My HP 470 Officejet printer Ink carriage won't move unless I push it.

[GadgetBreaker42]

My Ink carriage has stopped moving and won't start again. The power button is blinking green. The resume button is blinking orange. The batter charging light is off. The left and right ink cartridge lights are orange and not blinking. There are no documents waiting to be printed from my computer that is currently linked to my printer. I replaced the black ink, but the ink was bought awhile ago...so I suppose it could have gone bad.  The big problem, of course, is that the ink cartridge won't move...as in, I can move it, but it won't move on its own. I havent' seen any paper caught in it. So far as I can remember, it didn't stop working after a printout. It just stopped working, possibly because I moved it or bumped it. It's a fairly old printer. 

So far, I've tried the following steps:

1. disconnected the battery and all power plugs, held the power button for thirty seconds, and turned the machine on again to perform a power reset.

2. disconnected the battery and all power plugs then moved the ink cartridge carriage myself. I moved the ink carriages from the left to the right, turned the printer back on, and tried to print. Then I moved them from the right to the center, turned the printer back on, and tried to print. 

3. I've tried to run test prints, which results in a quick, short, buss-ish sound of the machine working, which stops almost instantly.

Anyone have any more ideas?

[A4Apollo]

Hi! @GadgetBreaker42, Thanks for stopping by the HP Support Forums!

I understand the carriage is stuck and you have to move the carriage manually.

Don't worry I'll try to help you out.

Did you make any changes to your printer?

Have you tried checking with a different ink cartridge?

Excellent description and a great diagnosis done. It is greatly appreciated.

Make sure that the carriage moves freely

1. Press the Power button () to turn the product on.

2. Open the carriage access door. The carriage might try to move into the access area. If so, allow it to move to that position.

   Figure : Open the carriage access door

   

3. With the product turned on, disconnect the power cord from the back of the product.

4. Unplug the power cord from the power source.

      WARNING: 

   You must unplug the power cord to allow you to move the carriage by hand and to reset the paper feed mechanism without the risk of an electrical shock.

5. Look through the carriage access door, and then make sure that the cartridges lock into the carriage and that they are tight.

6. Make sure that no obstructions are under or around the carriage to prevent it from moving.

   IMPORTANT: Remove the paper very carefully. If the paper tears, part of it might remain inside the paper path and damage the product

7. Reach inside the product, and then manually move the carriage.

   Figure : Move the carriage

   

   • If the carriage is stuck on the right side of the product, move the carriage to the left side of the product.

   • If the carriage is stuck on the left side of the product, move the carriage to the right side of the product.

   • If the carriage is stuck in the middle of the product, move the carriage to the right side of the product.

Refer this article to further troubleshoot carriage jam issues with the printer. Click Here

Note: Please try all the steps recommended in the article to rule out if it is a hardware issue.

Let me know if this helps!

Have a beautiful day ahead! 🙂

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!

[GadgetBreaker42]

None of the above suggestions worked. The ink carriage still won't move unless I move it. I appreciate the help though.

[A4Apollo]

@GadgetBreaker42, thanks for your prompt response and time.

I appreciate your efforts for writing back to us.

As you mentioned the issue still persists after trying out the steps.

It is a hardware issue with the printer and please contact HP phone support for service options. Click Here

Have a pleasant day ahead!

Take Care! 🙂