I decided to give alcohol a try. I drank alcohol until I no longer cared what a replacement printer cost. Then, I told my Mrs it was hopeless, and we had to replace the printer. I guess alcohol ended up being my solution, too.
Rather than unplugging the printer during a print job in order to prevent the printed from locking, a safer way to unlock the printhead is to lift the top lid on the printer as you would to access the printhead, then press and hold the red 'x' or 'cancel' button until you hear the printhead unlock itself, THEN, unplug the power and continue with your cleaning process.
Thanks so much for this, I had no idea what to do, and your down to earth solution with well explained but concise instructions solved my problem. I ended up just using a smaller 5mL syringe, boring out the end to about 3mm and shoving that straight on to the ink pickup (so no tubing). Worked a treat.
Goooood! Yes, to prevent the printed from locking, it's better to unlock the printer head and my brother printer is MFC-J470DW, it's should hold the "STOP" buttom 3-5 mins during plugin the power, then the printer head will move to the center automaticly, next unplug the power. Enjoy the cleaning~
I used shrink tubing with a syringe and it worked great. Holding the red x to unlock the print head was perfect. Had to run the clean cycle twice and repeat the process to get it completely unclogged.
Great and very helpful video. Been tearing my hair out with regards to printing anything. maus909 response was very useful also. Thanks so much for helping me to get it sorted.
Thanks. I really like this printer, but agree it can be extremely frustrating when they just stop printing. Mine continues to work, but is problematic with blockages. I do like the A3 print and scan capability - which I use more than printing!
I have a question. I have a Brother MFC-J5520DW and I tried cleaning the nozzles the same way you showed by plugging a tube onto the ink intake port, except I used warm water. My Cyan was the one that was the most clogged and when I pressed the syringe not much was happening, only a tiny bit of Cyan was coming out onto the paper towel, then all of the sudden all the water from the syringe started squirting out of the Yellow intake port while it was plugged into the Cyan port. I played with it a little bit then water started coming out of the Magenta and Black ports... Is that normal, or did I brake something by giving it more pressure?
My goodness, I'm not sure. Depends how much pressure you applied. A syringe can generate quite a few atmospheres of pressure. There is crossover in the print head, so it's possible that's what's happened. I tend to use a push/pull mechanism to get any accreted/stuck ink out of the fine ink delivery lines. All I can offer is to clean it up, mop up any mess and try a test print. It is normal to need a few test prints to get the water or dilute ink flushed all the way through the system. Good luck!
I've been successful in unclogging all the colors, but cannot get the black to work. Any suggestions??? I've tried hot water and I've tried alcohol, but no black so far. Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Jill
Are you using genuine or after market inks? Black is a much bigger cartridge and if it dries out, will be more difficult to unclog. Sometimes I pump/suck cleaning fluid through using small motions with a syringe (pump/suck). Best of luck.
So I did the cleaning ok but when I started the printer and tried to print it came up with a error message 46 saying the ink absorber nearly full. Where to now?
Hi, I haven't had to do it - I've relied on the paper towel to pick up any cleaning fluid excess. It does seem straight forward though. Check out this: ua-cam.com/video/6IsmfZbJNfQ/v-deo.html
after seeing error 46, I go into maintenance mode , and I cannot enter code 80 in maintenance function? the "8" does not work, "8" does not register ..........do you have a solution? ? Thanks
The "Error 46: Unable to Clean" error can be reset per the following UA-cam video. ua-cam.com/video/pCWovhoAqDM/v-deo.html It refers to entering "80" - not sure what else to try if doesn't work. Good luck.
I would suggest IPA, isopropyl alcohol, or warm water. If it flushes through to the head, you've fixed it. You only need small volumes, but you may need the higher pressure available from a syringe.
How do you get the scanner to lift all the way up to have overhead access to the work area? In essence, how do you pop the plastic arm out that locks the scanner at 45 degrees so that you can lift the scanner right up at 90 degrees? Thanks
Pretty sure mine lifts not quite all the way up. You'll need to support the lid with a prop to stop it flopping back down. I used a cardboard tube. Good luck.
So I pushed cleaning solution through to Brother MFC-250C printhead, I've done it and each ink passage goes all the way through to the printhead as shown by soaked paper towel placed underneath, then ran several test prints and printhead cleanings and only got maybe a faint print from the cyan, then nothing. Is the circuitry broken or something? The printer seems to think everything is fine.
No, your printer isn't broken (it just isn't smart) - sometimes it's an air lock, or the water has to be flushed out for awhile. When this happened to me, I kept doing test pages of coloured text until each colour came back. Good luck :)
@@pescado99 yeah, I've been fiddling with printers for a while and seems like women they get temperamental a lot and suddenly one day get in the mood. Wtf?
Hi @@pescado99 I'm having the same issue. off market inks, I did the clean with a cleaning solution, and put a new black cartridge in but now absolutely no black comes through. I've done about 30 test prints...would you recommend cleaning it again?
Suggest you power the unit on (with a comination of soft 'on' button and power cord) so it starts its pre-start cycle (which is to shuttle the head across from park - where it locks). Once the head starts to move, just pull the power using the plug (not with the soft 'off' button) - it won't damage the printer. Once the head is free of the cradle lock position you can slide it easily and get some tissue paper under it so you capture the flushing liquid (IPA or warm water). I expect this method should work, but obviously it's for a different printer. Best of luck.
Just note that if you can't get the print head to move away from the RHS park position, turn power on, wait for print head to move across, then pull the plug. Good luck.
Couldn't find the right size diameter hose ... I tried using the rubber hose that they sell at pet shops for air rating fish tanks but it's still too big so you obviously need something a little smaller to get a pressure fit over the nozzle on the inside of the printer ... Alternatively, the only thing that I did was take paper towels and put them on the inside underneath the nozzle like in the video. Soaked it with 97% alcohol then let it sit for about 5 minutes. Manually moved the printer head over the paper towel back and forth ... did this about three times and voila. It took about 3 clean cycles, but it finally unclogged the head the Heads and printed perfectly ...
Just measured the tube with digital calipers, 2.75 mm ID. I just use any syringe that will fit. 5ml should be fine (you can also use a suck in/suck out motion to flush it - just keep air bubbles out). I've used warm water and IPA (isopropyl alcohol). I used a fuel line from an old whipper snipper!
What fluid did you use? IPA (Isopropyl alcohol) should remove more than just warm water. You don't need much. Also, power has to stay connected to the printer all the time normally - this allows the printer to go through its own cleaning cycle on a timed cycle (otherwise inks will dry out in the lines).
An hour, wow! I'd say you've pushed cleaning fluid too far through the system. Just be patient. I've never had to clean it using more than a few mils of fluid. Have you tried with fresh cartridges?
@pescado99 After sending this message I managed to get it working all tubes cleared but now. It's going crazy with all these error messages. I looked them up. First it was a bad alignment with the clear strip. I cleaned that up and now it a bad ink connection. I took it apart and made sure all the ink connections were clean and attached securely. Still, bad ink connection lol I am pulling my hair out at this point 😂
@@pescado99 if you need to connect it via cable, you have to lift the lid up and you will find a place with a usb logo, so the cable connects on the inside, not the outside.
It's not consistent. Turn the power off when the header is in transit, this can take a few goes. Clean the lines and print head, then turn power back on and the head will work out where it is and will return to the 'park' position. Like after a power outage. Sorry you had hassles.
Better than trying to find, and then afford, a new 6945! We saw a guy who said 8 parts window cleaner like windex, 2 parts rubbing alcohol, I suppose it's just ... not water...
Yes, alcohol can dissolve ink better (which is why I use warm to hot water - it dissolves ink better than cold water). Hot water is easy, I try to keep things easy and simple.
As an AFOL, I love this idea! But nah, they actually use a timed cycle with the onboard peristaltic pump to circulate the inks to stop them drying out. That's why you should never unplug an inkjet printer from power.
I USE Petrol, Pump all the printer heads full then fill empty cartrages with more petrol , start printing 'the Magna Carta' and light the piece of shit printer on fire and time how long it takes for the whole thing to be engulfed !! : )
the most horrible shit printer i ever had, still black is showing lines on the paper, everytime when i print, cartrigdes showing empty when still full or hardly printed paper, these are absolute scam printers, bought the chip resetter and still cant print normally or cheap
I bought mine second hand for I think $150AUD. I needed it for scanning (which I use a lot) and the occasional need to print A3. I like the small form factor - A3 in an A4 body). I have an HP1320 B&W A4 laser as my workhorse. Agree that the Brother is problematic, but not any more than any other bubble jet I've owned - they all suffer the same fundamental flaws; built to a price and they use wet inks in tiny tubes with picolitre droplets - of course they will all eventually block.
I decided to give alcohol a try. I drank alcohol until I no longer cared what a replacement printer cost. Then, I told my Mrs it was hopeless, and we had to replace the printer. I guess alcohol ended up being my solution, too.
Funniest thing I read all day!
I'm about to try this, nothing else seems to work.
Rather than unplugging the printer during a print job in order to prevent the printed from locking, a safer way to unlock the printhead is to lift the top lid on the printer as you would to access the printhead, then press and hold the red 'x' or 'cancel' button until you hear the printhead unlock itself, THEN, unplug the power and continue with your cleaning process.
Good idea. Was not aware you could do this. Thanks!
amazing!!! didnt know id find my answer in the comments section, thank you for saving me time fellow youtuber
Thanks !
Thanks so much for this, I had no idea what to do, and your down to earth solution with well explained but concise instructions solved my problem.
I ended up just using a smaller 5mL syringe, boring out the end to about 3mm and shoving that straight on to the ink pickup (so no tubing). Worked a treat.
Glad it worked out!
Goooood! Yes, to prevent the printed from locking, it's better to unlock the printer head and my brother printer is MFC-J470DW, it's should hold the "STOP" buttom 3-5 mins during plugin the power, then the printer head will move to the center automaticly, next unplug the power. Enjoy the cleaning~
Good tip, thanks!
I did this and it worked the first time! Thanks for this free solution to my printer problem!
Awesome. Actually it's time to do mine again- magenta has blocked... 🙂
I used shrink tubing with a syringe and it worked great. Holding the red x to unlock the print head was perfect. Had to run the clean cycle twice and repeat the process to get it completely unclogged.
I redid mine the other day using 'Red X' as well. It's working perfectly again.
Great and very helpful video. Been tearing my hair out with regards to printing anything. maus909 response was very useful also. Thanks so much for helping me to get it sorted.
Thanks. I really like this printer, but agree it can be extremely frustrating when they just stop printing. Mine continues to work, but is problematic with blockages. I do like the A3 print and scan capability - which I use more than printing!
Thank you for doing this video, it was extremely helpful.
I have a question. I have a Brother MFC-J5520DW and I tried cleaning the nozzles the same way you showed by plugging a tube onto the ink intake port, except I used warm water. My Cyan was the one that was the most clogged and when I pressed the syringe not much was happening, only a tiny bit of Cyan was coming out onto the paper towel, then all of the sudden all the water from the syringe started squirting out of the Yellow intake port while it was plugged into the Cyan port. I played with it a little bit then water started coming out of the Magenta and Black ports... Is that normal, or did I brake something by giving it more pressure?
My goodness, I'm not sure. Depends how much pressure you applied. A syringe can generate quite a few atmospheres of pressure. There is crossover in the print head, so it's possible that's what's happened. I tend to use a push/pull mechanism to get any accreted/stuck ink out of the fine ink delivery lines. All I can offer is to clean it up, mop up any mess and try a test print. It is normal to need a few test prints to get the water or dilute ink flushed all the way through the system. Good luck!
I've been successful in unclogging all the colors, but cannot get the black to work. Any suggestions??? I've tried hot water and I've tried alcohol, but no black so far. Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Jill
Are you using genuine or after market inks? Black is a much bigger cartridge and if it dries out, will be more difficult to unclog. Sometimes I pump/suck cleaning fluid through using small motions with a syringe (pump/suck). Best of luck.
@pescado99 aftermarket and it's the same size ink cartridge. Thanks for the tip! I'll try that!
What is the diameter of the hose you use to connect to the ink spud in the printer?
Trying to find the correct gear to give your method a go.
😀
Approximately 4-5 mm OD, with an internal diameter of about 3mm.
Thanks. I will try it and hope it can solve my yellow color problem.
Sometimes it takes a few goes.. good luck. You don't need much flushing fluid
So I did the cleaning ok but when I started the printer and tried to print it came up with a error message 46 saying the ink absorber nearly full. Where to now?
Hi, I haven't had to do it - I've relied on the paper towel to pick up any cleaning fluid excess. It does seem straight forward though. Check out this: ua-cam.com/video/6IsmfZbJNfQ/v-deo.html
after seeing error 46, I go into maintenance mode
, and I cannot enter code 80 in maintenance function? the "8" does not work, "8" does not register ..........do you have a solution? ? Thanks
The "Error 46: Unable to Clean" error can be reset per the following UA-cam video. ua-cam.com/video/pCWovhoAqDM/v-deo.html It refers to entering "80" - not sure what else to try if doesn't work. Good luck.
my black is clogged like crazy then. Ive been trying to clean it for three days now but still nothing
I would suggest IPA, isopropyl alcohol, or warm water. If it flushes through to the head, you've fixed it. You only need small volumes, but you may need the higher pressure available from a syringe.
How do you get the scanner to lift all the way up to have overhead access to the work area? In essence, how do you pop the plastic arm out that locks the scanner at 45 degrees so that you can lift the scanner right up at 90 degrees? Thanks
Pretty sure mine lifts not quite all the way up. You'll need to support the lid with a prop to stop it flopping back down. I used a cardboard tube. Good luck.
So I pushed cleaning solution through to Brother MFC-250C printhead, I've done it and each ink passage goes all the way through to the printhead as shown by soaked paper towel placed underneath, then ran several test prints and printhead cleanings and only got maybe a faint print from the cyan, then nothing. Is the circuitry broken or something? The printer seems to think everything is fine.
No, your printer isn't broken (it just isn't smart) - sometimes it's an air lock, or the water has to be flushed out for awhile. When this happened to me, I kept doing test pages of coloured text until each colour came back. Good luck :)
@@pescado99 yeah, I've been fiddling with printers for a while and seems like women they get temperamental a lot and suddenly one day get in the mood. Wtf?
Hi @@pescado99 I'm having the same issue. off market inks, I did the clean with a cleaning solution, and put a new black cartridge in but now absolutely no black comes through. I've done about 30 test prints...would you recommend cleaning it again?
I have a 5620 but cant move the head across? Do you have any tips?
Suggest you power the unit on (with a comination of soft 'on' button and power cord) so it starts its pre-start cycle (which is to shuttle the head across from park - where it locks). Once the head starts to move, just pull the power using the plug (not with the soft 'off' button) - it won't damage the printer. Once the head is free of the cradle lock position you can slide it easily and get some tissue paper under it so you capture the flushing liquid (IPA or warm water). I expect this method should work, but obviously it's for a different printer. Best of luck.
Thank you so much! I will be trying this today
Just note that if you can't get the print head to move away from the RHS park position, turn power on, wait for print head to move across, then pull the plug. Good luck.
Couldn't find the right size diameter hose ...
I tried using the rubber hose that they sell at pet shops for air rating fish tanks but it's still too big so you obviously need something a little smaller to get a pressure fit over the nozzle on the inside of the printer ...
Alternatively, the only thing that I did was take paper towels and put them on the inside underneath the nozzle like in the video. Soaked it with 97% alcohol then let it sit for about 5 minutes. Manually moved the printer head over the paper towel back and forth ... did this about three times and voila. It took about 3 clean cycles, but it finally unclogged the head the Heads and printed perfectly ...
Excellent idea and good addition to this video. Thanks for the contribution.
Thanks so much! I could not find the right tubing so I too went the alcohol/paper towel route and it worked after a few cycles.
Hey I'm in AU too. It's only warm water you used? A 5mm syringe and what size tubing? Off to Bunnings for the tube. Please let me know. Ta
Just measured the tube with digital calipers, 2.75 mm ID. I just use any syringe that will fit. 5ml should be fine (you can also use a suck in/suck out motion to flush it - just keep air bubbles out). I've used warm water and IPA (isopropyl alcohol). I used a fuel line from an old whipper snipper!
@@pescado99 Thank you. I'll give it a go! Thanks for your help 🙂
I've gone through this process and still not unclogged the printer heads. Any suggestions anyone?
What fluid did you use? IPA (Isopropyl alcohol) should remove more than just warm water. You don't need much. Also, power has to stay connected to the printer all the time normally - this allows the printer to go through its own cleaning cycle on a timed cycle (otherwise inks will dry out in the lines).
@@pescado99 I used the Octopus fluids solution but it won't move the blockage
so i cleaned with the solution for an hour. still no ink printing.😭 Any idea on how I can fix? Anyone.
An hour, wow! I'd say you've pushed cleaning fluid too far through the system. Just be patient. I've never had to clean it using more than a few mils of fluid. Have you tried with fresh cartridges?
@pescado99 After sending this message I managed to get it working all tubes cleared but now. It's going crazy with all these error messages. I looked them up. First it was a bad alignment with the clear strip. I cleaned that up and now it a bad ink connection. I took it apart and made sure all the ink connections were clean and attached securely. Still, bad ink connection lol I am pulling my hair out at this point 😂
@@pescado99 hve any solutions with tht sir? help
What size hose fits the brother printers?
About 4mm
Maybe 5mm
Thankyou, I've just got this printer second hand. But I don't know how to connect this printer to my computer 🤔
Power on, go into setup (little tool icon top right of screen), go through WiFi setup - or connect via cable. Good luck
@@pescado99 if you need to connect it via cable, you have to lift the lid up and you will find a place with a usb logo, so the cable connects on the inside, not the outside.
Brother mfc -j875DW head cleaning
I like Swift Ink. I've never had problem with their ink. You can talk to a real person. They are in Arizona.
Bro you couldve atleast explain the header properly of how to unlock it coz like now my printer is useless if i cant get it cleaned
It's not consistent. Turn the power off when the header is in transit, this can take a few goes. Clean the lines and print head, then turn power back on and the head will work out where it is and will return to the 'park' position. Like after a power outage. Sorry you had hassles.
Please help I am not getting magenta at all flushed with water. But nothing.
Better than trying to find, and then afford, a new 6945! We saw a guy who said 8 parts window cleaner like windex, 2 parts rubbing alcohol, I suppose it's just ... not water...
Yes, alcohol can dissolve ink better (which is why I use warm to hot water - it dissolves ink better than cold water). Hot water is easy, I try to keep things easy and simple.
Looks like Lego Technic pneumatic pumps could come to the rescue.
As an AFOL, I love this idea! But nah, they actually use a timed cycle with the onboard peristaltic pump to circulate the inks to stop them drying out. That's why you should never unplug an inkjet printer from power.
@@pescado99 Ah, thats why magenta stopped working. I have my printer connected to mains maybe an hour a month. Hell to magenta!
4:55 When he said "300-400 ML" Americans went:
'Millimeters', but yeah, Australian centric I guess!
I USE Petrol, Pump all the printer heads full then fill empty cartrages with more petrol , start printing 'the Magna Carta' and light the piece of shit printer on fire and time how long it takes for the whole thing to be engulfed !! : )
Make a video, oh please make a video. That's a frigging awesome idea!
Brother printers suck and their customer support in a pile of poo. 💩
the most horrible shit printer i ever had, still black is showing lines on the paper, everytime when i print, cartrigdes showing empty when still full or hardly printed paper, these are absolute scam printers, bought the chip resetter and still cant print normally or cheap
I bought mine second hand for I think $150AUD. I needed it for scanning (which I use a lot) and the occasional need to print A3. I like the small form factor - A3 in an A4 body). I have an HP1320 B&W A4 laser as my workhorse. Agree that the Brother is problematic, but not any more than any other bubble jet I've owned - they all suffer the same fundamental flaws; built to a price and they use wet inks in tiny tubes with picolitre droplets - of course they will all eventually block.