PUBLICATIONS BULLETIN

BULLETIN NUMBER: PUB (C) - 088 03/10/2009

APPLICABLE MODEL:
GESTETNER – ALL MODELS
LANIER – ALL MODELS
RICOH – ALL MODELS
SAVIN – ALL MODELS

SUBJECT: UNDERSTANDING THE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE TABLE

GENERAL:
The purpose of this document is to cover all Ricoh products which require Preventive Maintenance (PM).
Preventive Maintenance (PM) is an important part of a service professional’s responsibilities for maintaining
office equipment in the field, and doing Preventive Maintenance is a frequent task. Therefore, it is extremely
important that all service professionals understand and use the PM Tables located in the service manual for
every piece of equipment.

This document will help to answer the most frequently asked questions concerning PMs and how to read and
understand the PM Table.

Copyright  2009 RICOH Americas Corporation. All rights reserved. tpc@r icoh -u sa. co m Page 1 of 6
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PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Preventive Maintenance (PM) is an important part of a service professional’s responsibilities for office
equipment in the field. Doing preventive maintenance is a frequent task. Often there are questions technicians
have about how, when or why to perform this task. This document will answer some of these questions.

A PM table is located in the Preventive Maintenance section of most Service Manuals. Refer to these Example
PM tables as you read the rest of this document.

Example 1 – Main Engine PM Table

Dxxx/Dyyy EM 150K 300K 600K Note

Scanner/Optics

Exposure Glass C Cleaner

Drum (OPC) Area

OPC Drum I R

Quenching Lamp C Dry cloth

Development Unit

Development Drive
C Dry cloth
Gears

Paper Feed

Registration Roller I C Water

Feed Rollers C R Water

Detach and tap gently on

Idle Roller Dust Blade I C flat surface to empty.
Blower brush.

Fusing Unit and Paper Exit

Grease: Barrierta JFE

Cleaning Roller Bushings L
55/2

Example 2 – Option/Accessory PM Table

120K
Bzzz EM Note
(Originals)

ARDF (for originals)

Pick-up Roller R Damp cloth; alcohol

Feed Belt R Damp cloth; alcohol

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1. What is a PM?
Preventive Maintenance is a set of things done to a machine on a schedule so that the machine will run
properly. The things done to the machine are listed in the Service Manual, and include cleaning and
replacement of specific parts. A PM should not only include those tasks listed in the Service Manual,
but also an inspection of the machine for any other problems, such as a build-up of toner inside the
machine or an unusual number of jams from a tray.

When a machine goes from PM to PM without any emergency repair calls in between, your customer is
more likely to be satisfied with the machine and your service. Doing PMs on time will reduce emergency
repair calls, reduce operating cost and increase customer satisfaction.

2. Why do a PM at all?
Preventive maintenance is critical to the long-term reliability and operation of office machines. Copy and
print quality will naturally change over the life of a machine and the lives of components of the machine.
Ricoh machines use process control to correct many of these changes. Over time all moving parts will
wear to the point that process control can no longer correct these changes. Only preventive
maintenance can ensure that copy and print quality is good over the life a machine.

More important, failure to perform scheduled preventive maintenance might cause a problem with your
customer’s warranty. For both of these reasons, doing preventive maintenance is an important task for
all service professionals on each and every machine they service in the field.

3. If the PM table lists the following PM intervals: 150K, 300K, 600K,

are these the only times a PM is done?
The base PM interval (the first number listed after EM at the top of the table) is the interval at which all
following PMs should be done. In the example table above, the base interval is 150K. This is the same
as the maintenance you would do on a car. If the owner’s manual for your car tells you to change the oil
every 5000 miles, you change the oil at 5 thousand miles and then again at 10, 15, 20 thousand miles
and so on. The PM interval works the same. In the example table above, the base PM interval is 150K.
So you do PMs EVERY 150 thousand copies, including 450K, 750K and other multiples of 150 not
listed on the table.

In the example table above, those items listed at 300K and 600K are ADDITIONAL items which are
done at these intervals. In the example above, the Development Drive Gears are cleaned EVERY
600K, or every fourth regular (150K) PM interval. Also, the Quenching Lamp is cleaned every 300K, or
every other regular PM interval.

You must understand that PM intervals are cumulative. Everything done at a 150K PM is also done at a
300K PM. Also, everything done at EM is done during a PM of any interval. In the example above, at
300K the Quenching Lamp is cleaned, the OPC Drum replaced and the Exposure Glass cleaned.

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4. In the PM Table, what does EM mean?

Some people believe EM stands for “Emergency Maintenance”. Other people believe that it stands for
“Every Maintenance”. In fact, it doesn’t really matter which of these EM stands for. Do the tasks
indicated in the EM column of the PM table each and every time you visit a machine in the field.

5. In the PM Table, what does the I, R, C and L in the PM table stand

for?
I – Inspect: visually inspect the component for dirt or unusual wear and tear. If item is dirty or worn
replace, clean or lubricate as needed.
R – Replace: replace the component because it is now at the end of its expected life. If not replaced it
will cause jamming, bad copy or print quality or machine damage.
C – Clean: clean the indicated component. Instructions for cleaning will typically be found in the notes
column (see Question 5 below).
L – Lubricate: lubricate the indicated component. Proper lubricant will be indicated in the notes column
(see Question 5 below).

6. What is the purpose of the Notes column in the PM table?

The Notes column of the PM table includes key information for doing preventive maintenance right.
Where the table says to clean components, the proper cleaners are in the Notes column. Where the
table says to lubricate a component, the proper lubricant will be in the Notes column.

Use only cleaners and lubricants listed in the PM table. Use of other cleaners and lubricants can
damage the components and cause poor copy quality, early failure of the component or in drastic cases
even failure of the machine.

7. Why do some options have different PM intervals than the main

engine PM interval?
Because many Ricoh options are attached to a variety of mainframes, it is common that options will
have different PM schedules from the mainframe. Also, many options (and even some components of
the mainframe) are not used for every copy or print made by the machine. Only some of prints on a
printer may use paper from an LCT. Copies made from the glass do not count as clicks for a document
feeder. You must review all individual PM counters (see Question 9 below) to know which options and
components require a PM at any given time. Replacing parts for an option that is rarely used simply
because the mainframe has reached a PM interval is wasteful and increases the customer’s cost.

You should understand that PM intervals for document feeders are based on originals, not prints or
copies, as are the intervals for most other components of the machine.

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8. If an item is not on the PM table should I ever inspect or clean it?

An item that is not on the PM table can still cause a copy or print quality problem or cause the machine
to quit working. As part of a total call, service professionals should inspect the entire machine and
respond to any component or condition which appears out of the ordinary or out of specification.

9. Why can the PM alarm (SP 5501) be disabled?

The PM alarm displays a message on the MFP or printer’s operation panel telling the operator to call
service, or do preventive maintenance. For small printers and some segment 1 or 2 MFPs the customer
can do many PM tasks.

The PM alarm is turned off or on using SP mode 5501. In some models SP mode 5501 is used to
change how many prints before the PM interval the alarm displays. SP mode 5507 changes the
message which is shown on the display, depending on whether the customer’s contract says the
customer or service professional performs the PM. Also, the PM alarm can be emailed to an email
address. This is configured using SP 5866.

Some older printers did not have numbered SP modes. These printers had an SP mode called Meter
Charge. This mode worked like SP 5507, changing the display based on whether the customer or
service professional performed the PM. This was required because only service professionals can enter
SP modes to reset the PM counter. If the proper Meter Charge mode was not selected, the customer
had to call the service professional to come reset the PM alarm after the customer did the PM. This was
an extra cost to the customer.

The PM alarm is never turned off except when a machine is monitored by a Service Professional often.
For example, when a machine is in a print shop, the service professional may visit weekly to check the
machine.

When you install a machine, explain to your customer that the PM alarm is a reminder to the customer
to call for a scheduled maintenance of the machine. It is not something for the customer to be
concerned about, just a reminder.

10. What do SP Modes 7803, 7804, 7805 and 7806 do?

SP mode 7803-001 shows the current PM counter. The other SP modes under 7803 (-002, 003, etc…)
show usage data (distance or number of rotations) for components of the drum, development, transfer
and fusing sections. SP mode 7804-001 resets the PM counter. The other SP modes under 7804 let
you reset component usage numbers in the drum, development, transfer and fusing sections. These
counters are reset when components are replaced during a repair call or EM.

SP mode 7805 shows page count data for specific components of the drum, development, transfer and
fusing sections. SP mode 7804 lets you reset component page counters in the drum, development,
transfer and fusing sections. These counters are also reset when components are replaced during a
repair call or EM.

SP mode 8221 shows the page counts for the document feeder in MFPs. SP mode 8451 displays the
number of pages fed from each paper tray. These SP modes can help determine if a PM is needed.
(See below)

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11. If the machine counter says 150K (the base PM interval for that
particular model) and the feed rollers from tray 3 are to be
replaced at 150K, must they be replaced? They look hardly used.
A printer or MFP with more than one input tray do not use all input trays at the same rate. If special
paper or an uncommon paper size is in a particular tray, it is rarely used. At 150K, there may be only 2
or 3K of pages fed from that tray. This can be seen from SP modes (see above).

While every component listed should be examined during a PM, some components which do not
receive constant use may not need to be replaced. It is important to note, however, that unused
components may still have wear due to paper type, pressure or environmental conditions. Always
replace components that look worn. Also use SP modes 7504 and 7505 to find out if jams have
occurred at a paper feed (or original feed) locations, which also shows the need for cleaning or
replacement.

12. On a call for frequent jams, you find the machine is within a few K
of its next PM, should you wait to PM the machine until the PM
interval is reached?
If a machine is near its PM interval and has jams or copy or print quality issues, more than likely a PM
will fix the issues. The PM interval is set to prevent jams and copy or print issues for most customers.
Some customers and machines will experience issues before the PM interval. This may be due to
unique features of the customer’s environment, their use of the machine, or a flaw in the specific
components of that machine. PM intervals are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. A PM should be
performed at or before the PM interval. PMs should never be delayed past the interval.

Time is also a factor. Machines that run at maximum volume may need extra attention. A machine that
is used very little may also have copy quality problems before it is due for a PM.

13. Does a 300K PM kit (assuming a 150K base PM interval) include all
the items necessary to complete the 300K PM?
PM kits are assembled in the same manner as the PM table is displayed. A 150K PM kit will contain all
the components which must be replaced at 150K. A 300K PM kit will contain only those additional
components which must be replaced at 300K. To perform a full 300K PM, you will need both a 150K kit
and a 300K kit.

14. What is the last step a service professional should do at every EM

and PM?
As part of a total call, the last thing a service professional should do at every visit to the machine is
clean the machine, so that it looks clean, neat and orderly. A clean machine will have fewer jams and
less copy or print quality issues. A clean machine will also increase the customer’s satisfaction with,
and confidence in the equipment.

All machine functions (copy, fax, print and scan) should be checked for proper operation.

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