HP Laserjet 4000 Complete Rebuild?

I have a Laserjet 4000 with 575,000+ pages; 290,000 pages since last
service. It works well printing via the Tray two which it came with.

I found this printer in a dumpster (trash bin) and after cleaning coffee
grounds off it, plugged it in to my LPT port and it worked fine.

Now I have some questions which I hope that the group will give me
advice about:

1. I've see kits for sale to re-do the rollers and so forth; as long as
the printer is working well, should I bother?

2. What about the rubber roller rejuvenation kits?

3. The front feeder is not working; this is the panel which drops
forward to open at a 45 degree angle and where I would feed card stock
or envelopes. I've not seen a "kit to fix this - and am not sure if
there is a sensor not working or a broken part such as a link. Lots of
plastic little parts there when I looked at it.

4. The printer came with a Legal Size paper tray; I found a Letter
sized try in the dumpster, and put that in, sicne I don't usually use
Legal size paper. I believe there is a gadget which I need to add the
Legal size tray underneath the Letter sized tray.

5. What is the "duplexer unit" and what would I use it for? If it
allows me to print both sides of a page without manually swapping
around, I would be interested in finding one.

6. Any other advice such as where to find the repair manual, maybe in
PDF format?

Thank you all for your help in this matter, I appreciate you taking the
time to reply.

Regards to the Group,

Dave

You are diving in a high-quality dumpster there.

Given the price you paid, I would use the printer until it started to give
trouble, then do the maintenance. Rollers dry out over time and they also wear
down from their continuous rolling action. The usual thing is to replace the
rollers. Rubber "rejuevnation" is usually a spray that you put on the cloth and
wipe onto the rollers. It's not bad, but it is generally not a long term
solution. Automotive brake fluid has a similar chemical effect when applied to
rollers.

If the Tray 1 front feed is not working, you need to replace the parts, either
separately or by scavenging from another LJ4000 or LJ4050.

There are additional trays mechanisms you can add to the printer, made so you
set the printer down onto one.

A duplexer allows two-sided printing.

I've seen and downloaded the LJ4000 service manual. Google for it. If you
can't find it, I can stick it on the net temporarily and you can download it
with FTP. Too big to be an attachment... Ben Myers

On Tue, 01 Jan 2008 12:01:35 -0500, CWO4 Dave Mann <>
wrote:

>I have a Laserjet 4000 with 575,000+ pages; 290,000 pages since last
>service. It works well printing via the Tray two which it came with.
>
>I found this printer in a dumpster (trash bin) and after cleaning coffee
>grounds off it, plugged it in to my LPT port and it worked fine.
>
>Now I have some questions which I hope that the group will give me
>advice about:
>
>1. I've see kits for sale to re-do the rollers and so forth; as long as
>the printer is working well, should I bother?
>
>2. What about the rubber roller rejuvenation kits?
>
>3. The front feeder is not working; this is the panel which drops
>forward to open at a 45 degree angle and where I would feed card stock
>or envelopes. I've not seen a "kit to fix this - and am not sure if
>there is a sensor not working or a broken part such as a link. Lots of
>plastic little parts there when I looked at it.
>
>4. The printer came with a Legal Size paper tray; I found a Letter
>sized try in the dumpster, and put that in, sicne I don't usually use
>Legal size paper. I believe there is a gadget which I need to add the
>Legal size tray underneath the Letter sized tray.
>
>5. What is the "duplexer unit" and what would I use it for? If it
>allows me to print both sides of a page without manually swapping
>around, I would be interested in finding one.
>
>6. Any other advice such as where to find the repair manual, maybe in
>PDF format?
>
>Thank you all for your help in this matter, I appreciate you taking the
>time to reply.
>
>Regards to the Group,
>
>Dave

CWO4 Dave Mann <> wrote:
> I have a Laserjet 4000 with 575,000+ pages; 290,000 pages since last
> service. It works well printing via the Tray two which it came with.

Aw, it's just a baby. These are excellent, reliable printers.

> I found this printer in a dumpster (trash bin) and after cleaning coffee
> grounds off it, plugged it in to my LPT port and it worked fine.

Check it for an add-on JetDirect card with a network port.

> Now I have some questions which I hope that the group will give me
> advice about:
>
> 1. I've see kits for sale to re-do the rollers and so forth; as long as
> the printer is working well, should I bother?

No. At that page count, it's probably already been done a couple of
times. If you have paper jams or misfeeds, do it then. And I'm not
sure about the kits--getting just specific rollers can be more
cost-effective.

> 2. What about the rubber roller rejuvenation kits?

Don't bother. The rollers should have a little bit of tread that looks
like tree bark. Many of the rollers are identical, so you might be able
to swap ones from a less-used tray.

> 3. The front feeder is not working; this is the panel which drops
> forward to open at a 45 degree angle and where I would feed card stock
> or envelopes. I've not seen a "kit to fix this - and am not sure if
> there is a sensor not working or a broken part such as a link. Lots of
> plastic little parts there when I looked at it.

Depends on how it's "not working". Maybe just a separation pad or the
roller.

> 4. The printer came with a Legal Size paper tray; I found a Letter
> sized try in the dumpster, and put that in, sicne I don't usually use
> Legal size paper. I believe there is a gadget which I need to add the
> Legal size tray underneath the Letter sized tray.

Nope, they just stack. The trays can be adjusted for different paper
sizes, so you can have two letter sized. If it's actually a 4000T, the
two tray openings are built in, but the paper sizes can still be
changed.

> 5. What is the "duplexer unit" and what would I use it for? If it
> allows me to print both sides of a page without manually swapping
> around, I would be interested in finding one.

Yes, they allow double-sided printing. Not too common for these
printers. Doubtful you'll find one cheap enough to be worthwhile.

> 6. Any other advice such as where to find the repair manual, maybe in
> PDF format?

Never seen one, although printerworks.com has the parts diagrams online.
These are very easy printers to repair.

--
Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota * USA

CWO4 Dave Mann <> wrote:
>I have a Laserjet 4000 with 575,000+ pages; 290,000 pages since last
>service. It works well printing via the Tray two which it came with.
>
>I found this printer in a dumpster (trash bin) and after cleaning coffee
>grounds off it, plugged it in to my LPT port and it worked fine.
>
>Now I have some questions which I hope that the group will give me
>advice about:
>
>1. I've see kits for sale to re-do the rollers and so forth; as long as
>the printer is working well, should I bother?
>
>2. What about the rubber roller rejuvenation kits?
>
>3. The front feeder is not working; this is the panel which drops
>forward to open at a 45 degree angle and where I would feed card stock
>or envelopes. I've not seen a "kit to fix this - and am not sure if
>there is a sensor not working or a broken part such as a link. Lots of
>plastic little parts there when I looked at it.
>
>4. The printer came with a Legal Size paper tray; I found a Letter
>sized try in the dumpster, and put that in, sicne I don't usually use
>Legal size paper. I believe there is a gadget which I need to add the
>Legal size tray underneath the Letter sized tray.
>
>5. What is the "duplexer unit" and what would I use it for? If it
>allows me to print both sides of a page without manually swapping
>around, I would be interested in finding one.
>
>6. Any other advice such as where to find the repair manual, maybe in
>PDF format?
>
>Thank you all for your help in this matter, I appreciate you taking the
>time to reply.
>
>Regards to the Group,
>
>Dave

Dave
I can't add any value to the good advice you have been given by Warren and Ben.
You can get the manual from
http://www.eserviceinfo.com/equipment_mfg/HP_22.html
Search on that page for 4000-4050 service manual. The 4000 and 4050 are nearly
identical.
Download all three parts and decompress.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

Tony wrote:
> CWO4 Dave Mann <> wrote:
>> I have a Laserjet 4000 with 575,000+ pages; 290,000 pages since last
>> service. It works well printing via the Tray two which it came with.
>>
>> I found this printer in a dumpster (trash bin) and after cleaning coffee
>> grounds off it, plugged it in to my LPT port and it worked fine.
>>
>> Now I have some questions which I hope that the group will give me
>> advice about:
>>
>> 1. I've see kits for sale to re-do the rollers and so forth; as long as
>> the printer is working well, should I bother?
>>
>> 2. What about the rubber roller rejuvenation kits?
>>
>> 3. The front feeder is not working; this is the panel which drops
>> forward to open at a 45 degree angle and where I would feed card stock
>> or envelopes. I've not seen a "kit to fix this - and am not sure if
>> there is a sensor not working or a broken part such as a link. Lots of
>> plastic little parts there when I looked at it.
>>
>> 4. The printer came with a Legal Size paper tray; I found a Letter
>> sized try in the dumpster, and put that in, sicne I don't usually use
>> Legal size paper. I believe there is a gadget which I need to add the
>> Legal size tray underneath the Letter sized tray.
>>
>> 5. What is the "duplexer unit" and what would I use it for? If it
>> allows me to print both sides of a page without manually swapping
>> around, I would be interested in finding one.
>>
>> 6. Any other advice such as where to find the repair manual, maybe in
>> PDF format?
>>
>> Thank you all for your help in this matter, I appreciate you taking the
>> time to reply.
>>
>> Regards to the Group,
>>
>> Dave
>
> Dave
> I can't add any value to the good advice you have been given by Warren and Ben.
> You can get the manual from
> http://www.eserviceinfo.com/equipment_mfg/HP_22.html
> Search on that page for 4000-4050 service manual. The 4000 and 4050 are nearly
> identical.
> Download all three parts and decompress.
> Tony
> MS MVP Printing/Imaging
>


Thanks to all for your quick and informative responses. I've d/l the
manuals and am printing them off on my LJ 4000 Dumpster Machine.

Yes, that is a "high quality dumpster". I've since recovered a couple
Dell usb keyboards, some mice (computer not Mickey) and other odds and
ends. It is outside a high tech office building and I dive it at least
2x per week. Found a load of old 5-1/4" floppies with OS2 on them -- I
already have the 3" disks with same and Warp in my "old stuff" pile.

Interestingly, I haven't found any monitors since our county has a
recycle program for monitors and boards.

I'm waiting for someone to toss out the Old Osborne or that old Apple I
from back in the closet.

Cheers,

Dave

"CWO4 Dave Mann" <> wrote in message
news:. ..
> Tony wrote:
>> CWO4 Dave Mann <> wrote:
>>> I have a Laserjet 4000 with 575,000+ pages; 290,000 pages since last
>>> service. It works well printing via the Tray two which it came with.
>>>
>>> I found this printer in a dumpster (trash bin) and after cleaning coffee
>>> grounds off it, plugged it in to my LPT port and it worked fine.
>>>
>>> Now I have some questions which I hope that the group will give me
>>> advice about:
>>>
>>> 1. I've see kits for sale to re-do the rollers and so forth; as long as
>>> the printer is working well, should I bother?
>>>
>>> 2. What about the rubber roller rejuvenation kits?
>>>
>>> 3. The front feeder is not working; this is the panel which drops
>>> forward to open at a 45 degree angle and where I would feed card stock
>>> or envelopes. I've not seen a "kit to fix this - and am not sure if
>>> there is a sensor not working or a broken part such as a link. Lots of
>>> plastic little parts there when I looked at it.
>>>
>>> 4. The printer came with a Legal Size paper tray; I found a Letter
>>> sized try in the dumpster, and put that in, sicne I don't usually use
>>> Legal size paper. I believe there is a gadget which I need to add the
>>> Legal size tray underneath the Letter sized tray.
>>>
>>> 5. What is the "duplexer unit" and what would I use it for? If it
>>> allows me to print both sides of a page without manually swapping
>>> around, I would be interested in finding one.
>>>
>>> 6. Any other advice such as where to find the repair manual, maybe in
>>> PDF format?
>>>
>>> Thank you all for your help in this matter, I appreciate you taking the
>>> time to reply.
>>>
>>> Regards to the Group,
>>>
>>> Dave
>>
>> Dave
>> I can't add any value to the good advice you have been given by Warren
>> and Ben.
>> You can get the manual from
>> http://www.eserviceinfo.com/equipment_mfg/HP_22.html
>> Search on that page for 4000-4050 service manual. The 4000 and 4050 are
>> nearly
>> identical.
>> Download all three parts and decompress.
>> Tony
>> MS MVP Printing/Imaging
>>
>
>
> Thanks to all for your quick and informative responses. I've d/l the
> manuals and am printing them off on my LJ 4000 Dumpster Machine.
>
> Yes, that is a "high quality dumpster". I've since recovered a couple
> Dell usb keyboards, some mice (computer not Mickey) and other odds and
> ends. It is outside a high tech office building and I dive it at least
> 2x per week. Found a load of old 5-1/4" floppies with OS2 on them -- I
> already have the 3" disks with same and Warp in my "old stuff" pile.
>
> Interestingly, I haven't found any monitors since our county has a
> recycle program for monitors and boards.
>
> I'm waiting for someone to toss out the Old Osborne or that old Apple I
> from back in the closet.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Dave
>

in a business setting where you don't want downtime, i definitely believe in
preventive maintence. but for the home i would recommend that you simply
wait for print quality or print feed issues to surface before you
purchase/install replacement parts. but it sounds like you do have a feed
problem which could be due to a number of inexpensive parts that are easily
replaced. a great source for all of your parts needs is
www.printerworks.com. they sell only quality parts (some after
market/non-hp parts are junk, but not the ones they sell), and they are
extremely helpful.

Christopher Muto <> wrote:
>
> in a business setting where you don't want downtime, i definitely believe in
> preventive maintence. but for the home i would recommend that you simply
> wait for print quality or print feed issues to surface before you
> purchase/install replacement parts.

Agreed.

> but it sounds like you do have a feed problem which could be due to a
> number of inexpensive parts that are easily replaced. a great source
> for all of your parts needs is www.printerworks.com. they sell only
> quality parts (some after market/non-hp parts are junk, but not the
> ones they sell),

With the possible exception of their replacement fusers. I had several
that had extremely short lifespans. Never had a problem with any other
replacement parts.

> and they are extremely helpful.

They never responded to my email questions about the fusers. That was
shortly before I stopped supporting those printers, so I didn't pursue
the matter.

--
Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota * USA

"Warren Block" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Christopher Muto <> wrote:
>>
>> in a business setting where you don't want downtime, i definitely believe
>> in
>> preventive maintence. but for the home i would recommend that you simply
>> wait for print quality or print feed issues to surface before you
>> purchase/install replacement parts.
>
> Agreed.
>
>> but it sounds like you do have a feed problem which could be due to a
>> number of inexpensive parts that are easily replaced. a great source
>> for all of your parts needs is www.printerworks.com. they sell only
>> quality parts (some after market/non-hp parts are junk, but not the
>> ones they sell),
>
> With the possible exception of their replacement fusers. I had several
> that had extremely short lifespans. Never had a problem with any other
> replacement parts.
>
>> and they are extremely helpful.
>
> They never responded to my email questions about the fusers. That was
> shortly before I stopped supporting those printers, so I didn't pursue
> the matter.
>
> --
> Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota * USA

you are right about their email support. i would say it sucks, but in
reality if it non-existant. they don't respond to me either. but call
their sales line or techincal line and they are amazingly helpful and most
very knowledgable (and not from looking things up, they just know what is
what with all things laserjet).

PrinterWorks must have very little turnover of the help and has been around
almost forever. A local (5 mi away) shop, Lasertone, sold off its LaserJet
service and toner business. Too much turnover to provide good service at a
reasonable price... Ben Myers

On Tue, 8 Jan 2008 20:27:51 -0500, "Christopher Muto" <>
wrote:

>"Warren Block" <> wrote in message
>news:.. .
>> Christopher Muto <> wrote:
>>>
>>> in a business setting where you don't want downtime, i definitely believe
>>> in
>>> preventive maintence. but for the home i would recommend that you simply
>>> wait for print quality or print feed issues to surface before you
>>> purchase/install replacement parts.
>>
>> Agreed.
>>
>>> but it sounds like you do have a feed problem which could be due to a
>>> number of inexpensive parts that are easily replaced. a great source
>>> for all of your parts needs is www.printerworks.com. they sell only
>>> quality parts (some after market/non-hp parts are junk, but not the
>>> ones they sell),
>>
>> With the possible exception of their replacement fusers. I had several
>> that had extremely short lifespans. Never had a problem with any other
>> replacement parts.
>>
>>> and they are extremely helpful.
>>
>> They never responded to my email questions about the fusers. That was
>> shortly before I stopped supporting those printers, so I didn't pursue
>> the matter.
>>
>> --
>> Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota * USA
>
>you are right about their email support. i would say it sucks, but in
>reality if it non-existant. they don't respond to me either. but call
>their sales line or techincal line and they are amazingly helpful and most
>very knowledgable (and not from looking things up, they just know what is
>what with all things laserjet).
>