MFC-8710DW Loud popping noise on turn on (fuser)

[Jim in Phoenix]

My daughter just gave me her printer (page count:1,200) because of noise issue. It only makes the loud popping noise when it goes thru it's power-up sequence.
I filmed the fuser gear mesh when it happens & it looks like the brown fuser roller is jumping teeth that meshes with the white gear (red arrow).
The whole fuser assembly (red box) jumps up & down.
From my technical background (HP Series II repair tech), I would guess that there is too much rolling resistance in the fuser.
I think fuser runs faster during power-up sequence compared to regular printing; that maybe the reason for only making noise then.
The surface of pressure roller in fuser doesn't look right, but pics I could find on web look similar (see 2nd pic).
I have removed fuser & can't find anything wrong.
Any ideas other than TRYING a $300 fuser?

 

[HL1440]

You can buy a fuser? Not listed as a Brother accessory. I'm guessing you called to see how much it would cost to repair, but if not, try looking at http://www.brother-usa.com/service/default.aspx?PGID=5 and seeing if it can be repaired sans replacing the fuser.

Being a repair tech, are fusers common points of failure? Never heard of myself. Also, if I turn off my laser after it prints, it can start clicking when turned back on. If I wait until the fan runs down and the printer goes into sleep, no clicks. What could that be? Also, what kind of electronic hardware is in those things? I've noticed most just list RAM and a CPU clock now. What software are they running? An embedded OS, or something like simple microcode (for different types, I'm guessing)? What languages are they programmed in? Thanks.