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Grinding noise (rumbling) on HP LaserJet 2420 2430 series

Important Note for the 2420 2430 models:

The LaserJet 2420 2430 has a reputation of being a noisy printer.  If the noise seems to be coming from the rear and seems to be excessive, there are two common culprits that are worth replacing. 

The fuser in the LaserJet 2420, 2430 is notorious for having weak pressure roller bushings.  See picture below -- these bushings are sometimes green, sometimes tan/brown.  When 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 also the fuser drive gear in the printer. Both the fuser and fuser drive gear are included in the printer maintenance kit and are not difficult to change -- 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 gear is probably worn out as mentioned above.  Sometimes 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 gear in your printer. 

This gear wear is a very common problem, and fortunately it's easy to change.  Below is a picture of the drive gear in your printer which needs 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.  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.

This gear is part of our printer maintenance kit and should be changed when you change the fuser.