Does Not Pass Tune; Peaks Are Tailing; Peaks Are Fronting - HP 5973 Hardware Manual

Troubleshooting the MSD
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Chromatographic symptoms

Does not pass tune

• Calibration vial is empty
• Excessive foreline or vacuum manifold pressure
• Very dirty ion source
• Calibration valve is not working correctly
• Bad signal cable connection
• Filament has failed or is not connected correctly
• Bad ion source wiring connection
• Bad detector wiring connection
• Failed electron multiplier horn

Peaks are tailing

• Active sites in the sample path
• Injection is too large
• Incorrect injection port temperature
• Insufficient column flow
• GC/MSD interface temperature is too low
• Ion source temperature is too low

Peaks are fronting

• Column film thickness mismatched with analyte concentration
(column overload)
• Initial oven temperature is too low
• Active sites in the sample path
• Injection is too large
• Injection port pressure too high
• Insufficient column flow
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