HP Officejet Pro X476dw MFP Giving Paper Jam Message: Printer will not work

[Rocket98]

Hi There

I have a HP Officejet Pro X476dw Multifunction Printer that displays a Paper Jam message on the touchscreen BUT there is no paper jam.  I cannot clear the message from the touchscreen, so the printer will not print, making the printer unusable.

A quick note: I bought this printer in November 2013, so this was probably one of the earlier models off the production line since this model came out in the spring of 2013 I believe.  However, I did not set up the printer and start using it until June 2016, so it has had very little use.  Matter of fact, it has only printed 109 pages!  Is there a chance this printer had a upgraded part during its time of production to fix this paper jam issue? 

After setting the printer up in June of 2016, it worked well for 2 months but near the end of August, it suddenly came up with a Paper Jam Error.  I searched online and found many others have had this same issue with this model.  After trying all the different 'fixes', I found a member here on the HP site who described what they had done.  I tried it and it fixed my problem BUT sadly it didn't even last a week.  The same Paper Jam message appeared on the touchscreen but now I cannot get it to go away, even after doing the same fix I did the first time.

The exact message on the touchscreen reads:

Paper Jam

The original is jammed in the automatic document feeder (ADF)

Open the ADF cover, remove and reload the original and then try again.

Here is the message another member posted on the HP site earlier this year, which worked the 1 time for me:  

"I had this issue recently and I see this a lot around the internet with this model.  The solution for me was to reseat the ribbon cable on the board to which the ADF molex connector inserts.  I had to remove the ADF from the scanner by lifting it, removing the plastic piece covering the connector, disconnecting the molex connector and tipping the assembly back and forth until the ADF came free.  Then I removed all screws around the scanner glass and removed the top.  The board to which the ADF connects becomes exposed.  I removed and reseated the ribbon cable and the ferrite ring. 

This was also how I fixed my flashing light looping issue but it was a little more involved as I removed the back panel and reseated the same ribbon cable on the other end as well as the two scanner ribbon cables."

NOTE: the repair they describe didn't work for me at first, until I removed the back panel and disconnected the 3 white ribbon cables (one of them being the other end of the ADF ribbon cable as this person describes).  After removing and reseating the ribbon cables like they had, the printer powered up and worked for a few days.

So by following all of these instructions, the printer powered up correctly.  Then when it was sitting not being used, I walked by a few days later and noticed the Paper Jam Error message had reappeared, even though the printer was not being used but was powered up.

When the previous fix would not work for me now, I unplugged the printer again, removed the ribbon cables and let the printer sit for a week before hooking it back up.  Still no luck.  

FYI:  When I got the printer working after the first time it failed, I confirmed it had the most up-to-date firmware.  

The printer will not do any functions now.  Upon start up, it spins the gears for 1 or 2 seconds and then the error message appears on the screen.  The only sound the unit makes is from the scanner going through its regular setup when you turn the printer on.  After that, the printer sits quietly and will not function in any sort of way.

As mentioned, I have tried all the fixes others have mentioned that I can find online.  I have wiped down the rollers.  I have run a piece of paper through the ADF (done this MANY times), trying to clear the error.  Nothing seems to reset it.

Since others have had this problem, is there anyone out there that has repaired these units at HP and/or is aware of what the Paper Jam problem is?  Does this printer need a replacement part?  If so, what part is it?  What is the cost of this type of repair?

This printer cost just under $700 new, so I am sure you can understand my frustration when it has only printed 109 pages.  My previous HP printer lasted years and was a real workhorse, so that is why I stayed with HP for this printer.

Hopefully one of the HP Experts can help me with this problem.

Thank You for your assistance.

[rk_russelking]

Hi @Rocket98

Please refer to below support document and try the steps outlined under Clear jams from the automatic document feeder (ADF) and scanner (X476 and X576 models only) section

http://support.hp.com/in-en/document/c04912718#Jam_in_ADF

[Rocket98]

Thanks for the reply but that isn't the solution.

I cleared all of these areas many times as the document shows but it does not help.  There is something electronically wrong with this I am sure.  

Since pulling the ribbon cables off the one time fixed the problem temporarily, this shows there is more wrong with it than the HP document you referred to.  Others seem to be having this same issue, so hopefully an HP tech may be able to explain what causes this error message (when it really isn't a simple piece of paper in the printer).

[RasterBlaster]

I would focus your efforts on the small sensor inside the ADF path.

If this is sticking, in the wrong position, is not returning correctly, then this error will appear. Make sure sure dust or other foreign material is not causing it to stick.

If the error is about ADF, then this IS the sensor that is causing the problem. Once you reset this sensor to it's normal position, then you might need to reset the printer to reset the it to the default state. This is in that documetn posted about ...paper jams.

[Rocket98]

I have worked with that green colored lever (sensor) a lot but I went back and worked on it some more after your message, just to make sure nothing changed.

The lever does flip to the left position fine and it returns back to the center position when I lower the ADF back into place.  I say it moves back and forth 'fine' because you know how these cheaply made plastic parts are.  They do not have a nice smooth fluid switch like say metal on metal might have but the piece certainly flips over without the feeling that I am going to break it when I push it with my thumb.  Also, it does flip back easily when the ADF is moved back into its regular position.

In those notes HP supplies on the website (from the document you were referring to), I cannot do any of the last suggestions on clearing a paper jam because the touch scren on the printer will not do anything but show me the video on how to clear a paper jam from the ADF or to press 'OK' when you have cleared the paper jam and it is going to attempt to move the paper again.  When I do press 'OK', it just spins the gears in the ADF for no more than a second then beeps and the error message returns again.  I would say for about half a second, I can see the regular 'home' menu on the touchscreen before it beeps and goes back to the paper jam error message.

In those HP notes you referred to, I see in a few spots it says where the suggestion for a cure is to 'Replace The Printer'.  This seems like a drastic measure for a printer that is not a cheap model and is supposed to be a higher end home / small office printer.

I thought today behing HP Expert Day that maybe HP would have a repair tech person or two monitoring their website and help people who are having potential mechanical problems with their gear and supply some insight on what the issue could be.  

If this printer is just a pile of junk now, I would like to know so I can stop wasting time trying to figure out what is wrong with it.  

The printer cost $683 and I got 109 pages out of it.  That is $6.27 per page.  So much for HP advertising this printer saves you money per page.