paper jam error message - HP Officejet 8500 pro - please help, deployed no return option

[siscatru]

Thank you so much for your post.  I had the same problem, and after seeing your post,

was able to fix my printer.  It was just to nice to get rid of, so I thought I would see what

other people did witht he same problem. You're a genius!

Take care.

siscat4u

[Match]

I have been surfing around trying to find references to the ghost paper jam on my HP Office jet Pro (HA!) 8500A.

I finally found this feed and read most of the recent posts. I tried a few things to no avail. One poster was right about trying to reach HP after the waranty is gone. Forget it! HP is not customer friendly. In as much as this is an HP site you would think that HP would monitor the goings on here and interceed with some advice. I have to agree with those posters who have stated their general disatisfactuon with HP products. I also have an HP4000t. It is a work horse and is 9 years old but it has a duty cycoe of 30-50K sheets per month. I have used it at home and have only replaced the toner cartrige once yet I have nearly $450 in repairs. It is in the shop now to have a, wouldn't you know it, paper jam sensor repalced. It will cost $130. Modern HP copiers are toys. I just can not stand to buy equipment only to throw it away because of a paper jam sensor. So what to do with my 8500A. Throw it away and buy another brand I think. It is a shame really. I suggest that every one who is not happy post to Facebook, yelp, and twitter. Let the world know that HP is falling down on product quality and customer service both.

[WINT71ME]

The only redeeming part about the printer jam error message on the 8500 is that Staples will give $50 off many of their all-in-ones right now.  It is time for me to cut my losses!

[Match]

OK. When I am wrong I don't mind saying so. I could not believe that HP made a machine that was so intricate and yet was such a toy that something like a paper jam error could persist rendering all the features of the machine useless and that the condition could not be fixed. HP provided the solution although it took a very large chunk out of my work day to find the fix and then it was only out of desperation that I persisted long enough to find it. A very small piece of paper, the size of a dime, under the print head!  The HP diagnostic page on their help site at the very end they discussed removing the print heads. That was the answer. So to diagnose this problem:1) turn of the machine using the on/off button. 2)unplug from the wall. 3) unplug the power cord from the back of the machine. 4) remove the duplexer from the back of the machine 5) inspect inside the machine and the duplexer for paper or bits of paper. Her is is important to mention that if you find any paper and remove it inspect the paper you removed to insure that no pieces are left behind. all of it must be accounted for. 6) remove the paper tray from the front of the machine and inspect for paper. 7) open the top of the machine to access the print heads. There is a compartment on the right side where they are hiding under a cover. Remove the print heads and inspect with a flash light then replace them and close up the machine. 😎 replace the duplexer and the paper tray. 9) plug in the power cord to the back of the machine. 10) plug in the power cord to the wall socket. 11) power up the machine and let it go though it's diagnostic, this takes a while. You should be good to go. In my case I also had to replace ink cartridges. I think I had ink left in some but at this point I was not arguing. OMG!!! it worked! 🙂

[Roroca]

Well I should have ready these posts before going through the monkey drill like the rest of you. But here I am.  I have yet to see a comment that I do not agree with.

I tried to fix a paper jam.  No paper jam anywhere existed. I went through the video and tried everything to no avail.  I even tried things suggested in comments on this blog to no avail.

But the part that ticked me off the worst was HP support.  First, I was out of warrranty and I had to either

1. Buy a support plan to answer questions, but no hardware repair included in the price.

2. or Given that I had an HP printer, I was going to get a discounted price on a new printer.  I was on the web and looked at the HP site while she quoted me this great deal.  They were offering me the same price as the list price on the HP site.  In addition, I could go to Office Max and buy the same printer for 50 dollars less. I called the woman a liar and hung up.

Went to Office Max and Office Depot.  The replacement printer (8600) they want to sell you has a much smaller screen and the cartridges are smaller.

After all these years, HP has lost me as a customer. What a bunch of clowns.

[Roroca]

Sorry Charlie,
I went through the video and it solved nothing.

[WINT71ME]

I am so happy.  I have solved the problem.  I did what I said I would do...I took my HP CRAP 8600 to Staples and used it as $50 against my new Brother MFC 9320CW (color laser 4-in-1).  I truly couldn't be happier. 

Good bye, HP!  

Seriously, how could HP not monitor this forum, and use it as a way to improve their customer service, and their company / purchaser relations?  HP should be embarrassed.   OOPS!  Silly me...of course they wouldn't be.

[fabforce]

Ok guys and gals

I have solved my problem of the infamous false paper jam error and It seems to be the same problem as everyone else is having.

Ok here we go. I'll try to explain and I really should make a video but for now and until I do said video maybe there are those that will be able to comprehend what I typed here.

First...ryan_w

On page 5 of this thread has a good picture of where most seem to be having the problem and some have fixed with a bit of compressed air and a bit of Jig a loo or WD or some sort of lubricant.

Thanks Ryan for the pic...Please keep it up so others can refer back to it to fix their printer. Thanks

Now it seems to me no one has said what happens when they put the lube on those gears and that black thingy with the spring and by accident and close surveylance on my part....I gotta take some credit...lol...

If you look closely at the slot in the black thingy thing, you will see a white cog on the left and just to the right of it there is a black one that looks the same as the white one. Well those two cogs need to mate together and the spring that is in there is what is supposed to help them to mate. So some where along the way in the dirty enviroment they have to work in...dried ink dust, paper dust and just plain ole dust seem to jam up in that little slot they sit in and around the shaft that goes through the cog and I gues those of you that have used the lube to get things sliding again loosened up the crap that built up in there over time and got things back working again and no more jam message. Congrats.

But!

There may be some of you that tried the lube and air thing like I and still had the problem. I lubed and lubed and blew and blew to no avail. Then I really started to look more closely and saw that just to the left of the white cog there is a pin that goes through the shaft  this cog is on and the white cog has two slots that are supposed to sit around this pin (the left side of the white cog) but because of the crap build up on these parts would not allow it to seat properly.

So what you need to do is very carefully with a screw driver or something else that you can turn the white cog in the black thingy around with it and hold it so that it stays aligned with the slot in the black thingy...I guess it is what is called the clutch assembly...then you need to turn the shaft some how until you see the little pin and then if you have used lube already and if you didn't then get some but get some lube that will not harm plastics and spray a bit in the slot of the black thingy and then you may need a tiny tiny bit of force to push the cog into that pin. Then make sure you push the black thingy back and forth to loosen up and get some of the crud build up to loosen more and give it one more shot of lube and it should now move freely.

Some of you say that the cog is cracked. I believe that it is still usable...you need to turn the cog around to the good side and make sure you align the slot in the cog with the pin and you should be good to go, at least for a while until it breaks completely but if you keep it clean in there and every now and then make sure the whole clutch assembly moves freely the cog may not ever break.

For the almost brand new owners of this printer check this fix out and see if that is the problem and if it seems to be all good and the white cog mates properly with the black cog and the pin is in the white cog....I would venture to say that your problems may be an internal software problem and or a circuit board in the printer is shot and for that I have no solution...sorry.

Any way all, I hope I explained it good enough for you to understand and are able to fix your printer. Give me a day or two cus I got stuff to do and I make a little video and post it so I can point out exactly what I am trying to explain here in type.

Hopefully HP forum will let me post the video and I'll try to figure out how to post it here or if I have to give you a link to YT and I really don't want to use them now a days cus of their new privacy policies. Maybe I'll try to use another...Any way,

[pbug56]

That sounds good for printers already in service.  Mine had the problem brand new fresh out of the box.  Never got through the setup routine.  

[heinieh]

Paper jam on Hp8500 a909g. paper into rollers and cannot reach it from the front or the back. Help