Good tip for the Lexmark All-in-one inkjet printer owners (mine is the X6170):
After some months of use, your printer might get the habit of stopping in the middle of a page and showing “Hardware Error 0502” on the LCD display. If you leave the printer alone for a while, it might start printing again. Then again, it might not. Pretty annoying.
The Lexmark support site will let you power off, remove the power cord for 30 seconds (!!), take out the cartridges and fiddle with some encoder strip. This whole procedure might take you up to 30 minutes and it will not help (been there, done that).
The real answer is given by a person called ‘clem’:
Hardware Error: 0502.
On the multi function machine seems to be a coating on the metal rod that the cartridges travel on. Just wipe this rod with a kleenex and the problem seems to go away. Somehow it presents a drag on the cartridges and causes an error.
Clem
(from fixyourownprinter.com)
This works! Clean the sucker with a paper towel (another page talks about re-lubricating the thing, but that was not necessary in my case). The towel will be black (ink residu, presumably), but there you go printing to your heart’s desire again.
A big thank-you to Clem, Google and the wisdom of crowds!
UPDATE: also seems to work for some Dell printers (some of them are manufactured by Lexmark)
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It works..just clean, clean, clean…Thank you
Thank you, thank you, thank you. The paper towel trick worked for the error 0502 on my Lexmark.
Yep, worked great. Thanks !
This is SIMPLY amazing!! It really does work and it only takes 5 seconds to clean. Many thanks for the awesome tip.
Clem thank thank very much over a year i had this problem i just bought a printer but this was just a life saver i got so much of ink for this printer and could not used it on no other printer mine is a A960
I was going to get rid of the all in one, I love this machine
and was not looking foward to doing so!
Cleaning it works, my hat off to you Sir!
MR
Thank you! Thank you!
Wiping very briefly worked and I was able to print my document in full. I am so happy.
Thanks for the wonderful tip – I was sure I would have to purchase a new printer and did not want to. I have a Dell all in one and just recently started experiencing this problem. Thanks again!
Thank you!!!! You have no idea how many head aches I’ve gone through trying to get this to work. Who knew it was so simple to fix?!
A minha empressora Lexmark X5150 ora dá error 0502 ou não im prime o papel A4 sai em branco.
Podem ajudar-me?
Thanks, it truly did work. Had to wipe it a couple of times but it sure is a lot easier than the lexmark directions!!!!!!!!
It Works Thank you, Thank you
____THIS WORKED YOU’VE SAVED ME A LOT OF MONEY.
YOU DO A GOOD SERVICE TO SOCIETY FOR DOING THIS.
This worked!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
This save us from getting a new one! How simple. Thank you!!
Thanks so much – I was having so much trouble with this until I saw your site and tried it and it was fixed in minutes. Really appreciate the tip – it was a great help.
In addition to cleaning the rod on which ink cartridges travel on, I had to clean the sensor cable (flat plastic cable that runs less than an inch above the metal rod and looks like as though it runs through cartridges) with a tissue. That did the trick.
It works U da man
Works Great, but we have another printer not a lexmark just in case thanks
clem for president!!!
ps alcohol works best
Worked ok,many thanks
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU…your a lifesaver. (and the life you saved was my husbands) I thought for sure he trashed the printer somehow since it had worked for just a few minutes before!
thanks – very helpful tip and you’ve saved me a lot of time stuffing around with my printer!!!
Mine’s a Dell (but made by Lexmark). I had this problem over a year ago and was lucky enough to stumble upon the original comment thread here; following these instructions instantly fixed the problem. The printer just started up again with the “hardware error 0502″; good thing I’d bookmarked this site! I just cleaned the rod once again and am optimistic that I’ll be okay for another year or so. Thanks once more! And, Clem, whoever you are, your name will live on as legend.
OMG U AWSOME tank you i was saved from buying another printer
Works great “after” putting encoding strip back in place. Must have moved it while cleaning. Soulution #3 at this site shows how…..http://www.fixya.com/support/t114419-error_0502 Its not really hard to do. Just needs to be aligned properly. Then all works great…… Thanks People!!
dear freinds and Clem
the Lexmark tech suport, is one of the worst (Lenovo is worst)next time i will buy something else
any way thanks a lot for the greate simple help
Thnx Clem, cheapest fix in the universe.
While cleaning the bar, which was black with residue, I moved the cartridge carrier and that screwed it up because now it doesn’t go back where it should be and still says Hardware error 0502. Do you have any thoughts on what I could do? and Thanks for the cleaning tip, regardless. milly
This really works! That was quick and easy, thank you!
My Dad called me with this problem. I did a internet search and fortunately landed at this site first. My Dad sends a big kiss to Clem!
With the print head in the middle, put two drops of transmission fluid on the rail each side of the head. Run the head side to side a couple of times, (power off), the travel is now virtually frictionless and the head will not wear.
i’m sure that fix works fine. except i started messing with the encoder strip, and guess what, it came out! now i cant get it back in. trying to take the box apart, removed all exposed screws, and it wont come apart. wish i saw this site first! does anyone know of any instructions on how to put the encoder strip back in place (it is completely out now). thanks.
I have cleaned the rod and strip but now the cartridge carrier seems to slam into the sides upon start-up and I still get the error. Any advice?
It worked….Thanks soooo much.
Thanks for this It alwasys work everytime I get the 0502 thing! Thanks
Have had the all in one for several years. Waz going to get rid of it because have gotten the Hardware error 0502 message off and on for the past year. But this tip REALLY worked.
Thanks so much…YOU DA MAN!!!
great! thank you from germany!
Thanks so much!! Worked for me!!
HATS OFF TO YOU SIR!! Thanks for saving my Trip and Money!!