HP Officejet Pro 6978, Printer Failure ‎Ox6100004a

[Nancy_B1]

Help! I am hoping to send our HP Officejet Pro 6978 printer, Product # T0F29A, back to college with our daughter, but it stopped working for no apparent reason. It originally had a Paper Jam error. I followed on-line diagnostics and thoroughly checked everywhere and there was no paper jam. Then this error occurred: "Printer Failure-There is a problem with the printer or print system. Turn the printer off then on. If you continue to get this message, contact HP. 0x6100004a."

The printer cartridge/carriage was stuck to the right side of the printer about 1/4" from the end and would not budge. I was able to free it up by moving the white gears on the far left hand side (which you can reach to turn with a screwdriver without taking the printer apart) to get the slider bar moving. However, the printhead/carriage just keeps getting stuck on the right side of the printer and showing the same Paper Jam and Printer Failure codes, even after following every single diagnostic related to the problem (clearing paper jams, making sure the ink cartridges are all the way in, getting the cartridge to move, turning the printer on and off by unplugging, plugging it in directly to an outlet every time I tried something different, leaving it unplugged for a while, pushing and holding the power button for 10 seconds, doing a Partial Reset by pushing the back button until I got the Support Menu=>Resets Menu=>Partial Reset) and even taking the printer part-way apart (using a very helpful video about "How to remove parts on HP Officejet 6978, 6962 Printhead, Board, Timing, Carriage, Tray, Screen 6958") to make sure nothing is holding the printhead/cartridge back. Each time I freed up the printhead/carriage from the right hand side, it just gets stuck there again after going through the Paper Jam and Printer Failure Errors. I was not able to get the kickstand back on properly (on the rear right side back that holds the door open when you look inside at the guts or change the printer), but I'm not sure I need to struggle with this when I keep getting the Paper Jam and Printer Failure messages.

At some point during COVID, I had to replace the black ink cartridge with non-HP ink because that was what I could find. It did print successfully for a long time after that. I don't think our issues were caused by power interruptions because it's plugged into the same surge protector as our other HP printer. I don't recall anything that may have precipitated a problem.

HP Support, especially Raj1788, is there anything more I can do to get the printhead/carriage moving properly? And will the kickstand being off keep the printer from functioning? It has only printed 936 pages and gone through 131 cycles. We purchased it in February of 2018, so it is out of warranty. I hate to spend money to use HP Phone Support when I may have to end up trashing the printer, which will be too bad because I liked it, but I may have to try another brand after having two HP printers have problems this summer.

We had to go through a lot of trouble about a month ago to diagnose and change the printhead on our other printer, an HP Officejet Pro 8610, but at least we were able to fix that for a hefty $175 for a new printhead.

[Kumar0307]

@Nancy_B1, Welcome to the HP Support Community! I’m here to help.

I understand you are not able to print due to this error. Kindly perform the steps mentioned in this document - Oxc19a0005 or similar error code displays

Update the printer firmware

Click here to download and install the latest printer firmware from your computer.

Click here to know different methods of updating printer firmware.

Check for any jams inside the printer and make sure the print carriage is moving freely. 

Follow the steps on - Carriage jam or E3 error

If the error persists, I'm afraid this is a hardware issue. Please reach out to the HP Technical Support team in your region regarding the service/replacement options for your printer. 

You may create a case on the website to obtain a case number if required. Kindly watch this video to know how.

If the printer is out of warranty, I suggest you upgrade the printer. You may visit Hp Store to check the available printers.

Keep me posted for any other assistance.

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Have a great day! 

[Nancy_B1]

Dear Kumar0307,

Thank you for your speedy response and suggestions. My printhead is still stuck on the far right hand side of my printer. I have checked for obstructions in the carriage path (no paper jams), reset the printer (using a wall outlet), removed and disconnected the power source from the back left of the printer, reset the printer without the ink cartridges installed, and updated the firmware directly from the printer, cleaned the printhead and cartridges as well as the excess ink container/tray, in addition to the things in my previous note. I also had the mechanical engineers in my family check it out. It appears the excess ink container/tray on the far right can move out of the way when moving the gears by hand, but it doesn't move out of the way when the printhead wants to move to the left. 

Hopefully everything that I've tried and your suggestions will help someone else, but at this point my daughter will either have to do without a printer at college, or I'll have to contact HP service by phone, or research buying a new printer.

Again, thank you for your assistance, and I'm glad I was at least able to get on-line help.

[Kumar0307]

@Nancy_B1

I'm sorry to know that. Yes, you may contact HP Support for replacement or upgrade options.

Keep me posted for any other assistance.