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You can rejuvenate your HP II and HP III series printers that show error code 052 by replacing the "scanner motor."

The scanner motor can be purchased on line at www.HP.com. In my case the scanner motor for an HP3P cost $73 + tax, with no shipping or handling charges.

Symptoms

After eight years my HP IIIP started to intermittently display error code 052. Using www.google.com I found on the HP Web site site that error code 052 indicated that the scanner motor was not operating up to par. When error code 052 came on persistently with power on I decided to replace the scanner motor.

The Scanner motor replacement is simple, providing you can keep track of what you are doing. The scanner motor is located near the center of the printer toward the bottom. However, to get at it you have to remove layers of components from the top down. As you remove each part, keep the screws that held the part in place with its companion parts. A digital camera or pencil drawing would help.

I would recommend the following repair procedure only to the mechanically inclined. Others should have their printer repaired professionally, or retire their current laser printer.

Using the google search engine, I found a listing of the HP3P error codes. In addition there were other files that indicated replacing the scanner motor had a 98% chance of fixing the code 52 problem. I also found I could order the part from Hewlett-Packard on the Internet. The part cost $73 plus tax, and arrived in two days with no installation instructions.

Repair process

Move printer to a workbench. The disassembly and reassembly processes are performed without power.

On the workbench, open the front of the printer like you were replacing the cartridge. Remove the two screws located at the top left and top right of the exposed opening. (fig. 1)

At the rear of the printer, remove the two screws holding the back panel. Raise the top cover, unplug the ribbon cable, and put the cover aside. Detach the side panels and put them aside (fig. 2).

Since there will be many screws, remembering where they all go is a challenge. Use of digital camera pictures would be useful.

Remove the three screws holding the parallel and serial ports panel assembly. Remove the panel assembly and set it aside.

Remove the metal circuit board cover assembly (2 screws on top and one on the side). Unplug the cable on the left side of the assembly. Remove the screws for the next exposed metal cover and put the cover aside. Remove the rear cover (4 screws) and set aside.

Unplug the 8 cables from the exposed circuit board cover (fig. 2). The fiber optic cable (single black "wire") need not be unplugged but should not be strained when putting the circuit board assembly aside. Remove 2 screws on the right side holding the circuit board base assembly. Release the cables from their retainers. Remove and put aside the circuit board base assembly (fig. 2).

The top plastic cover for the laser assembly is now exposed. Carefully remove the plastic cover (1 screw, 4 plastic latches) and set aside. The scanner motor assembly is now clearly visible (fig. 3). Remove the plastic assembly covering the scanner motor (3 screws) (fig. 4). Unplug the cable to the scanner motor assembly (2 screws). Remove and discard old scanner motor assembly after marking it defective. Care must be taken as to which scanner assembly is functional. They both look the same.

Install the new scanner motor assembly and all the printer parts in reverse order. If you have screws left over, they are likely to be from the side of some assembly. Have patience, you may have to disassemble and assemble a few times--I did.

Getting the covers back on is a little tricky. The sides catch in place at the bottom and must be held vertical while the top is secured in place. Finally, you can attach your printer to your computer and test it by printing a test page. My test worked the first time. If it did not work I planned to disassemble and reassemble again, paying more attention to what I was doing.

The complete task should take less than an hour.