultrasonic cleaner, I soaked the pieces in a small container of hot water. Over the course of a couple days I would swish the head pieces around in the water bath and replace the water. I then used a syringe to push through any remaining dried ink, and then used a can of compressed air to dry the pieces. After putting it all together again (and thanks for the reverse instructions!), I was able to print a nozzle check page. It's going to take a couple more head cleanings and one replacement cartridge (now the machine doesn't recognize the magenta cartridge, which was low anyway) - but it's working! Really happy that, at least for now, we don't have to replace the entire unit. Thank you for taking the time to put this all together.
My Epson Workforce WF-3640 was from Costco and had an additional white ribbon connector (so three total), but with your very clear and detailed directions I was able to mark the ribbon ends so I would know what went where, and continue with the process. It worked eventually. I had to clean the printer heads and run test papers 5 times. I still don't have 100% clear lines on the test runs, but at least the Error Code 97 is gone and I am printing again. I used armed up denatured alcohol instead of window cleaner. It worked just fine. So much ink came out. Gosh the ports were clogged to heck and back. Thank you so much for this and for your generosity to the Epson Owner Community.
I tried to unclog the printhead from Epson R280 - first with traditional methods (using cleaning liquid and syringe dumping the liquid into the pad below the head). I managed to unclog some nozzles. Then i tried to clean the head with soaking it into isopropyl alcohol (as some others on youtube suggested). I was able to unclog about 80% of the nozzles. Then I read about using ultrasonic cleaners and ordered one. I was rather cautious, and did not soak entire head - only the nozzle side. About 1 minute was sufficient to kill the printhead. The ultrasonic destroyed the glue layer which attaches the nozzle plate to glass piezo substrate. As the result, while few more nozzles were unclogged, the ink chambers now leak into each other and the head is not usable. The water fed into in ink port gets out through another. I removed the bracket holding the nozzle plate - and to my surprise, I was able to take it off... I am not sure if the problem was caused by the solvent or the age of the printhead - but before ultrasonic stage the leakage did not happen. I will post the pictures later showing the head internals and the effect of ultrasonic cleaning. But for Epson heads it is certainly a head killer. Maybe BCH will tell how the glue layer may be restored?
Hands down the best cleaning video. I've been searching all night looking for simple way to do this and finally found this video. Very well done and explains each step, thank you!
OMG. you have NOOOOO idea what this video did for me. I have the WF3640 and literally NOTHING worked. The error 0xEA was stopping me from using my printer completely. And because of your very simplified instructions, I was able to completely flush out & clean all the hardware to now hopefully get my stupid printer working again. Thank you so so much. This was so helpful!!
I am so thankful about the showing of the belt caught in the printhead that makes a load noise and tells error on screen at 16mins. I got a big fright and without this expert I would have thought I had broken the printer somehow. Thanks so much for showing to remove belt as I had not realised what had happened!
The best Epson printer head cleaning video. 👍🏻 I find this video after I done my printer cleaning. Worried the water will damage circuit board before I dipped the printer head into water.
can anyone tell me where to get that piece of primer plastic hes using with the syringe to clean out the electronic part of the print head? In the video he says its under Accessories on the site but i cant seem to find it.
Worked like a charm, I was lucky being a jeweller i had a sonic laying around . I was amazed how much crap came out in the sonic. Thank you so much , you saved my butt !!!! This will be my last Epson ever ,I have had nothing but grief from it .
Unfortunately after 3-5 years of usage of any printer, same problem of printer head issue come up. I had before Brother and Samsung , same problem with print quality after a while. Currently I have ET 4550 Epson eko tank and It was working without any issue for 5 years, 2600 pages with one tank , until now . Black color is probably clogged . I will try this method to clean print head as soon I get Ultrasonic Cleaning Solution.
You are my hero!!!!!!! My clear ribbon was caught and was doing the same thing you showed!! Thank you for explaining that also. You are a great teacher. Thank you!
I was ready to trash my Epson Workforce WF-7610 printer. The print head was completely clogged - even after several cleaning cycles (which depleted couple sets of new ink cartridges) and even trying those cleaning kits on eBay with a syringe, tube and fluid, the printer just "printed" blank sheets. I came across your video, followed your instructions to the "T" and assembled everything back. After running just 1 cleaning cycle, I was so surprised to see all 4 color lines on the nozzle check. Two more cleaning cycles and the color copies looking wonderful! I get a paper jam error during printing with the paper getting stuck just under the rollers near the print head rails - I presume some rollers may have got wet. Will dry the unit for a day and try again. Kevin - you are awesome!
The rollers did not got wet .... They became wet. Got means something one acquires by toil. Now you know what got means, so you can use correct English. Read more books to become fluent and improve your vocabulary.
I have the same epson 7610 and I've been having the same issue. I looked at this video but he didn't say what is the name of the machine that I need to buy?
@@leighshell1784 You are not qualified to teach English neither are you fluent in the English language. 1. Explain the meaning of the word 'Got' 2. Explain the difference between Someone and somebody. That is just for starters. Perhaps when you have been teaching English in High School and College for as long as I have then you may qualify. Until then you do not. What you know is 'Common Street English' That is traditionally the language of peasants and that is your level. I would recommend you undertake an extensive reading course, particularly as you have been dumbed down and are not aware of it. In fact, your somewhat crude comment suggests a low IQ well below 70 Better you go back and play in your sandbox. I have no interest in communicating with such low-level uneducated people such as yourself, It is a total waste of my time. You can go ahead and waste yours, write whatever keeps you happy. I don't care if you choose ignorance as you will NEVER LEARN.
Excellent video. Very good description of the process. You would need an ultrasonic cleaner to follow the full process as well as a syringue and cleaning solution
I appreciate the video, I am on my second Epson Workforce printer and this will be my last. Too much trouble for the money. I will buy a cleaning kit as a last resort to see if I can resell it, otherwise it's going to the dumpster.
I'm with you on this! While the video is great to show you the problem and solution, this is something that is just too much hassle to go through for a crappy product from the very beginning! I will NEVER buy another EPSON product again!
I appreciate your tutorials. Just can't go out to buy a printer when one starts to clog. Being tech savvy makes following your tutorial a breeze but you do a good job explaining and demonstrating that a novice could easily follow. Great Job. :-)
Great video. I pulled mine apart and did my best to clean it. Didn't have an ultrasonic cleaner but did push cleaner through the print head with the syringe to confirm all were clear. Note that one was extremely clogged and originally didn't print anything on the nozzle check. Still not printing 100%. Suspect there is still air and/or cleaning fluid somewhere in the system . Will run through a couple of cleaning cycles again.
Excellent video, thank you. I removed so much ink from my 3640 Workforce, but after all that I'm still not getting any color when printing, which was the same problem from the start. So I think it must be electronic, which means I'll have to buy a new printer, which is not too difficult to swallow given the Workforce is 12 years old. I'll miss it though. Great printer.
Needed this!! My dad gave it to me and said if you can fix it you can keep the darn thing, figured it out through this Especially looking at pricing for how much it costs to have someone else to replace / fix the part? Lifesaver
we are officially at the point where epson print heads now only cost $20... back in 2018, they were about $160, lucky if you could find it for at lealst $100 or 89, then one day they hit $65... and now... $20 :3 it's a good idea to have it replaced once a year, also ease up on head cleanings, you'll ruin your capping station.
Oh.... Well then, $20 isn't too bad.. perhaps get two spare and clean them while other is Being used. They don't swap over that easily but at $20 a pop you could afford to drop them into cleaning fluid in an ultrasonic cleaner as is..may as well save on that at least for a hands off clean.
While I love the thoroughness of your videos, this one missed crucial step in warning about those ribbon cables early in the video. I can't get the last few steps finished.
found this very informative and liked that they showed a supplier that allows a reputable place to get what you need to do a side business to get the tools needed to get the job done sche sche nee
I have always used Epson ink in my WF-3640 with the exception of one time. The black ink worked for a couple weeks, then clogged up. I did a few head cleanings from the control panel, then replaced the black ink with Epson ink. After a few more head cleanings and letting the machine set for a day, I tried printing again. I could see black ink this time, though a little light. After one more head cleaning, voilá, it was perfect. I will never use any ink but Epson in my WF-3640.
Hey Kevin’s. My husband and I did this deep cleaning, with the help of your video. Thanks for that. My problem now is I keep getting an error 0x9e on my WF 3640. It’s great that this is exactly the model I have. I figured maybe it’s just not getting enough ink yet?? Most everything I’ve looked at is saying it’s about a jam or something involving a previous print job. 🤷🏼♀️ Any help would be much appreciated.
Great Tutorial! Epson can be the worst in clogging. We had a Epson GS6000, 60" printer at work and Epson sold a black Ink that cause the printhead to clog FOREVER. They replaced the heads on a many owners after they could not hide the fact anymore, but the us bastards, that found this problem after the offer expired were out of luck. I had gone thru 3 of this line (WorkForce) before I realized how stupid I was to be loyal to them!
@ioetylerdale Never buy printers with non-removeable printheads like Epsons. Buy models either with inktank-printhead combo cartridges or user-replaceable printhead assemblies. I had to trash countless Epson printers because of their hideous policies. Buy elsewhere.
Thanks for the video! If someone is using this printer constantly it would probably be a great printer. But, if not and the ink starts to set up…. I don’t have a sonic cleaner sitting around and to send it in for repair costs more than the dang thing is worth. Just a bad design. You should be able to flush the ink out of the ports if it isn’t going to be used constantly. Sadly mine is going in the recycle bin.
So I can get my 3640 printing again!! If I watch this tutorial five more times. And buy $1,000 worth of cleaning equipment and supplies. Woot woot! And I already have Saran Wrap!
Glad I could help! The most expensive part is the printhead. It shares the printhead with WF-7720, which is a popular sublimation printer, so good luck.
Very interesting. I have the same clog problem with the black ink on a Epson 3540. I only used Epson ink. I believed the myth that only 3rd party ink causes these problems.
Excellent.. I have the same model with power and red light inside powerboats but nothing bon control panel. Power supply has correct voltages and power button is connecting fine.. however no lights at all and no display... perhaps transistors on mb. I like your videos very helpful. I wonder if with all the work to unclog the print head ..if it's worth having a spare head cleaned and ready to swap over.. trouble is they don't swap quickly however quicker than unclogging on the fly..
Great help, what is the solution used? My printer is so clogged up that it will not print anything after head cleaning maintenance. I looked in the BCH store for the WF-3640 cleaner but not sure what type of ink is used in the printer. Is it solvent based or the water ink? Thank you for the in depth video.
3 Epson printers later, I am done with them, they all clog and then are a brick. The latest was a p400 and within one year, banding, and then the inevitable CYAN jet clog. I switched to Canon, I hope that is better. I always used OEM inks, was careful, but the Epson still clogged.
Hi, Great job, my wf 7110 printer only prints horizontal bands, even the nozzle check is printed in bands, what could be the problem? But how do I know if the head is short-circuited or the motherboard has burned out?
I had a WF-4630 that was 8 years old until yesterday. I had this failure, but it was the motherboard. It had a long life, just over 200,000 pages when it failed. Unfortunately Epson no longer makes such great printers - they make these "ink filling" printers where they don't last so long anymore. So switching brands - still appreciate this video, but it did not work for me because I figured out the motherboard failed.
Hi Kevin! Awesome video!! Is it possible that you can explain in greater detail and precautions when actually removing the print head for the carriage like avoiding short circuiting the print head. Ex. Removing any voltage still in the system after unplugging, ink residue that can short the print head pcb, etc. Your videos are my go to for printer references and troubleshooting!!! thanks Kevin
I have the same printer. I'm going to try this. I started with the magenta not printing at all, not even in the test pages . so I tried the nozzle clean that the printer does still nothing. then I tried to do it manually with a needle and windex and that made it worse. I have problems with all of the colors. ugh!
Great video. But after I cleaned and reassembled the printhead, the printer screeched as it was about 1 inch from the left hand side, and gave me a OXEA message. The carriage tape is not twisted. Any suggestions? Again thanks for all your efforts at training us mere mortals to cope with modern technology!
Thank you for the tutorial. I followed your instructions to clean the print head and my printer is working now but it has a large black band from top to bottom of the page when I do copying or scanning. I cleaned the scanner glass surface but no help. What could be the problem? Thanks again.
Did everything - got the cleaning syringe from you guys. Everything is back together - no warning messages - just prints blank pages. Tried to run it a few times - but still not printing anything - just blank.
When you start taking it apart, where are you physically doing that at on the printer? Your video skips to already having top off or something. I need it from the beginning please. Anyone know?
Can you please comment on why you switched to using dye inks instead of pigment? Are aftermarket pigments inks any good for this printer? Or should I just switch to dye as I plan on buying refillable cartridges and ink from amazon? Thank you in advance for your advice. You made a great video, it was a good watch!
I can’t imagine it is water but, I wish he would have said what it was. I am in the process of cleaning mine right now, I am planning to use rubbing alcohol.
Kevin I followed your walk thru to a T. Print head was spraying awesome during cleaning. I didn't have the special tape or Syrian wrap so I used a strip of heat resistantnce tape. Barely touching, but I'm wondering if that have clogged all of the pores bc not one drip of ink is shooting thru. Any advice? I'm taking it apart again and placing it back in the the ultrasonic chamber. 🤦🏾♀️ Side note, the tape isn't really tacky, I'm thinking it may be the cause of my problem?? 🤔
Excelent Video!!! but need your help, I have a WF-4730, after a year without use, I started to unclog the head. I bought a 40MHz ultrasonic cleaner, tried several times, also cleaning solution with the syringe. etc... however, still not fully clean. What else can be done? what solution is recommended to be used with the ultrasonic cleaner? thanks in advance
you missed one step. You didn't show how you got the carriage to move to the middle. In my printer when I turn if off, ithe whole aSSEMBLY goes all the way to the right and I can't open up the plastic lever to take out the ink!
Hey Kevin. I cleaned my printhead like you had shown here, but when all back together I'm getting a 0x9a error now. Can you advise as to what that code is and what might be the issue?
So i just did everything in this video and im hoping it worked so far its not good . At first nothing came out on the nozzle check page so i did the cleaning that the machine does and then print the nozzle check and some black came out. I repeated and no change. Waited an hour did it again no change. I had to stop for now because i need more ink. Is it normal to go through so much ink during this process? Where is all the ink going? This is 2 sets of new ink cartridges i went through since working on this machine
Thank you very much, it helped me to disassemble the the printhead! Now my question, maybe I didn't get it: What is the liquid you use in the ultrasonic cleaner?
Alcohol is used for solvent inks. For this water-based ink, you can use hot water. The cleaning solution works a little better but water is fine if you don't have cleaning solutions.
Informative video..I have a Epson WF 7620, and I'm getting a Error code 0xF3. and I can't figure out how to troubleshoot it. It was working a few days ago and have had it over a decade. I heard it might be the sensor or disk, but I don't want to remove anything. I first was getting a 0x69 error code, but now it says 0xF3, maybe my ink carriage is clogged up too. Any help or suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.
Im using an Epson with Precision Core Head . Its about 16 months. Now it needs a head clean to unclog every 1 hr of idle . And needs a Maintainace box replacement for further Power cleaning. So i made a loss , if i am to replace the printer.
Epson printers are nothing but trouble and a *MASSIVE WASTE* of gold-priced ink. Their main problem is that the printhead assembly is not user-removeable and virtually irreplaceable when it finally clogs/fails. And it *WILL* , so it's like having to throw away a whole chandelier when a bulb goes faulty. Epson's Planned Durability at its best! At every given number of prints and at a every head-cleaning cycle the vacuum pump wastes a ton of ink, sapping the scantly-filled gold-priced cartridges dry in a wink. Another problem is the infamous "waste ink" reservoir counter: it's supposed to be resetted by Service only, so it means curtains for low-end printers when it goes off like a time-bomb. Thus, recycling centres are full of Epsons, even barely used ones! What a nice brand, very "environment-friendly" indeed! Avoid like anthrax!
@ I'd recommend Canon, preferably an oldish model for which cheap third-party carts are abundant. Canon is less greedy and treacherous than HP which has been doing the dirtiest tricks to force customers to use their expensive original ink cartridges only. Or, buy an old HP printer which uses no. 22 (or equiv.) cartridges. Those are easy to refill and reset. Newer carts (eg no. 300 onwards are not).
You are bullshitting us as fuck. WTF? Do you consider unscrewing a bit of screws and unclipping not user-removable? Let's be honest. Maybe the ink counter isn't something good, but come on- Is it that hard to download a freaking program? All in all, it is the least scammy printer of all the brands. And talking about ink, I can see that you don't know shit about inkjet printing. Do you think that they spit ink for fun and your annoyance? It isn't possible to do it another way. Hp does spit as much ink as Epson does, yet the ink price is 10x as much
I have followed the video and feel that the clog is cleaned, but upon reassembly I only get blank pages which is worse than before the cleaning. Could there be a reason other than clogged head? I am not getting any error messages.
The same thing happened to me, I have the WF 7710. First everything printed except magenta and cyan were a bit jagged. I did the cleaning and the cyan and magenta is fixed, but now the black prints nothing at all! lol
Ciao, grazie per il video, so o due giorni che cerco in rete diversi modi per sbloccare la mia epson et 2721 ecotank, la stampante è nuova, non ha lavorato molto solo che è stata ferma. Gli inchiostri si devono essere seccato. Mi farebbe piacere se mi contattassi per ulteriori info. Cmq ho sbloccato i serbatoi e le cartucce. Ora sembra che l'inchiostro arrivi bene alle cartucce aspirando con la siringa, forse è la testina e gli ugelli ad essere intasati, ho usato acqua distillata calda e poca ammoniaca, ho privato a spingere dagli ugelli ma il liquido esce molto lentamente in due colorientre in altri due esce più veloce. Solo che stampando i test in wuadrimomia non ritorna una stampa limpida e nel test ugelli non si vede nulla, anche se dopo la seconda pulizia sbrava dare segni di vita poi subito dopo il foglio tornava quasi bianco. Spero che non ho rovinato la testina spingendo liquido dentro
