Suspected 'carriage jam'

[Redcorn]

Hello, so I was researching why the rollers on my OfficeJet Pro 8720 are so noisy when I came across one of these HP customer support forums and someone had asked pretty much what I just mentioned about the rollers, and they also had the same printer, well I was following the recommended steps that an HP employee had responded to this person with, it was a hard reset and then test the printer with making a copy, the tech said that if sound happens while making a copy then to follow the procedure in a link he provided that was entitled 'Carriage Jam', well I selected the link and it was taken down by another service tech to "keep the thread current", so basically I'm just trying to find the steps on how to properly clear a carriage jam on my 8720.. which by the way I am enjoying very much so, I purchased it second hand and I love it!! 

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @Redcorn,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

I understand your OfficeJet Pro 8720 is making loud roller noises and you’re looking for the proper steps to clear a possible carriage jam, especially since the old HP link is no longer available. Let’s go through the steps you can safely follow to clear a carriage jam and reset the carriage path on the 8720.

Here’s the full procedure in simple HP-style guidance.

1. Restart and Power Reset the Printer

• With the printer powered ON, unplug the power cord from the back.
• Wait 60 seconds.
• Plug it directly into a wall outlet (not a surge protector).
This clears stalled carriage and motor states.

2. Remove All Paper From the Input Tray

• Pull out the input tray and remove any paper.
• Make sure sheets are not curled, folded, or stuck together.
A stray or bent sheet can cause the carriage to stall.

3. Check for Paper or Obstructions in the Rear Access Area

• Pull open the rear access door or the rear duplexer (depending on your model version).
• Look inside with a flashlight.
• Remove torn pieces of paper, labels, or debris.
Rear obstructions can cause the rollers to grind loudly.

4. Open the Ink Cartridge Access Door

• Lift the scanner section to reveal the ink carriage area.
• Wait for the carriage to stop moving.
If it doesn’t move at all, that’s a sign of a jam.

5. Manually Move the Carriage Left and Right

• Gently move the carriage toward the center.
• Slide it all the way to the left, then to the right.
• Check for resistance, stuck paper, or foreign objects.

Do not force it if it feels stuck—remove whatever is blocking it first.

6. Remove and Reseat the Ink Cartridges

• Push the front of each cartridge to release it.
• Check for ink leaks or debris underneath.
• Reinsert the cartridges until they click into place.
Loose cartridges can stop the carriage and cause noise.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

[Redcorn]

Thank you for your reply Kuroi, unfortunately these steps were the very same steps I have already taken, including cleaning all the roller wheels( the 3 on the very top of the printer I believe it's the Automatic Document Feeder, then the 8 in the rear of the printer, also the 1 rubber well it's not exactly a wheel but the one that picks up the paper from the paper tray, also cleaned the 8 white plastic rollers just behind the carriage and I cleaned the black rubber roller wheels as well as I could the ones on the bottom of the printer and the last roller that pushes paper out onto the receiving tray{or whatever it's called}) I have also moved the carriage back and forth, taken the ink cartridges out, now I will say that there is quite a bit of ink that is covering the area where the carriage rests when the printer is idle and when it is off, I believe the first owners of the printer must've had the printer resting on it's back or something maybe because I don't know how else so much ink would have gotten everywhere, there's even some ink that has stained the gears on the right side next to where the carriage rests, may I ask if there are any sensors in that particular area? I just noticed that I can upload pictures so that's what I'll do, but I also want to add that the noise is only coming from the rollers that feed the paper in and out while it's printing on both sides of the paper and also they are the rollers that push the paper out of the printer when it's finished printing, I'm not sure how many there are but at I want to say at least three maybe four of them, I have watched the sequence in how the printer operates is how I'm able to know for certain that the noise is coming particularly from these rollers, OH yeah also it's not a grinding sound, like the teeth of the gears have broken off, but it's a loud obnoxious noise that sounds like the rollers are struggling quite a bit.. just recently the last couple times I've printed with it the printer has given me the paper jam error, however there isn't any paper that I can see that's jammed, so that's how much the rollers are struggling.. I also want to add that I'm not afraid of disassembling the printer as long as I have the proper steps in which to disassemble the printer so I am able to change the rollers or figure out how to clear this issue, but I get the feeling like there's only so much instruction that you guys are really allowed to share with the public, and unfortunately that specific information doesn't seem to be available anywhere online that I can find.. but hopefully with the new information in this message you will be able to instruct me on some more steps I can take like cleaning why sensors that this ink may be obstructing or 🤞🏿 fingers crossed you can help me get to these rollers that are making this noise.. anyway that's enough from me, thank you kindly for your advice and I'll be hoping you will have a few more options for me to figure this out! 🥸

 

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @Redcorn,

Welcome to the HP Support Community! 

We're here to help you tackle that hardware failure! Don't worry, we've got your back! 

To get you the best assistance, we need to take this conversation to a private chat. We're inviting you to a private message to protect your privacy and ensure that any sensitive information remains confidential. 

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We're looking forward to helping you resolve this issue! 

Stay tuned, and thanks for your patience! 

Best regards,