Epson Printer Issues After Cleaning a Clogged Magenta Printhead – Troubleshooting

Question:
I recently tried your video tutorial for getting the magenta printhead on my Epson unclogged.) I used a syringe, some tubing, and cleaning chemicals that I bought from your site. Now that the cleaning agent flowed naturally through the printhead by gravity, I performed 3-4 printhead cleanings from the printer’s maintenance menu. Now, even that and the new OEM cartridges do not print at all. What should I do next?
 
Answer:
Hi, thank you for your question and for following up on our tutorial. I'm sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I know it's a big deal when printers are broken, and I wanted to give a complete, well-thought-out response that would adequately cover your issues. At BCH Technologies, we appreciate your engagement, especially on our YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies). We welcome your feedback as we continually work to enhance our technical skills and community resources.
So, let’s go one step at a time to debug the problem.
 
Understanding the Problem
You’ve done everything right to release the magenta printhead, but you may still have pockets of air or other obstructions in the ink delivery system. The ink solvent also depresses the pressure of the air hole, allowing air to terminate the printhead channels when cleaning. This blocks the ink path, resulting in ink not being printed correctly.
 
Steps to Resolve the Issue
Verify Printhead Sealing
Make sure that the printhead is properly seated and sealed by:

• Power the printer on and wait for the printhead to return to the parked position on the capping station. This is what creates the seal that allows ink to flow correctly.
• Check the capping station for debris or damage if the printhead isn’t sealing.

Check for Resistance with a Syringe
Use the syringe and tubing to check for obstructions or leaks:

• Attach the syringe to the printer’s waste line.
• Aspirate approximately 1.5 ml of air.
  • You should feel slight resistance; this means the system is sealed correctly.
  • If there is no resistance, inspect for air leaks in the capping station or tubing.
  • If you like total blockage, you might have clogs in the capping station or ink delivery tubing.

Do Not Over Clean Cycles
Epson printers may not like too many cleaning cycles. Running too many can use up ink without addressing deeper clogged pathways. Instead, check ink flow by hand:

• Remove the tubing, then use the syringe to draw the ink through the printhead channels gently. This helps prime the nozzles.
• Please do not pull the printhead with too much force to avoid damage to the printhead.

Prime the Printhead
So, after checking the ink flow manually:

• Could you give the printhead a few hours to sit so any leftover cleaning solution gets intermixed with the ink?
• Could you check if any ink comes out after running a nozzle check

What If the Problem Persists?
If those steps fail to resolve the issue, there could be a more serious blockage or a mechanical problem inside the ink delivery system. For example:
Deeper Clogs: The cleaning solution may not have completely cleared the magenta channel of ink; another soaking or flushing may be needed.
Defective Parts: Parts such as the capping station, pump, or inkhead may need to be repaired or replaced.
 
Dealing with printer problems can be messy—but that’s because the issues themselves are very physical. As a result, we cannot offer remote troubleshooting, advice, or support to repair printers. However, we do offer an on-site diagnosis and repair service (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service) at our local diagnostic center.
 
Repairs are made on a first-come, first-served basis, so you may have to wait in line depending on demand at the time of the request. We provide complete printer and component repairs, with precise details on how to do so.
Again, thank you for reaching out and continuing to support BCH Technologies. Feel free to contact me with any questions or need more guidance!