P600 error code 0x53

[MurrayMinchin]

Hi there,

On startup, our Epson P600 has a very slow initial carriage movement to the left, comes back fast to the right, the print head lowers, then there is a grinding sound before things stop and the error code 0x53 flashes.

1) I've cleaned the carriage rod with PEC-12 and a lint free PEC PAD, then gave it time to evaporate.

2) I applied WAHL clipper oil to the rod, manually moving the carriage back and forth several times.

3) I cleaned the Encoder Strip.

4) The back and side panels have been removed and found the gears to be in good shape and the motor on the left side (has a rubber cogged belt) to be fine.

When looking down into the vertical paper feed area, below the big wheel that grabs the paper, there is a small piece of white plastic. Pretty sure that's where the problem is...but not sure.

Does this sound familiar? Have you fixed this problem?

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Here's the service manual, in case someone stumbles across this thread while searching P600 problems: https://archive.org/details/Epson-SC-P600-SM/mode/2up

 

[Roseha]

I only had one instance where my P600 actually stopped working. I don't remember how I figured this out, but one of the inks was simply bad and the printer worked again when I replaced it.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

I only had one instance where my P600 actually stopped working. I don't remember how I figured this out, but one of the inks was simply bad and the printer worked again when I replaced it.

Hi Roseha,

Thanks. I’ve had ink issues before as well and fixed them. Pretty sure this problem is mechanical (stripped or misaligned plastic gear?) buried deep inside the guts of the beast.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Update:

Since the printer is way past warranty, I decided to go snooping.

Took all the covers off by following this video:

...and found this:

...which I believe is the end of the 'drive shaft' for paper feeding.

Here's the broken shaft end removed from the gear:

The saga continues. Will a solution be found before the ink nozzles start clogging up? Stay tuned!

 

[koraks]

Oh, that looks like it can be glued back together. Interesting!

I would tworry about the nozzles too much. They generally declog OK, but sometimes it takes some (a lot of) ink.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Oh, that looks like it can be glued back together. Interesting!

Interesting indeed.

I've sent a message to the Canadian parts supplier listed on the epson.ca website. Expecting sticker shock!

Impatient me is considering putting it all back together (except for the broken bit) to see if it will front feed and print on OHP film taped to mat board using the front feed option.

The motor with the cogged belt is fine. It's a gear under the take up wheel in the vertical feed area that broke.

Maybe tomorrow......

 

[koraks]

Have you checked sites like AliExpress? I'm not sure about this Epson model but for other models, I've seen a surprising variety of spare/replacement parts and modules for sale. Sometimes for fairly sane prices as well.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Have you checked sites like AliExpress? I'm not sure about this Epson model but for other models, I've seen a surprising variety of spare/replacement parts and modules for sale. Sometimes for fairly sane prices as well.

Good tip, will do