Question: Hello. The copier had a paper jam incident and now the copier shows “Rec Paper Jam - Slide Plate Left” when the start button is pressed. The copier works perfectly from the MP Tray, but the Paper Jam/Alarm light appears for the lower tray. I searched for any paper that might be jammed, but nothing. Any suggestions? How do you enter the Service Mode on this machine? Any help is welcome.

Answer: The rollers for the u-turn have probably popped out of its seat. This is common with this model and it isn’t obvious until you reach in and touch the rollers. To fix this, open the door on the right and fumble the rollers back into its holder. Good luck.

Answer: Canon has a Maintenance Kit to repair the weak clips and hold the roller in place better. The product number is FG6-9554-000 or FG6-9887-000. It’s a bit pricey but worthwhile for the long term. I guess Canon considers it such a common issue it should be a PM item. I wish they would release a Fuser Rebuild Kit instead. It could also be a registration switch issue. If you pull out the cartridge and look behind it you’ll see a metal guide that the registration switch arm runs through. Try pushing the guide down in the middle just a touch to make the paper travel closer to the switch to ensure that the switch is triggered. However, this can result in an actual jam. And last but least common, check the Pickup Roller Shaft and watch it turn through the door on the right. Let us know what you find and if it’s not cleared up, give a little more information. There have been some problems with those machines, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed. Good luck.

Answer: In addition to the other replies, if the u-turn roller is the issue, you could get lucky and just need a bushing or two, which are cheap little plastic things. I’ve replaced those for this printer once or twice. If the roller is popping out of its holder because of the weak plastic tabs, the maintenance kit mentioned will fix the rear (where about 3/4 of them break) but there is no fix for the front. The kit won’t work for the front as there is no “meat” to attach it to. I tried epoxy buildup and I think I got one to work permanently that way, but that took weeks while I played and filed it down. The registration actuator also wears down and this could make it seem to work better from the bypass because of the flat feed. The wear isn’t noticeable until you have a new actuator in your hand to compare it to.

Question: Thanks for the replies. I will try following your instructions and let you know how the issue gets resolved. Could you clarify how to find the registration switch and how to fix it? Thanks again.

Question: When I make a copy from the lower tray, the Paper Pickup Shaft Assembly never moves to take the paper, but if I force it out of position to test it when I turn on the copier, it moves back to the correct position. I double-checked, and the gear (32T Gear on Paper Pickup Roller) is in position. When I press start to begin a copy, it scans the document and makes a sound from the back, as if it was beginning the pick-up process, but it never moves the Pickup. When I watched with the door on the right opened, the sound seemed to come from the solenoid. I saw the paper pickup acting to free the 32T gear, but it looks like the 32T gear on the Paper Pickup Roller Assembly is not taking the movement from the other gear, even when the solenoid is leaving it. Any suggestions?

Answer: Is the home position Return Spring in place on the front end of the Pickup Roller Assembly? The spring pulls the rollers to the first tooth of the Pickup drive gear when the solenoid releases.

Question: Let me check. I found the spring and I put it into position at the end of the Pickup. I made a little adjustment by moving the shaft carefully into position and reset the copier. I’ve tested a few copies now and it works fine. Is this a common problem on this kind of machine?

Answer: The Pickup Return Spring on half moon “nudgers” is a common idea used on many Canon SOHO and HP/Canon designs. It usually involves a plastic peg coming off the side of the Pickup Roller with a clip (it is shaped like an S with one side closed) that rotates on the peg and hooks to the spring, which then hooks to the frame of the machine. Everything is plastic and is in danger of breaking every time the paper tray is opened. If the peg breaks off the pickup shaft, the S clip gets lost, then the spring gets lost, and the hook breaks off from the frame. Not to mention the foam pad on the flapper-style solenoid that releases the drive on most of these machines (PC700,800,900,ICD700,800,900 and IC-MF’n6500 and HP LJ-4000,4050,4100). I’m sure we’ll continue to see this moneymaking idea regurgitated a few more times. Good luck.