Clogged Ink Supply Tubes?

[Mummyscurse]

I'm sure this issue has appeared before, but I've encountered an ongoing problem with my Designjet 800, not recognizing a new, cyan cartridge. It continues to show as being empty, and in need of replacement.

The problem began with the classic, 22:10 error messages, vaguely pointing to the ink supply system. Replacing the cyan cartridge with another new one, was to no avail.

I suspect that the point on the ink supply tubes, upper assembly, where the cartridges seat, may have become clogged, from non-use (I print in greyscale, 90% of the time). I flipped the two catches, and removed the assembly above the supply station.  The clear tubing, for each of the respective, four colors, is appropriately stained from ink... except the cyan tubing, which is uncolored, to my eye... suggesting that no ink is passing through it. 

Before gambling on ordering a new supply lines assembly, for my 42" machine, and possibly the supply station, itself, I'd like to ask if there is some way to flush and eliminate such clogs... solvents, a syringe to remove air and pull ink, forcibly...?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

[davidzuts]

To be honest I have never seen a clogged tube assembly on the 500/800 series and I have serviced a lot of them. Now I have seen issues with the ink supply station as there are plungers that stick up into the bottom of each ink cartridge and press against the bad and if that plugger mech is broken is list the cartridge as empty. Also sometimes the chip reader contacts that press against the chip on the inside of each cartridge become defective and the cartridge is not seen. I would replace the ink supply station first and I am 99% sure that is your problem as long as you have not damaged anything else with your troubleshooting.

[Mummyscurse]

Can't thank you enough, for the very learned input!

The station looks, to the eye, to be a rather passive piece of molded material, with a few, fragile wires extending to the printheads.  Sounds like I was wildly mistaken!

Thus far, my own, YouTube instructed repair efforts, appear not to have made things worse.  In fact, at first I couldn't get past the 22:10 warning, at all, not even to see the menu.  It was only after lots of cleaning with Q-tips, jiggling and re-seating both cartridges and printheads, that I began seeing the menu, and was able to perform the most basic of tasks.

The peculiarity, if its any more instructive, is that I can successfully print a letter-sized, color calibration sheet, including the cyan color.  I can initiate a greyscale only, larger print, but inevitably the printer developes a mind of its own, and simply stops, without warning, after printing 3" to 4" of copy. Is this characteristic of a supply station problem, in your experience?

[davidzuts]

Can be many things. First I would check in my driver under the troubeshooting icon to see if I can control the job in the computer rather then the printer. You may not have this option since you are using 64bit. See if there is a setting to send the job as a bit map.