The leading information resource for the document printing industry aftermarket.

Remanufacturing the Lexmark E120 Toner and Drum Cartridge

  • May 01, 2006

The Lexmark E120 was introduced in February 2006. The E120 engine is a new low-cost engine that in some ways is a bit strange, but it works well, and will most likely sell well too.

Josiah is teaching the HP CLJ 3600 Remanufacturing Lab at the 2006 World Expo. Click here to view the educational sessions at this year's event.

The new machines are based on a Lexmark 19-ppm, 600-dpi engine. With a street price of around $149 (as of March 2006), these machines should be very popular. As with all Lexmark cartridges these days, they do have a chip that shuts the cartridge down after use on the Return Program versions. The code in this chip is new, and at the time of this writing new replacement chips are actively being worked on, so check with you supplier for availability. There are also different cartridges used for different regions of the world. It is too soon to say for certain, but as with other new Lexmark series I think it is a safe guess that it is the chips that are different.


The E120 Return Program cartridge as packaged.


The E120 Return Program cartridge.


The E120 drum unit.

There are two cartridges used for this engine, a toner and drum unit. The toner cartridge is rated for 2,000 pages and the drum unit is rated for 25,000. No high-yield cartridges are available at this time. These machines also have standard and Return Program (Prebate) cartridges and all have chips. The Return Program chips must be replaced each cycle. The drum units are the same worldwide. Instructions for the drum cartridge are included in this article as well and they are simple to do. Testing is ongoing, so at the time of this writing we do not know if a drum or wiper blade will last another cycle. Preliminary tests indicate they will, but not enough tests have been run to say for certain. There are no chips on the drum units.

The drum units are installed and removed from the back of the printer, and the toner from the front. This is a little strange but understandable as these machines have such a small footprint. I just wonder what the customer reaction to it will be.

New machines ship with a 500-page starter cartridge, so new owners will be looking for cartridges fairly quickly.

A listing of the cartridges available and pricing are shown below.

Cartridges for Use in the U.S. and Canada (Part No./Type Yield/List Price)

  • 12026XW/Drum cartridge/25,000/$40*
  • 12015SA/Return Program cartridge/2,000/ $86.75
  • 12035SA/Standard cartridge/2,000/ $66.75

*Pricing in U.S. as of March 2006

Cartridges for Use in Europe, the Middle East and Africa

  • 12026XW/Drum cartridge/25,000
  • 12016SE/Return Program cartridge/2,000
  • 12036SE/Standard cartridge/2,000

Cartridges for Use in Latin America

  • 12026XW/Drum cartridge/25,000
  • 12018SL/Return Program cartridge/2,000
  • 12038SL/Standard cartridge/2,000

Cartridges for Use in the Asia Pacific Region

  • 12026XW/Drum cartridge/25,000
  • 12017SR/Return Program cartridge/2,000
  • 12037SR/Standard cartridge/2,000

The only machines we have found so far based on this engine are the Lexmark E120 and E120n.

How to take test prints as well as troubleshooting are covered at the end of the article.

Tools Needed

  1. Toner-approved vacuum.
  2. A small common screwdriver.
  3. A Phillips-head screwdriver.
  4. Needle-nose pliers.

Supplies Needed

  1. Lexmark E120 toner, 80 grams (preliminary weight testing is ongoing).
  2. Toner magnet cloths.
  3. Lint-free synthetic cotton 4-inch by 4-inch pads.
  4. 99 percent pure isopropyl alcohol.
  5. Cotton swabs.

Toner Cartridge Remanufacturing Instructions

1) Remove the fill plug from the right side of the cartridge (developer roller facing away from you). Dump out any remaining toner from the hopper. See Figure 1.


Figure 1

2) On the left side, remove the two small screws and the gear cover. See Figure 2.


Figure 2

3) Remove the center screw on the developer roller cover. See Figure 3.


Figure 3

4) Lift up the developer roller cover from the center and remove. Be careful not to damage the plastic pins on the cover. See Figures 4 and 5.


Figure 4


Figure 5

5) Remove the doctor blade spring. The doctor blade is now loose. Carefully lift it out, watching the contact spring on the right side. Also, be careful not to damage the retaining blade that is located under the doctor blade. See Figures 6, 7 and 8.


Figure 6


Figure 7


Figure 8

6) On the large black drive gear there is a locking star washer pressed onto the shaft. With a small pair of wire cutters, cut the old washer off and remove. You can try to bend the different legs of the washer, but that is very time consuming, and it is likely that at least one leg will break anyway and the washer will still have to be replaced. See Figures 9 and 10.


Figure 9


Figure 10

7) Remove the large black drive gear. Make sure you don’t lose the small flat washer that is under the star washer. See Figure 11.


Figure 11

8) On the white developer roller gear, take the tips of your small wire cutters and place them into the two small holes. Spin the gear so the metal shaft is in the slot on the opposite side of the gear. Remove the gear. See Figures 12 and 13.


Figure 12


Figure 13

9) Remove all the gears. See Figures 14 and 15.


Figure 14


Figure 15

10) Remove the three screws and gear alignment plate. See Figures 16 and 17.


Figure 16


Figure 17

11) With a small flat-head jewelers screwdriver, pry off the metal lock from the developer roller bushing. See Figure 18.


Figure 18

12) Turn the developer roller bushing so the plastic tab is facing up. See Figure 19.


Figure 19

13) Lift the developer roller out of the cartridge. The bushing will come off with the roller. See Figure 20.


Figure 20

14) Clean out any remaining toner from the hopper. Make sure the developer roller retaining blade does not get damaged. See Figure 21.


Figure 21

15) Wipe the developer roller down with a clean, lint-free cloth. Testing is ongoing, but for now, do not use any chemicals to clean it.

16) Reinstall the developer roller. Spin the plastic bushing so it is locked in place. Install the metal locking bar; note that the left side fits into the small notch and the right side is flush with the hub. If the small metal plate falls off the bushing, replace it. See Figures 22, 23 and 24.


Figure 22


Figure 23


Figure 24

17) Install the gear axle plate and three screws. See Figure 25.


Figure 25

18) Install the gears. The large gear with the long shaft fits onto the toner agitator bar inside the hopper. Spin it a few times and listen to make sure it is engaged properly. On the large drive gear, make sure the flat washer is in place and install a new star lock washer. Make sure the lock washer is pressed down fully against the base of the gear. Finally, on the developer roller drive gear, spin the gear by the two small holes while holding the developer roller in place. This will lock the gear onto the shaft. See Figures 26, 27 and 28.


Figure 26


Figure 27


Figure 28

19) Clean the doctor blade and install. Make sure the metal tab on the right side fits into its slot. See Figure 29.


Figure 29

20) Install the doctor blade spring. See Figure 30.


Figure 30

21) Install the developer roller cover and screw. See Figure 31.


Figure 31

22) Install the gear cover and two screws. See Figure 32.


Figure 32

23) Fill the hopper with E120 toner and replace the fill plug. See Figure 33.


Figure 33

24) Replace the chip. See Figure 34.


Figure 34

25) If the cartridge cover is available, wrap the cartridge as indicated. This cover helps protect the developer roller from damage. Aftermarket covers are in development. See Figure 35.


Figure 35

Drum Cartridge Remanufacturing Instructions

26) On the gear side of the drum unit, remove the e-ring from the drum axle shaft. See Figure 36.


Figure 36

27) Slide the drum axle out from the drum. See Figure 37.


Figure 37

28) Remove the drum. See Figure 38.


Figure 38

29) From the right (gear) side, remove the PCR assembly. (The spring loaded holder may come with it.) See Figure 39.


Figure 39

30) Remove the two screws from the wiper blade and remove the blade. See Figure 40.


Figure 40

31) Clean out the waste toner.

32) Clean and coat the edge of the wiper blade with your preferred lubricant. Install the blade and two screws. See Figure 41.


Figure 41

33) Clean the PCR and install. Make sure the black spacers are oriented toward the back of the wiper blade as shown. See Figure 42.


Figure 42

34) Coat the drum with your preferred lubricant and install the drum. Make sure the small spring on the non-gear side fits into the slot in the plastic cartridge wall. See Figures 43 and 44.


Figure 43


Figure 44

35) Install the drum axle shaft from the gear side of the drum. Install the e-ring. See Figure 45.


Figure 45

Printing Test Pages

With the printer at the ready state, press the CONTINUE button. The printer will print the menu settings page and network setup page if so configured.

Repetitive defect chart

  • Lower Fuser Roller (Printer) 17.8 millimeters
  • Toner Feed Roller (Toner Cart.) 18.7 millimeters
  • PCR (Drum Cart.) 29.0 millimeters
  • Paper Pinch Roller (Printer) 30.4 millimeters
  • Developer Roller (Toner Cart.) 36.1 millimeters
  • Fuser Exit Roller (Printer) 37.9 millimeters
  • Transfer Roller (Printer) 48.1 millimeters
  • Paper Feed Roller (Printer) 56.2 millimeters
  • Upper Fuser Roller (Printer) 62.2 millimeters
  • Drum (Drum Cart.) 74.1 millimeters
  • Paper Pickup Roller (Printer) 92.4 millimeters

Printer Error Codes (Light Sequences)

The E120 does not have an LCD display. It has a panel of lights to indicate problems. Some of the more common are listed below. In some cases, the same sequence of one light on and another blinking will have different meanings. The difference is the number of times the blinking light blinks. The first four sequences listed will give you a good idea of what I mean.

  • Error Light On, Ready Light Blinking (4x): Cartridge region mismatch. Wrong chip is installed on the cartridge.
  • Error Light On, Ready Light Blinking (3x): Missing/defective cartridge.
  • Error Light On, Ready Light Blinking (1x): Door open.
  • Error Light On, Ready Light Blinking (8x): Toner low.
  • Error Light Blinking, Ready Light Blinking (1x): Replace the drum unit.

Some light sequences have a primary and secondary sequence. The secondary sequence can be seen by pressing the CONTINUE button twice quickly.

Here is an example of the primary and secondary sequence:

Primary: Toner Low Light On, Error Light Blinking. Secondary: Toner Low Light On, Paper Jam Light Blinking, Error Light On: Missing/defective cartridge.

Most of the others deal with various paper jams. All are listed in the user manual.

Contact Mike Josiah and the technical staff of Summit Technologies at (631) 218-8376 or visit www.summitechnologies.com.

This article originally appeared in the May 2006 issue of Recharger.

Share