The 10.92.YY Cartridge Not Engaged error is one of the more common error codes found on the HP 3000 series Color LaserJet machines. The good thing is that it’s one of the easier problems to diagnose. The bad news is that usually one or more of the cartridge lock levers or a slide lever is broken or one of the cams above is broken. Like the swing plate gear in the 4200 series HP LaserJets, the lock levers in this machine were never meant to be replaced. In this article, I’ll talk about the error, troubleshooting the error, and replacing the lock levers.
How the Cartridge Engage Process Works
As the transfer unit opens the cartridge lock levers (four on either side of the machine) move up into the machine. When the transfer unit closes the cartridge lock levers clamp down on the sides of the cartridges and hold it in place. On the right and left side, the lock slide levers moves up as the door/transfer assembly closes and down as the door/transfer assembly opens. When the right white slide lever moves up it engages the cartridge drive motor assemblies by pushing the black cartridge drive gears left so they mesh with the gears on the cartridge. Also, four white tabs on the right slide lever push on the back of the cartridge shutters moving them out of the way and exposing the drums. The lock levers are attached to the slide levers with springs. If any of these parts are broken or processes don’t happen then a cartridge not engaged error can result.
Alright, that’s how the process works. Now let’s move on to the troubleshooting part.
Troubleshooting the 10.92.YY Cartridges Not Engaged Error
YY Description:
00 Black
01 Cyan0
02 Magenta
03 Yellow
This legend gives us a better idea of where to look to resolve the error, but I recommend you check over the whole area to make sure you’re getting all the right parts. In my experience I’ve always had multiple parts break at the same time so I make sure I go over the whole thing before I order parts.
First thing to try is reseating the toner cartridges.
While reseating the toner cartridges pay attention to the ease of how they go in and out. The lock levers should move up when the transfer assembly opens and lower when the transfer assembly closes. If everything seems fine and reseating the cartridges doesn’t resolve the issue, remove them and watch the lock levers as you open and close the transfer assembly. The lock levers actually move with the transfer assembly so if you remove the transfer assembly you can leave the door open and move the transfer assembly holders up and down so the door doesn’t obscure watching the lock levers. If none of the lock levers move on a side or if you don’t feel any tension then one of the cams is most likely broken. The lock slide levers should move fluidly with some resistance due to the springs on the actual lock levers. If there is no tension, feels awkward to move, or you hear a loud clicking sound then something is probably broke in the cam assembly or slide lever.
Switch the cartridges
If everything is moving the way it should and you can’t see anything wrong then switch the cartridges. For instance, if the black slot is giving you the “cartridge not engaged” error then switch it out with the magenta cartridge to see if the problem follows the cartridge or stays with the slot. If it follows the cartridge then replace the cartridge and see if it continues.
The lock levers
If one or more of the lock levers doesn’t move then either part of the lock lever slide is broke or the lock levers themselves are broken. The lock levers on the right side have been updated and come in a pack of four. If these are not moving I would order the repair kit, right slide lever and right side cam. These parts are extremely complicated to remove so I would just order the parts and plan on replacing them all at the same time rather than taking it apart several times to check the parts individually. The parts on the left side remove with only a little disassembly so it’s in your best interest to just remove the High Voltage Power Supply and check all the parts to make sure you’re getting everything you need.
Verify the cartridge gears and shutters are being engaged.
If the cartridge gears or shutters are not being engaged then either the right side cam, right slide lever, or Main Drive Assembly (MDA) should be examined.
Note to printer users: If you have read through the troubleshoot procedure and believe you have a lock lever and slide lever problem I would strongly recommend you call your service technician. Repair, especially on the right side, can be an extremely complicated procedure and requires the skills of a trained professional.
Removing the Lock Levers and Assemblies on the Left side
Upper Fuser Cover
1. Gently remove the output bin by pulling up and towards you.
2. Open the upper cover and then squeeze the two blue fuser-locking levers to release the fuser.
Pull up on the fuser to remove it from the printer.
3. Support the upper cover and remove four screws. One is longer than the other three mounting screws. Make sure to replace this screw in the correct location when installing the upper cover.
4.Lift up slightly on the right of the upper cover and disconnect the purple wire connector.
5. Lift the upper cover to remove it.
Left Side Cover
1. Open the front cover.
2. Remove two screws; one on the back side and one in the middle of the left side bottom.
3. Use a flat blade screwdriver to release the three locking tabs at the front of the left cover.
4. Release the locking tab at the upper front of the left cover.
5. Release the two locking tabs at the rear of the left cover.
6. Gently move the back of the cover away from the printer and then slide the cover to the rear to disengage the two front locking tabs and release the cover.
Rear Lower Cover
1. Carefully flex the hinge bracket until you can dislodge the hinge pin. Move the rear lower cover away from the bracket to remove it.
2. Remove one screw and then remove the hinge bracket.
Rear Upper Cover
Note: I’m not covering the right side cover because if you remove the formatter and release the tabs in the back right cover you can remove the rear upper cover without removing it.
1. Remove right rear hinge cover
2. Release the cover by removing 10 screws.
High Voltage Power Supply
1. Disconnect two Flat Flexible Cables (FFCs) on the DC controller.
2. Remove four screws and then disconnect two connectors on the top of the HVPS.
3. Release seven locking tabs and then remove the high-voltage power supply.
High Voltage Contact Assembly
1. Remove 3 screws on the left side and one screw on top in the front cavity of the machine.
2. Release the four black tabs; 1 top, 1 bottom, and two on the left side and pull the assembly toward the back of the machine and out.
3. Once the contact assembly is out the four lock levers, slide lever, and cam assembly are all exposed and easily removed.
Note: The black lock lever is different than the three colors so if you need to order all four make sure you are getting the correct part.
Left Lever lock: RC1-6633, 3 needed
Left upper Lever lock: RC1-7618, 1 needed
Left Slide Lever: RC1-6636, 1 needed
Left Cam slide: RC1-6638, 1 needed
Right Side Cartridge Lever Replacement
1. Remove toner and transfer belt.
2. Remove top cover and disconnect purple wire.
3. Remove right side cover. Be careful not to lose the metal arm that connects to the power switch lever.
4. Remove interlock switch, unplug cable at drive PCA
5. Disconnect Main DriveAssembly (MDA) cables from driver pca and move them out of the way.
6. Remove one screw from the bottom cable harness and remove the cable
7. Remove six screws from theMDAand gently remove it.
8. Remove two screws from the slide level asm.
9. Disconnect link arm and push down slide lever, remove lever and springs.
10. Reverse steps, check gear alignment and main drive asm gear alignment.
Before Reinstalling the MDA
Make sure the toner cam gears are aligned properly before installing the main drive assembly.
- The four large gears should be in an approximate line.
- The top two large gears have an oval hole that aligns with a triangle stamped into the sheet metal.
- The two small gears to the right align with the three large bottom gears. Notice the two holes on each of the small gears align with the small holes of the large gears.
NOTE: If this procedure has been properly followed, in the back of the printer, you will see the four white cams that control the movement of developers.
On the top and bottom shafts you can see a black plastic part that has a flag associated with it. The top flag is for the black cartridge. The bottom flag is for all the color cartridges.
Top flag Bottom flag
Also, note that the white cams are all at different degrees of rotation. This reduces the force required to drive the motors when turning the cams. Metal shafts should be oriented with the empty space downwards.
2. Turn theMDAover so the six white gears and four black cartridge drive gears are facing you. Have the two white gears on top and the four black cartridge gears on bottom. The four white posts on the cartridge gear assembly should all be moved clockwise to the right side of the cartridge gears for easy installation with the slide lever. Lines etched in the metal should help. The post should be sitting at around a 1 to 2 O’clock position.
3. The two white gears on top control the four white gears below them. The right gear controls the black cartridge gear and the left controls the three colors gears. Just to the right of the four gears are holes in the metal frame of theMDA. Holes in the gears inside the unit coincide with these holes in the frame. By rotating the two gears on top of the unit you can align the holes in the gears with the holes in the frame if they are not already aligned.
4. Carefully install theMDAback into the machine. When you get it installed you might want to manually lower and raise the white slide lever a few times to make sure it’s engaging the toner drive gears before you reinstall all the other parts.
Note: If you get everything put back in place and your prints come out with parts of the color missing, mis-aligned, or it makes a lot of noise, the toner cam gears are probably mis-aligned and disassembly will probably be needed.
Main drive assembly RM1-2751
Cam, slide, right RC1-6645
Lever, lock slide, right RC1-6643
Repair kit: 4 right lock levers, 4 springs and instructions Q5982-67925.
Conclusion About the 10.92.YY Cartridge Not Engaged Error Message.
While this error can be easy to diagnose it can become a very complicated and frustrating repair. The main thing I can say here is to take your time and follow the instructions. Read through everything first so you know what you’re getting into. The first one I did I took theMDAapart resulting in purchasing another one and I didn’t know about the toner cam gears so I had to disassemble the machine again after my first repair to get them aligned correctly. It ended up taking a lot longer than what it should have. Hopefully with more articles out there like this one people will have better chances of getting it right the first time.
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Kevin Gumpp is a certified printer technician and freelance writer for Market Point. Photos and descriptions by Bill Raymond, a certified printer technician at Market Point. If you have a question regarding this topic or have any other printer repair related questions or topics for which you would like more information, please send an email to maryp@marketpoint.com.
January 22, 2013 at 7:19 am
Following your clear guide I replaced the right lock lever of a CP3505 which had been broken by some kind of “heavy accident” I was vaguely told about…
After reassembling I had some initial satisfaction in realizing that all diagnostic prints seemed to be ok, with no signs of those bad-job-symptoms (missing or misaligned colours, noises…) you mentioned.
Then, when I printed a “normal” text page, I noticed that all the non printed areas (blank areas of the page) get gray, just as the black toner was somehow leaking out of the cartridge. Also the transfer belt gets dirty with black toner.
The problem seems to affect especially horizontal NON printed areas of the page: if you have, for example, a title followed by a couple of newlines and a paragraph, you get the title and the paragraph with normal white paper between letters and words (and also on the left and right sides of the text, from the text to the edges of the sheet), while the other areas (before the title, between the title and the paragraph and after the paragraph) are irregularly gray along the entire width of the sheet.
I tried all I could think of. I’m sure the fault is not in the cartridge, because I tried another black cartridge with no difference. I also tried swapping the black and the cyan (by disabling the cartridge check), obtaining the very same behaviour, only with… light cyan instead of gray.
At first I thought that maybe the “accident” did cause some not only the lock lever breaking but also some other damage. I checked all I could visually check (also comparing looks and movements with another identical printer) but I did not spot anything wrong.
So my doubt (and my question…) now is: what can this problem come from? Can it depend on bad reassembling on my part? What could I have done wrong?
I wouldn’t like to go through another disassemble/reassemble procedure, risking of being less clever and lucky than the first time, just to discover it was useless and unnecessary.
Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.
January 23, 2013 at 8:29 pm
If I were troubleshooting I would print off the print quality, diagnostic, and error log pages. Followed by some information pages from the information menu plus the engine test page from the engine test button on the back of the machine. Run a full calibration from the print quality menu. Next, If I had another similar machine around I would swap the transfer belts. The density and alignment sensors are located in the top of the transfer belt. I had one get shipped and the sensor assembly got knocked loose causing all sorts of image problems. If it still fails then I would remove the high voltage power supply and check the spring contacts to make sure they are all in place. Last would be the laser scanner assembly. To me though it sounds like a voltage problem through the toner cartridge so that’s why I think something with the High voltage power supply. Really check the contacts and make sure they are all lined up and look identical. If you have more questions email me privately and we can continue to troubleshoot online or by phone.
January 25, 2013 at 1:06 am
I thank you for your kind answer, which actually lists almost the same sequence of moves I went through before finding the solution.
When removing the MDA I saw the alignment holes and marks mentioned in the guide and I saw they were NOT aligned; before rotating the various wheels to achieve the “right” position I had the feeling that perhaps I had better leave everything as it was, as I had been very careful, while removing the MDA, NOT to rotate or move anything. I noticed the wheels were not loose or easily moveable, so I decided to just leave them alone and reseat the MDA exactly where it was.
This “abnormal” action of mine was the reason why I feared I had made a mistake, although I couldn’t figure out which mistake, since the prints showed no signs of misalignment at all.
Anyway, being in doubt, I was going to disassemble everything again.
I just decided to give another close look at the cartridge housing, since the problem seemed to be related to the upper cartridge only. I found out that one of the spring contacts on the left side had fallen down from its pin and was not touching the cartridge. I didn’t notice that before as the spring actually WAS there, but it was just slightly less prominent than the others. I also had thought (wrongly, as I know now) that a missing electrical contact would produce some error message from the printer.
I put the spring back into place and… voilà, after a half-minute work the printer was perfectly running again!
January 2, 2013 at 8:03 pm
http://blog.marketpoint.com/2011/12/15/hp-color-laserjet-3000-3600-3800-and-cp3505-cartridges-not-engaged-10-92-yy-error/
Try this link for gear alignment descripion
December 31, 2012 at 10:32 pm
It work on the principle when there is increase in the amount of air entering the motor from the intake manifold.
December 5, 2012 at 4:42 am
Its realy helpfull artical but now i am facing colour mixing problem after replaced MDA.
October 30, 2012 at 11:26 am
Thank you!!!
October 29, 2012 at 1:27 pm
I have been certified on HP printers since 1989 in the Los Angeles area, almost everything we sell has a Care Pack. The first time I came across this I called a tech form HP so I could watch him. He opened the door, took out his needle nose pliers, broke off all four balck toner locks. then he twisted the toner lock springs around the end on the pliers until it either came out or broke. After that the machine worked with no problems. He said he did this all the time and it worked because the toner locks are redundant to the drive connections. This fix is fast and easy, I like fast & easy.
November 24, 2012 at 1:44 pm
Lately I’ve been doing some calls for a national service provider on some Care Pack machines. These are not always HP techs and I hardly doubt HP would endorse the handling on the situation given the fact they bothered to introduce a service note given instructions on how to perform these repairs. I understand what you are saying but sounds less than professional tearing parts off machines rather than replacing. I would probably not take my car back to a repair shop that tore parts off it and said they were needed. Heck you dont need an emergency brake you have four others right?
September 23, 2012 at 5:34 am
Great article, but here’s my unique twist – I get a 10.92.03 error – but the cartridge access door will not close on the right side all the way. I remove all the cartridges and the door closes. I swapped around and then just put one cartridge in and the door still will not close. All parts appear to function as stated in your article – just can not figure out why putting any single cartridge in would stop the door from closing on the right side just an eighth of an inch. It has to be something I’m just not seeing…
September 24, 2012 at 8:02 pm
I would remove the tranfer belt. I don’t have one in front of me but the internal lock levers, I believe, get moved by the tranfer belt post that the transfer belt slides into. With the door open and the transfer belt out you should be able to move the post and watch as the lock levers on the left side go up and down and the DMA gears move left to engage the toner cartridges and the little tabs on the bottom move up to open the cartridge shutters. Next step would be to remove the right and left covers and see if the cam assemblies on either side are broke. the left side is black and the right is white. If it were me thats what I would do. Remove belt and left and right side covers and manually raise and lower the transfer post on either side. Also when you put the cart in make sure it goes in all the way. Sometimes they can look like they’re in but not be in all the way.
September 4, 2012 at 5:42 am
Worldclass instruction!,
thanks
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