HP Laserjet III troubles

[Kyle Peterson]

Hello,

I have an HP Laserjet III printer that I replaced the AC power module
and upper fan in. Prior to replacing those parts I was unable to use
the printer at all due to getting a "50 service" error. I replaced
those components and things worked well for a short period. Now I will
get the "50 service" error when I first power on the printer after
sitting for a while (several days). Then if I power it off for 10
minutes I can print; however, I notice that while the printer is in
"Ready" mode that the fuser will flash on then off every minute. Should
I replace the fuser assembly or is the problem elsewhere?

When replying, please CC my e-mail address as I do not check the
newsgroup often.

Thanks

[FredBear]

Hi Kyle

You have a classis fuser failure situation. Your printer may well carry on
as it is for some time or it may fail completely.
A new fuser has a 90% chance of fixing the problem.
The fuser problem can have several causes-
1. A build up of toner on the rollers causing poor contact with the thermister.
2. A failing thermister
3. A failing heater
Chances are that the fuser rollers are worn as well (will cause poor print
quality or paper jams in time)
in which case an "exchange" (rebuilt) fuser is the answer, much cheaper than a
brand new one (which may
not be available for the LJIII anymore).

Tony


Kyle Peterson <kpeterson@hermies.net> wrote:Hello,I have an HP Laserjet III printer that I replaced the AC power moduleand upper fan in. Prior to replacing those parts I was unable to usethe printer at all due to getting a "50 service" error. I replacedthose components and things worked well for a short period. Now I willget the "50 service" error when I first power on the printer aftersitting for a while (several days). Then if I power it off for 10minutes I can print; however, I notice that while the printer is in"Ready" mode that the fuser will flash on then off every minute. ShouldI replace the fuser assembly or is the problem elsewhere?When replying, please CC my e-mail address as I do not check thenewsgroup often.Thanks

[Kyle Peterson]

Tony wrote: Hi Kyle You have a classis fuser failure situation. Your printer may well carry on as it is for some time or it may fail completely. A new fuser has a 90% chance of fixing the problem. The fuser problem can have several causes- 1. A build up of toner on the rollers causing poor contact with the thermister. 2. A failing thermister 3. A failing heater Chances are that the fuser rollers are worn as well (will cause poor print quality or paper jams in time) in which case an "exchange" (rebuilt) fuser is the answer, much cheaper than a brand new one (which may not be available for the LJIII anymore). Tony Kyle Peterson <kpeterson@hermies.net> wrote:Hello,I have an HP Laserjet III printer that I replaced the AC power moduleand upper fan in. Prior to replacing those parts I was unable to usethe printer at all due to getting a "50 service" error. I replacedthose components and things worked well for a short period. Now I willget the "50 service" error when I first power on the printer aftersitting for a while (several days). Then if I power it off for 10minutes I can print; however, I notice that while the printer is in"Ready" mode that the fuser will flash on then off every minute. ShouldI replace the fuser assembly or is the problem elsewhere?When replying, please CC my e-mail address as I do not check thenewsgroup often.Thanks
Thanks for the input. I think you may be right about the fuser being
bad. The lamp checks out OK @ 2 ohms resistance. The thermistor has
very high resistance. On this one site it said the resistance should be
between 1.1M and 1.7M ohms for the thermistor. I get about 9M ohms
resistance. I'm not experiencing any paper jams or poor print quality.
All I'm experiencing is the fuser getting super hot if I leave the
printer on for a while. If I leave it on for several hours it gets so
hot you can smell it.

Where would be a good place to get a cheap refurbished fuser? I need a
place that ships to Canada.

Thanks again

[FredBear]

Kyle Peterson <kpeterson@hermies.net> wrote:Tony wrote: Hi Kyle You have a classis fuser failure situation. Your printer may well carry on as it is for some time or it may fail completely. A new fuser has a 90% chance of fixing the problem. The fuser problem can have several causes- 1. A build up of toner on the rollers causing poor contact with thethermister. 2. A failing thermister 3. A failing heater Chances are that the fuser rollers are worn as well (will cause poor print quality or paper jams in time) in which case an "exchange" (rebuilt) fuser is the answer, much cheaper thana brand new one (which may not be available for the LJIII anymore). Tony Kyle Peterson <kpeterson@hermies.net> wrote:Hello,I have an HP Laserjet III printer that I replaced the AC power moduleand upper fan in. Prior to replacing those parts I was unable to usethe printer at all due to getting a "50 service" error. I replacedthose components and things worked well for a short period. Now I willget the "50 service" error when I first power on the printer aftersitting for a while (several days). Then if I power it off for 10minutes I can print; however, I notice that while the printer is in"Ready" mode that the fuser will flash on then off every minute. ShouldI replace the fuser assembly or is the problem elsewhere?When replying, please CC my e-mail address as I do not check thenewsgroup often.ThanksThanks for the input. I think you may be right about the fuser beingbad. The lamp checks out OK @ 2 ohms resistance. The thermistor hasvery high resistance. On this one site it said the resistance should bebetween 1.1M and 1.7M ohms for the thermistor. I get about 9M ohmsresistance. I'm not experiencing any paper jams or poor print quality. All I'm experiencing is the fuser getting super hot if I leave theprinter on for a while. If I leave it on for several hours it gets sohot you can smell it.Where would be a good place to get a cheap refurbished fuser? I need aplace that ships to Canada.Thanks again

Sorry Kyle - I live just about as far away from Canada as you can get but a
quick look in google gave me this link.
http://www.printerassociates.com/cart500/shopcustregister.asp
They say they ship to Canada. By the way from the description you gave (can
smell the fuser) the most likely cause is the Thermister since it
controls the temperature. The printer will shut down the heater if the
temperature exceeds about 270 degrees (from memory, could be wrong there). And
most
likely there will be other fuser damage if the temperature has been over the
top for some time.

Good luck
Tony