5110CN Black Drive Assembly issue?

Unfortunately, the entire drive assy that drives all 4 colors is one unit..... not separate-able into individual colors. Dell p/n YD415

Very important..... Are you using genuine Dell toner? If not, this is probably only the beginning of more problems. The company that makes these printers for Dell has a trade secret on the toner formulation. Compared with 3rd party toners, it is not the same stuff (despite what the 3rd party outfits claim) and will eventually ruin the inner workings of the printer.

You may be seeing the beginning of that here. The symptom you describe indicates a Developer issue, not a Drive issue. Incompatible toner in this developer can cause this.

If you're not using Dell toner, you'll probably also need to change the developer(s) unit(s) of each color not using Dell toner. The Black Developer p/n is M6091

I have only used genuine Dell Toner for this machine.  The weird thing is I have two machines that have the same issue.  So, I would need to replace the entire Developer Drive assembly?

Is this easy to replace in the machine?

I'm not convinced you have a problem with the developer drive unit(s). If you see normal print on either side of your page, I believe you have other problems in the machine.

When diagnosing print quality issues, pictures speak a thousand words.
If you can, please scan or take some pictures of your defective images and post them with your reply. Use the "Insert Media" icon to locate the file on your computer and upload to include with your reply. (obtw.... max image width is 550 pixels)

Excellent samples..... and you don't have a developer drive problem.

Let's take this one step farther. Do you know how to print the Contamination check from Customer Diags Mode? This will print a 20% density page for each of the 4-colors. Please do that and post the images for each of the 4 colors with your reply.

Also, pull the drum unit from your machine and examine the layer of toner on the black MAG roller at the top of the developer frame assy. It should have a smooth, even coating all the way across, with no evidence of "thinning" or "balding".

These two images I hope will help.  One I did entirely in BW... you notice that as you move closer towards the center is where you see the fading.  The color copy goes to show that whether on the side or middle etc... color is fine.

Here you go.... I also included a photo that I hope may be helpful.

Wow..... the Black 20% page is really light.
(sorry, had my colors swapped.... black is on the bottom in this printer.... on top in others)

Can you get a better picture of the black roller? Better lighting?

Also, looks like your printer can use some cleaning..... The registration roller in the picture foreground should be a consistant dark gray color all the way across. Use water (never alcohol) and a lint-free cloth to clean it. An old clean tee-shirt works great as a suitable substitute.

If you see what I see, it looks like the black mag roller is "thinning out"..... Please confirm.

The toner may not be getting to the developer in sufficient quantity (feed tube clogged), or, the electrical contacts that serve that developer may be dirty, or, the developer itself may be defective.

Is this better?

OK.... that's good. Lighting can play tricks.

At this moment, I think you have a (very) dirty Laser window. Just above the Black Mag roller, there is a space between it and the next roller up. This area is where the laser beam shines thru to expose the drum. This opening extends about 3 inches deep. At the back of this space is the Laser window. Since it's at the bottom of the stack, this is very hard to physically see. Use a small mirror to see the area I'm referring to.

Use something like the eraser end of a #2 wood pencil and wrap a lint-free cloth around the shaft to cover the eraser. You now have a cleaning tool. Insert the tool into one side of the space until you contact the laser glass.... sweep across the glass in one direction only.... and retract the tool. Shift the cloth to park a clean spot over the eraser.... repeat.

Print a 20% density page and see what it looks like. Please let me know.

Are you referring to what appears to be a 'white strip' on the black roller?  It appears that way in the picture, however upon thoroughly inspecting the black roller it doesn't appear in any different state than the other three, which is why I'm confused.  Looking at a side view as well as a straight forward view they appear to be in the same condition.  

Are you referring to what appears to be a 'white strip' on the black roller?  It appears that way in the picture, however upon thoroughly inspecting the black roller it doesn't appear in any different state than the other three, which is why I'm confused.  Looking at a side view as well as a straight forward view they appear to be in the same condition.  

Same thing..... no change whatsoever :emotion-6: ..... The weird thing is that it is the exact same problem I'm having on two machines.

Did you use a mirror (as an upside-down periscope) and have a look at the Laser glass? ANY evidence of fogging?

Yes, that's the "strip" I'm talking about. It appears to be a lighting reflection, especially since you indicate all the rollers have a smooth and even texture.

Did you understand my instructions on how to clean the glass? (be very careful...)