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Grinding noise (rumbling) on HP LaserJet P3005 series

Important Note for the P3005, M3035, M3027 models:

The LaserJet P3005 has a reputation of being a noisy printer.  If the noise seems excessive, there are several common culprits that are worth checking out. 

The fuser in the LaserJet P3005 is notorious for having weak pressure roller bushings.  See picture below -- these bushings are sometimes green, sometimes tan/brown.  If the bushing wear thin, the pressure roller gear rides too low and you'll hear gear noise because the gears are grinding against each other and not meshing well.  To fix this problem, you should replace the fuser, and you probably should replace the set of 4 drive gears described in the next paragraph as well.  The fuser is part of the printer maintenance kit -- click here for kit purchasing options.

If you have already tried replacing the fuser, or if a new noise develops after replacing a fuser, your printer's drive gears are probably worn out.  Often folks will even report that an old fuser runs quietly; but a new fuser runs loudly.  The problem is usually not with the new fuser -- especially if it's one of our PrinterTechs fusers, we thoroughly test our rebuilt fusers before shipping.  The replacement fuser’s new gears are not meshing well with the worn-out drive gears in your printer. 

This gear wear is a very common problem.  We sell a gear kit of 4 drive gears, which fixes the problem.  For more information on replacing these gears see our article on replacing the four drive gears on a P3005 series printer. 

Below is a picture of the 4 drive gears (labeled #1-4) in your printer that need replacement.  Keep in mind that the gear wear may not be obvious from a visual inspection.  Remove the fuser and look inside your printer on the rear left hand side – use a flashlight if necessary.  The picture below shows the 4 plastic drive gears which are prone to wear. In many cases the physical wear is not very obvious – but it only takes minimal drive-gear wear to cause quite noisy printing with a new fuser.