Paper feed problems on Docuteh Family of copiers     
By Raymond Cote

   
Every once in a while someone contacts me via e-mail or phone and asks about a paper feed problem they are having on their Docuteh, 5090, 1090 or system printer. Tray 1 & 2 are identical on all of the copiers with some minor modifications for the 1090 family. I think the most complaints I receive are directly related to the feed head itself. It’s not a mysterious contraption as one would think but something that will respond favorably to the factory specifications. That was lesson ‘One’ from the old days in Garden City when I was first trained on something called the 2400.  When all else fails, drop back 10 yards and punt, or look at the adjustment guide. I think that’s the problem most of us make when troubleshooting paper feed problems. We sort of grab our belt buckle and pull our pants up a few inches and dive right into it before we had a chance to look at the raps. It seems like we start to “tweak” this set screw or”twist” that adjustment to sort of fine tune what ever it is we are tuning up. Hey, sometimes we get lucky and we are out the door in no time.  Well, guess what? You can save a lot of time and aggravation by just following the basics and in the long run be able to actually fix the gizmo.

Paper feed Rap’s are in the 08-xxx section of the field manual. It would always be a good point to look at the raps first because they always give excellent troubleshooting tips (Initial Actions) before you actually do the RAP itself.  First off I would like to point out that many paper handling problems are directly related to the paper feed trays.  Once the paper feed trays are adjusted properly (to factory specifications) most paper transportation problems are also fixed. All field service manuals can be purchased through Xerox Corporation at http://WWW.Xerox.com. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you may get a field manual through the internet. The reason I say “If you’re lucky” is because there are so many fraudulent sales on the internet that it staggers the imagination. Keep in mind that when you think you are dealing with legitimate person or concern the manuals may not be complete or the latest version. One of the independent service providers I am friendly with purchased a complete service manual through e-bay for $ 15.00. Great buy one would think. After accepting the delivery he noticed it was an old beta publication from the products launching. Needless to say that there were many changes made to the service manual since it was launched. 

Let’s examine the fault codes:  08-111, 08-112, 08-113, 08-115 08-121, 08-122, 08-123, and 08-125.

What this fault code seems to be telling us is: The paper did not leave the feed head on tray 1.  Silly as it may sound; did you check it for some type of blockage in the paper path? It’s not unusual to find a torn piece of paper in the paper path of the feed head. I can’t tell you the number of times I actually removed a torn “dogs ear” or some small piece of paper. Paper that was blocking the path completely or paper that was slowing the speed of the sheet through the feed head.  Use a stiff piece of paper (card stock) to push what ever it was through the head. In the HFSI screen check the 08-802 counters.

*TIP* if this is a new machine do not accept the HFSI counter as being accurate. Replace the Belt and retard roller. Order Kit number 600K7637 for both trays 1 and 2.  More times than often the feed belts may be worn and / or the belts are contaminated from the chemicals used in the manufacturer of two part / three part carbonless paper.  Sometimes, on rare occasions, you may be able to clean the belts and the retard roller with Film Remover or alcohol and return the copier to the customer.         

Another area of concern is the length guide (part number 38K1271) in paper tray 1. Open and close the tray and observe the paper tray guide. Is the paper resting against the guide? Or is there excessive slop between the paper and the guide? It may be time to adjust the guide (ADJ 7.7) or replace it.                      

Check the tray parallelism. Even if the tray is slightly uneven (front to back or side to side) you will experience paper feed problems. Closely examine the paper tray supports (PL 2-B2, Xerox part number 30S34950) and adjust the tray parallelism.  When the tray is perfectly parallel set the Stack Height with the special tool that is cleverly hidden under the Label Panel (PL2-A9, part number 2E9981).  Trust me when I say there is no way anyone could “Eye Ball” any adjustment.  Refer to the Adjustment section ADJ 7.13 for more details on the complete paper feed set up.  If you don’t have this adjustment procedure contact me for additional details at VillageCopierNY@AOL.COM.           

Check the Take Away Roller, PL2-B11 (Xerox part number 22S24821) is the material (of the roller) in good condition?  The take away roller does exactly that: it takes the paper away from the paper feed head. If the roller is damaged or badly worn it will not do its job effectively. It is not too unusual to discover Take Away Rollers that have melted down and become a gummy mess.  As a last resort, after all the adjustments have been performed, and the feed belt has been replaced, consider replacing the feed clutch (Xerox part number 121E4450, PL2-C2).  Keep in mind that the feed clutch is a very dependable clutch and many times it is replaced because we think the clutch is at fault. Before replacing the clutch, flush it out with some film remover. Run the appliance (tray 1) and see if the film remover helped to improve the performance of the clutch. If the paper feed clutch seems to be working (after flushing with film remover) it may hold up for a day or two until you order the new clutch and install it.

*TIP* If the film remover works and you are able to return the copier to your customer, tell them it’s a temporary fix until the clutch is replaced. When Asked how long will it last? It could be one day, one week or one hour…. No one knows for sure. It all depends on how badly worn the clutch plate is.            

Paper Tray 3 is also very delicate and all adjustments have to be dead on or you will experience paper feed problems or in some cases intermittent problems.  

08-131 / 138 tells us that the paper (in tray 3) did not get to the tray 3 sensor (which by the way, it lives in the feed head). Enter the HSFI screen and check 08-806, feed belts 600K8340. Is the HFSI counter near 15 million copies? Replace the feed belts in tray 3 if you are anywhere close to 15 million or over that feed range. When replacing any belts, always insist on using genuine Xerox parts. The reason is quite simple, they last longer. The cheap knock off belts more times than often will not get you any more mileage and the savings is not even worth talking about in terms of troubleshooting the problem all over again (because you replaced the belts last month).  Make sure the blowers are all working and blowing up a storm. Check the blower ‘O’ ring and make sure it is in good condition. Make sure both the length and width guides are touching the paper.  Try to keep in mind that when tray 3 is fully loaded with 5 reams of paper  the paper itself weighs about 25 pounds and when the customer continuously slams tray 3 home (after loading it with 5 reams) the length guide has a tendency to loosen up a little or even bend over time (and abusive usage).  Tray 3 length guide part number 38K7700 PL2-D8 should be replaced if you notice that the paper in tray 3 does not always touch the paper or the length guide is easily moved without pinching the adjustment device.           

Check tray 3 feed belt tracking. Are all 6 feed belts present? Or is one belt riding on top of another belt?  This is hard to see without actually removing the tray 3 feed head assembly. Are there any feed belts missing or damaged?  Cheap knock off belts do not usually last 15 million copies. In my experience if you get 8 to 10 million copies fed through using competitive belts, you’re lucky.  Check the tray 3 air ducts and hose connections are quite secure. Check the feed clutch if the clutch is 3 to 4 years old and replace it with (PL2-E10) 121K1741. A good test with this clutch is (while it’s feeding) is to flush it out with film remover. Sometimes dust or dirt will make the clutch misfeed.  If the film remover helps and the problem seems to go away, order the clutch for the next call.           

It’s also a good idea to check tray 3 parallelism and make sure the tray is perfectly level. Inspect the 4 brackets (part number 30K11591 PL2-D6) that support the paper plate 50E273 for any damage. Check the tray 3 Height adjustment ADJ 8.2 or micro fiche (2-H1). And it is a good idea to check the following information in DC-131, location PHN MVN 178=55 and 179=0.              

From my own personal experiences I used to avoid using the adjustment guide mainly because I didn’t want the customer to know how little I really knew about this product. And as a result I was always rewarded with recalls for the same problems. After a while I finally got the message and started to use the adjustment procedure on a regular basis. The system has over 15,000 moving parts and it’s almost impossible to memorize every adjustment.  Sometimes the customer would comment on my technical abilities when they saw the book open (when I was using it as a reference guide). Personally it didn’t matter to me, what did matter was doing the adjustment right, the first time, so that I did not have to return for the same problem.            

I would like to thank all the techs (and the customers who service their own copiers) that have contributed information on this subject. Keep the e-mail coming, it makes me feel good to know people out there are using the information I have supplied on various repairs.  This column is dedicated to the field engineer and your support is always in mind. If you have any issues that you would like to have resolved please e-mail me at: VillageCopierNY@AOL.COM and I will do my level best in trying to resolve the issue.  I have received several comments about parts support (in general) and if you have had any issues that you would like to share with the field, please feel free to submit your ideas and concerns. At issue with many techs is the cheap knock off parts, especially the belts that drive components and various feed belts.