Carriage Stall error on a B9180

[paintergirl21]

Hi, I have an old Photosmart B9180. It's currently displaying a 'carriage stall clear cartridge obstruction and press OK' error message. There is no obstruction, however the cartridge assembly doesn't seem able to climb the last lift in order to sit on the left hand side of the printer. 

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @paintergirl21 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Thank you for describing the issue clearly—when the carriage assembly struggles to reach its home position, it’s often due to mechanical misalignment rather than a visible obstruction.

To resolve the carriage stall error on your HP Photosmart Pro B9180, inspect and reseat the head cleaning tray and ensure the carriage path is unobstructed. A loose cleaning tray or misaligned platform can prevent the carriage from docking properly. Here’s how to address it:

Power off and unplug the printer

• Turn off the printer and disconnect the power cord.
• Wait for 60 seconds before proceeding.

Inspect the head cleaning tray

• Open the top cover and locate the black tray with sponges at the far right end of the printer.
• This tray rises and falls as part of the cleaning cycle and sits on four white plastic legs that snap onto hinge pins.
• Check if the tray is loose, tilted, or misaligned.
• Reseat the tray gently, ensuring all legs are properly snapped into place and the spring mechanism is intact.

Manually move the carriage

• With the printer still off, gently slide the carriage left and right.
• Confirm it moves smoothly and doesn’t catch or resist near the left docking area.
• If it stops short, inspect the lift platform under the left side—ensure it’s not stuck or obstructed.

Clean the carriage rod and encoder strip

• Use a lint-free cloth lightly dampened with isopropyl alcohol.
• Wipe the metal carriage rod and the clear encoder strip that runs behind it.
• This helps remove dust or ink residue that may interfere with motion sensing.

Restart and test

• Reconnect the power and turn the printer on.
• Press OK when prompted and observe whether the carriage completes its movement.

 

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Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye

[paintergirl21]

Thanks @hawks_eye for the reply.

I've checked as per your instructions and although the carriage doesn't lift, I can't see any obstructions either on the left where the head cleaning tray sits, or on the right, before it literally hits the assembly. The carriage doesn't lift on its own. If I gently lift the carriage, the printhead assembly makes the climb.

[paintergirl21]

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/w3almsgg1bxq4wgrbu32k/IMG_8875.MOV?rlkey=lny0437bxvtstooamudj0knzh&st...

This should show what's happening (although I've not turned the video round!)