Shimadzu LC-2010 / LC-2010CHT HPLC Troubleshooting and Service

It is a physical error: the instrument counts the pump's rotation with a U-shaped optical sensor sitting over a black disc with a cut-out, and that count is how it measures flow. When the count is missed — or the motor never turned — you see "no pump home". Check, in order: is the disc rubbing or off-centre in the sensor gap; is the sensor itself dead; is the pump drive board passing the signal on; and finally the main board, where most pump errors on this instrument end up. Our guide Shimadzu LC-2010C HT pump problems is written from our own bench work.

High pressure is the most common pump error on this system. Work from the easiest thing to the hardest: a blocked line filter first (cheap and quick to change), then the inlet and outlet check valves, then the pump seal. A bad check valve rarely fails cleanly — it shows up as pressure fluctuation. A worn seal leaks at the pump head, so flow drops while the pressure reading goes wrong. If purging does not clear the line, suspect a trapped air bubble: degas and purge again before looking for a mechanical fault.

The LC-2010C HT houses the pump, degasser, autosampler, column oven and UV detector in one body instead of a stack of modules. That means a smaller footprint and one service point, but also that the whole instrument is affected when one section needs attention. For a QC laboratory short on bench space it is the most dependable integrated HPLC we service — and the platform our engineers know best.

Three things, ten minutes, and they resolve a good number of cases: change or clean the line filter; degas the mobile phase and purge properly; and open the left side panel of the pump section to see whether the disc is centred in the sensor gap. If the pressure is still unstable or "no pump home" is still showing after that, the fault is deeper — sensor, drive board or main board — and it needs someone with the parts and the meter in hand.

Our refurbished catalogue lists a Shimadzu LC-2010C HT that was function-checked across the pump, autosampler and detector before listing and carries a 6-month warranty. On any refurbished unit of this model, check the autosampler needle and rotor seal, the pump seals and check valves, the lamp hours and the oven heating, and ask for the qualification documents that will be supplied. A listing is information, not a stock confirmation — confirm the specific unit with us.

The predictable ones: the deuterium lamp in the UV detector (roughly 2000 hours of use), pump seals, pistons and check valves, the injector rotor seal and needle seat, in-line filters and solvent frits, the guard column, PEEK and steel fittings, ferrules, vials and septa. These are the parts that come up on service visit after service visit, and the ones worth keeping on the shelf.

Yes. Vision Analytical is based in Ambernath in Thane district and has worked with laboratories across Maharashtra and Gujarat since 2022, including Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad. When you enquire, share the laboratory address and the instrument's full model name. Coverage does not mean a branch office or a guaranteed response time in every city — scheduling is confirmed directly with you.

An AMC covers the engineer's visits and labour — typically two preventive visits a year plus breakdown calls — with spare parts charged separately. A CMC is comprehensive: the wear parts are included too, although items such as lamps, columns and glassware are often excluded and the contract wording decides. Calibration is scheduled every 6 or 12 months according to your own SOP, not ours. Our article AMC vs CMC: what's the difference? goes through how to choose.