Laserjet 6p Cartridge Replacement failure (orange light)

[ericTreeLight]

I have an HP Laserjet 6P printer. It has performed flawlessly for decades.

And I have an HP 03A cartridge that says it is for 6P & 6MP printers.
But when I insert it--all the way, as far as I can--the orange light stays on.

But that's only the start of the problems:

1. It is so old, apparently, that the serial number isn't recognized when I attempt to register it.

2. The support pages for the current 6P printers list a bunch of error codes.
     But I don't have any error codes. Just orange and green lights.

So online support pages have been useless, and I can't contact support for lack of a 
serial number the system will recognize.

Would love to find a way to solve the problem!

[Repairatrooper]

You are unlikely to get any useful help through support as this device is probably older than most people answering the phone. You can look at the service manual here https://www.printerparts-exchange.com/media/custom/upload/LASERJET_5P_5MP_6P_6MP_Service_Manual.pdf

Does your old cartridge work and not the new one or do you get the same error no matter what cartridge you install? If you cannot resolve the issue using the manual above, post a better description of what lights are on.

[ericTreeLight]

Hey, Repairatrooper. Thanks for taking a look.

The printer is so old, people were still dialing the telephone.
But it has been a stellar performer. Not one jam. Ever.
It doesn't play so well with Windows 10, but there might be a fix.

I do have a color printer, but the black ink is running low. So
for all black pages I try to use this one.

As mentioned in the original post, the problem only occurs with the
replacement cartridge. The page that lets you find the cartridge for
your printer says that I have the right one (03A) for the "original" 6P.

There are 3 lights on the panel. One at the top (amber with new cartridge),
one in the middle, and one at the bottom (green with old cartridge).

Thanks for the service manual link. It says there are 5 lights (I have 3), but
I suspect this part is the same:

            Amber: Indicates an error condition, such as a paper jam, missing toner
                           cartridge, or the printer’s top cover is open.

There is no paper jam (or it wouldn't be green with old cartridge) and the printer
top is closed (same as with the old cartridge), so "missing toner cartridge" is the
only possible error.

But this is an HP printer, and the cartridge from Best Buy is an HP cartridge.
So it *should* work. It just doesn't.

I guess what I really need at this point is a way to re-fill the cartridge that works!
(I've had the cartridge on hand for a long time, so there's no returning it.)

thanks again for taking a look!

is the only possible error condition.

[Repairatrooper]

I have seen cases where a cartridge that has been in storage for a long period of time, freezes up when the doctor blade inside the cartridge bonds to the drum unit. No real fix for that. As for refilling, you can check Ebay as there are often companies offering kits to do this, you will likely find videos on Youtube as well.