laserjet color 500 M551 jam error but no jam

[SuzMarie]

I have an error message 13.ff.ff - jam in right door, but there are no jams. 

This happened while printing business card stock from tray 1 --  the printer pulled in several sheets at the same time. They didn't get very far and all came out completely intact. No little bits missing whatsoever.  But now I have the error message that there's a jam. I carefully looked everywhere - all of paths that could harbor something.

There isn't anything there but I have the error message and can't print.  Someone (on a different question) suggested going into the administration menu/troubleshooting and checking sensors. I tried that but basically nothing happened so I must be doing something wrong there. I can't find any info on handling that process.

Any help out there? This printer is just over a year old and has been wonderful up until now.

[davidzuts]

That error is sort of a catch all error for paper path.  First thing I would do is turn off the printer, open the right side door and remove the fuser.  You just grab it by the handles on each side and pull it out.  There is sensor it trips which may be stuck and doing this should reset it or you may find there is small scap of paper when you pull the fuser.  Instructions for removal of the fuser are at the link below:

http://www.printertechs.com/maintenancekit-instructions/109-hp-color-laserjet-m551-kit/448-hp-laserj...

If this does not help then go into the menu and scroll down to administration and then scroll down to troubleshooting and find the menu for event log and then choose to display the event log and write down the message that is there.  It will be different from the 13.ff.ff and will give us more information as to where the jam is occuring.

[SuzMarie]

Thank you for responding.  I pulled the fuser and there's nothing there.

When this started, several sheets of card stock (Avery 10-up business cards)  were pulled in at the same time, and I had carefully and slowly pulled them out - they hadn't gotten very far at all. They all came out cmpletely intact. No bits of paper missing at all.

In fact, when I couldn't figure out what to do after checking everything, I carefully and slowly pushed a sheet of card stock through the paper path (in the right door area) to see if anything came out that way, but nothing did.

These are all of the items displayed in the troubleshooting area: (from top to bottom of display)

1132  10.23.15

        0  13.ff.ff

1132  10.23.15

        0  13.ff.ff

1132  13.ff.ff

        0  13.ff.ff

        0  13.ff.ff

        0  13.ff.ff

        0  13.ff.ff

        0  13.ff.ff

1133  41.05.13

     21  10.23.15

     21  13.B9.D1

       0   10.99.40

Sorry to have taken so long in getting back to this; my husband has been in the hospital and I've been a bit tied up.

[davidzuts]

In looking at the event logs two things to check.  First when you removed the fuser and it should be done with the power off make sure there is still nothing stuck in the fuser.  See if you can turn the gear on the fuser by hand so the pressure roller turns as there could be a scap of paper inside you are not seeing.  The other item is in the side door itself there is a transfer roller.  It is the black roller that goes all the way across and is sort of spring loaded.  Make sure it is sitting correctly.  Below is a link to a picture of how it should look.  It is the secondary transfer roller.

https://www.google.com/search?q=M551+replacing+transfer+roller&biw=1024&bih=643&tbm=isch&imgil=lZ1Gm...

[SuzMarie]

I was able to both check the fuser and the transfer roller and there was nothing there. Could it be a faulty sensor?

[davidzuts]

Sensors rarely go bad.  Flags that intersect the sensors sometimes get stuck out of place causing the jam message.  Most the the flags for your printer are located inside the fuser so it is possible the fuser may need to be replaced if one of the flags is stuck out of position.  As to the secondary transfer roller I was telling you not to look for media but for the roller to not be seating correctly since the registration sensor flag is in the area.  Attached are the sensor (flag) locations in the paper path that will cause jam messages.  References to the TOP sensor are referring to the registration sensor.  Also attached are the procedures you need to do with pictures for performing the manual sensor tests.

[SuzMarie]

Thank you.  This will take a little while to do, so I'll let you know what I find by doing this.

[SuzMarie]

I found a strip of paper (the top of business card sheet) located behind the thing that the fellow has his finger on in the photo on page 2 of this pdf that you refered me to:

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/psg/attachments/psg/Install/284904/2/M551sensor.pdf

under the Registration Sensor section. 

I turned the white gears there a little bit and it moved down and I was able to snag it.  I never would have seen it there without seeing the photo on that PDF, since it was hidden before I pushed down on that metal strip, as the fellow in the photo did.

I just printed a test page and it's working fine now. Thank you so much for your help!!

[RobArthur]

I have just spent the time creating a posting account, to say thank you to whoever answered this problem. I had the same jam, underneath the metal strip that the guy in the picture lifted up with his finger.

I doubt if you will ever receive this message, but you seriously saved me a written-off printer. On Christmas Day. Best present I got (apart from the Kindle Voyage, of course).

Thank you.