Diagnosing a Broken Toner Lock Lever in the Xerox Phaser 3210 and 3220 MFP
I ran into a broken toner lock lever in a Xerox Phaser MFP the other day so I thought I would take the time to write about it so others could troubleshoot and diagnose this problem without the need for an unwanted service call.
Troubleshooting Section
On the service call I went on, the customer was reporting that the machine kept jamming underneath the toner cartridge and they couldn’t see anything that would be causing it to jam. When I got on site I noticed that the paper stopped right when it got to the transfer / toner drum area. I removed the jam, reinserted the toner cartridge, left the door open and engaged the cover open sensor just to the right of the toner cavity area. I noticed when it started up it made an audible soft grinding noise. If I moved the cartridge up or down when the motor was rotating I noticed the sound would go away then come back. So I took the toner back out and checked out the drum surface which had periodic black horizontal lines which led me to the fact it wasn’t moving correctly. I then checked out the transfer roller which  looked in good shape.
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Broken Toner Lock Lever
I looked more closely at the cavity to see what secured the toner cartridge so the large gear inside the printer would drive the toner cartridge. Sure enough just above the large gear on the left side was a lock lever. I tried to move the lock lever and realized it didn’t spring back down like the one on the right side. I removed the left side cover and found that the support on the lock lever that the spring sits on was broke. Removed the broken lock lever, installed a new lock lever with spring and it was good to go.
Duplex Unit
1. Pull the Duplex Unit out of the printer.
Rear Cover
1. Open the Rear Cover.
2. Press the Rear Cover toward one side to release the notch from the printer frame.
3. Slide the Rear Cover out and remove the Rear Cover.
Front Cover
1. Remove tray 1.
2. Open the Front Cover.
3. Carefully press the left or right latch toward the center to release the Front Cover from the notch.
4. Slide the Front Cover out at angle and remove the Front Cover.
Left Cover
1. Pry the bottom rear of the Left Cover to release the 3 bosses on the bottom of the cover.
2. Slide the Left Cover out and remove the Left Cover.
Replacement Note :Place the front side of the Left Cover at an angle to secure the latch of the Left Cover to the notch on the printer frame while sliding the Left Cover toward the printer.
Conclusion
The spring that provides the downward force to the lock lever is very touch. I haven’t seen this problem before but with the design of the lock lever and the spring I can only image the problem is happening more often than I know and has these machines age its bound to happen more often. Hopefully, the tips and the example service call will help others figure  out if there Xerox Phaser 3210 and 3220 MFP’s have a broken toner lock lever issue.
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