Lexmark T Series General Troubleshooting

It’s important to be familiar with each model of Lexmark printer that you maintain or repair. Study and compare the fuser drawings and you’ll find many of the design elements are the same. However, differences in print speed require different lamps, backup (pressure) roller sizes, heat roller construction, thermal fuses, and thermisters. And although the lamp contact assemblies are basically the same, their installation can vary widely. Notice also that some fuser elements vary within a given model according to the Printer Type Number (last 3 digits after the engine number found inside the front cover). These differences are important for image quality. If there’s enough design deviation the result will be a 920 series Service Error Code. If not, the result will be service calls to adjust paper and fuser settings, dissatisfied customers and a shortened fuser life.

Lexmark Service Bulletins are an excellent source of information. For example, Bulletin #T65x 114 has good information on accordion type jams inside the fuser. Below is the section Changing the type of fuser unit installed (T65x and X65x Series printers only). If you’re an Authorized Service Provider (ASP) Lexmark will email service bulletins to you directly. If you’re not an ASP they are available, on a limited basis, at the “Support/Download” part of Lexmark’s website.

Lexmark Bulletin T65x 114

A portion of Lexmark Bulletin T65x 114 is below. If you’ve ever filled out Lexmark Warranty info online you’ll no doubt remember seeing a choice of Type 1 or Type 2 fusers. This explains the definition

Changing the type of fuser unit installed (T65x and X65x Series printers only)

If the jamming issues continue after replacing the fuser unit, installing a ‘Type 2′ fuser may help correct the issue. A ‘Type 2′ fuser unit uses detack fingers that come into contact with the fuser hot roll. This helps to prevent paper from sticking to the roller surface.

IMPORTANT! This option should be avoided whenever possible and used only in a case of last resort. The ‘Type 2′ fuser life is approximately half that of a standard ‘Type 1′ fuser unit (150,000 pages for a ‘Type 2′ fuser, versus 300,000 pages for a ‘Type 1′ fuser). In addition, the fuser maintenance counter will need to be adjusted so the printer maintenance messages display at 150,000 page intervals.

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