Recommend a Dry Lubricant for Laser Printer

[Qs Laptop]

Short version: I need a dry lubricant for use inside a laser printer and am seeking recommendations. Ideas?


Long version:
I've got a Brother MFC-L2700DW laser multi-function printer that squeals when it is printing. The usual fix is the sledgehammer manufacturer recommended approach of replacing the toner cartridge and/or the drum unit. Both of these have been replaced through normal usage. The drum unit was replaced on June 14th and the toner cartridge was replaced on June 30th. The noise persists.

I think I've isolated the problem to a metal roller bar that spans the drum unit housing. If I remove the drum unit from the printer and manually roll this roller bar it makes the familiar squeaking noise the printer makes when printing sheets of paper. While this is a good guess as to the problem, this metal roller bar is part of the overall drum unit, and as such is "replaced" each time the drum unit itself is replaced. If this is the problem area it means the squealing has persisted through a change of drum unit.

So I'm thinking a dry lubricant applied at the points where the metal roller bar contacts the plastic housing would be a good first attempt at a fix. My dad used to have a small plastic bottle with a tapered tip on it that was filled with either finely powdered teflon or finely powdered graphite. Would this be appropriate to use? Or should I consider one of the many dry lubricant sprays on the market?

Whatever I buy will be overkill as I likely will only use a fraction of a gram of the material.

 

[njhowie]

I would personally just go in my garage and grab some grease in a tube or white lithium spray grease. Put a dab/shot across the problem area and confirm it resolves the problem.

If you're intent on a dry lubricant, just look it up on Home Depot, Lowes, or Amazon. I doubt there is any major difference between them. $7 or $8 a can.

 

[OldShooter]

I would start with graphite in a very small dose, possibly increasing the dose if results are promising. Most dry lubricants are difficult to remove since the plastic parts of the printer do not like solvents, so I would use them sparingly and only as a last resort.

 

[foxfirev5]

I use 3n1 Lock Dry Lube. Its an aerosol with a small plastic tube. Handy for anything small and is available at most auto parts stores. I started using it on door locks that haven;t been used in years due to remotes.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I use 3n1 Lock Dry Lube. Its an aerosol with a small plastic tube. Handy for anything small and is available at most auto parts stores. I started using it on door locks that haven;t been used in years due to remotes.

After reading the product description this is teflon powder suspended in a solvent. You spray the product on the desired area, the solvent evaporates and a thin film of teflon remains on the surface. Should not be used on polystyrene. I suspect the plastic used in the drum housing is nylon, but uncertain.

How forcefully does the spray exit the can? I need to have a precise application, not a fire hose approach to applying this stuff.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I would start with graphite in a very small dose, possibly increasing the dose if results are promising. Most dry lubricants are difficult to remove since the plastic parts of the printer do not like solvents, so I would use them sparingly and only as a last resort.

I'm tempted to use graphite powder but now that I've read the description of 3in1 Lock Dry Lubricant I might go that route as it will likely have more spin off uses for me than graphite powder.

 

[easysurfer]

Might be a different situation, but when I had a laser printer, to fix from the paper being often jammed, I used some rubber rejuvenator spray. Made the printer grab paper like new again. Some guy on youtube used the spray and by coincidence, he had the same printer as me.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Might be a different situation, but when I had a laser printer, to fix from the paper being often jammed, I used some rubber rejuvenator spray. Made the printer grab paper like new again. Some guy on youtube used the spray and by coincidence, he had the same printer as me.

Printer has no problem picking up paper and moving it through the guts of the printer. My problem is I have a rotating metal rod on plastic embedded in the drum assembly that squeals when paper is pulled through the printer.

 

[Sunset]

I find spray lubricants like the teflon one, spray very hard. But I think you could spray onto a rag (old t-shirt/sock) in a garbage pail, and then immediately rub the wet part of the rag on the printer part.

 

[sturge]

From ideas posted so far, I would go with the spray teflon vs the graphite. That powder gets on everything and you may end up seeing it where you don't want it eventually. Can you get at the area with a Q-tip? You could spray the teflon onto Q-tip and apply without overspraying.

 

[Qs Laptop]

From ideas posted so far, I would go with the spray teflon vs the graphite. That powder gets on everything and you may end up seeing it where you don't want it eventually. Can you get at the area with a Q-tip? You could spray the teflon onto Q-tip and apply without overspraying.

I was thinking of spraying a toothpick and then apply by letting it drip onto the surface, but your Q-tip idea might be better.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Apparently all my monkeying around with the drum unit and the roller rod has "fixed" the problem with the screeching noise. I'll keep an ear on it.

 

[Qs Laptop]

UPDATE: Squeaking, screeching noise returned. I bought some of the 3 in 1 Lock Dry Lube spray. Sprayed some on a Q-tip and swabbed the contact areas of the rotating metal rod and the plastic housing. Noise is gone.

I then went to all exterior doors and sprayed into the keyhole of all lockable cylinders.

Thanks, everyone, for the tips.