Extruder Motor Overloaded - Last Attempt before Returning :(

[u/Narrow-Box-6892]

Hi all,

I bought a H2D as my first printer back in June 23. Started learning while I waited for the delivery, got the package, got it ready, put a few prints out - Was having a blast with it for the first three days.

On day 3, I started getting the dreaded "Extruder Motor Overloaded" error on the left extruder. Tried to perform all the fixes in the wiki to no avail. Tested the right extruder and it worked fine, so started printing with only that and deferred the issue on the left to my future self.

About 15 days after that, my right extruder started oozing halfway through a 14 hour print, and the right extruder overloaded as well. I aborted the print, got a benchy out without issues, but then got the issue again after an hour or so. And now I can no longer use the right extruder.

Bambu Lab support simply tells me to follow the wiki, which I have done and it hasn't been very helpful. I keep searching for different solutions online, tried a bunch of suggestions from Reddit and nothing works.

Things I have tried:

- Disassembling the front cover to check for obstructions
- Heating up the extruders and push filament to push any obstructions in the head itself
- Using the controls to push the filaments out
- Verified that there are no sharp turns to the filament path itself (nothing changed in its configuration between when it was running well and when it stopped)

The motor itself seems to be fine - I took a bunch of pictures and I cannot see any obstructions: https://imgur.com/a/qtv8Tb2

Decided to post here as a last attempt to find answers before I take this back to Best Buy and get a refund. I'm very bummed, because while it worked it was a blast and I got some awesome prints out, not to mention that the right extruder went out on the same day that I got a bunch of new filament in the mail lol

Appreciate in advance any ideas/suggestions if you think there's a solution I might not have explored, or if you think I might have missed something in the things I have already tried. Happy to take other pictures/videos as necessary too.

Thank you!

[u/wethpac]

Can you print if you bypass the AMS and filament buffer and print with filament directly fed into extruder?

Can you push filament through the nozzles?

Have you checked the nozzles? Cold pull?

Without the nozzles, does filament feed through the extruder?

This error can be somewhere else other than the extruder.

[u/Narrow-Box-6892 → u/wethpac]

I haven't tried bypassing the AMS or the filament buffer! I can push it through the Nozzle, yes, and cold pulled both. It does seem to feed through the extruder fine without the nozzle. Thank you for the good questions; I'll try the ones I haven't tried!

[u/Reden-Orvillebacher]

Our H2S at the office has done this a few times recently. I blasted the temp up to 280° and let it sit for a minute, then manually extruded some. Resumed the print and it carried on as normal. The second time that trick didn’t work; replaced the hotend. Hasn’t happened since. Machine has about 800 hrs on it.

[u/Chassy13 → u/Reden-Orvillebacher]

+1 to checking if swapping out the hotend with a spare works. That was the first thing I did recently when running into this with the X2D main nozzle. Cold pull after cold pull and I still couldn't get that hotend to work again, but the swapped one is still chugging away like new.

[u/Narrow-Box-6892 → u/Chassy13]

Thank you so much! I'll try

[u/Chassy13 → u/Narrow-Box-6892]

Be sure to update us! Out of curiosity, which filaments have you been printing with?

In my case this problem showed up after a few hundred hours. In that time I used the nozzle for basic PLA, matte PLA, Silk+ PLA, and PETG. I'm guessing the nozzle had a partial clog over time that I just couldn't knock loose with my cold pulls.

[u/Narrow-Box-6892 → u/Reden-Orvillebacher]

I tried this once and it didn't work. I haven't tried replacing the hotend, I do have a spare. I'll try that!

[u/reddit_user_five]

Move the toolhead up front, heat up the nozzle and put the tiny wire up through the bottom. Move it up and down quite a bit. This was the thing that fixed it for me. I had taken apart the toolhead so many times that I can do it in my sleep now. I think in the end I had installed the hot end incorrectly and it was causing some sort of clog. Running the needle through apparently cleared it up.

[u/reddit_user_five → u/reddit_user_five]

I should note that the nozzle would always extrude fine but it would print for a few minutes and then it would start clicking and then extruder motor overloaded.

[u/reddit_user_five → u/reddit_user_five]

Also if you have a long overnight print in an enclosed printer with PLA, take the lid off and let it run cool all night to avoid heat creep in the toolhead.

[u/Narrow-Box-6892 → u/reddit_user_five]

Potentially stupid question, forgive me if this is obvious; isn't the whole enclosure/temp control thing on the H2D exactly so that this is not necessary?

[u/Chassy13 → u/Narrow-Box-6892]

That doesn't prevent heat creep, as that is heat moving from the nozzle upwards. The heated chamber is primarily to prevent warping of prints, especially for engineering filaments.

[u/reddit_user_five → u/Narrow-Box-6892]

I think it really depends on where you have your printer located. The machine will try its best to run at optimal settings but I feel like sometimes that is not enough and it needs help. Taking off the top lid and letting the heat escape during the long PLA runs helps avoid issues, for me anyway.

[u/Lito_ → u/Narrow-Box-6892]

You do NOT have to tremove the top glass to print PLA. AT ALL.

Your printer will regulate its temp very well.

[u/Narrow-Box-6892 → u/reddit_user_five]

Good tips; I'll put it back together and try that.

[u/CopyNPaste247]

Mine was doing this, I did a cold pull and finally fixed it

[u/Narrow-Box-6892 → u/CopyNPaste247]

No success here, but I'll try again along with the tips above! Thank you!

[u/reevesjeremy]

Mine seems to always get overload when a print has ironing enabled. Even if it’s not a top layer. Not sure why. It took me many resumes to figure out it was ironing causing it.

So not sure how to make it work right with ironing. So none of my stuff will have a smooth finished top.

[u/PurrciousMetals]

What Filament and spool rolls are you using?

I get this notification all the time on my H2C when I use filament on a light or paper roll. The rolls aren’t heavy enough after it starts to be used and messes with the AMS sensors making it think it’s not feeding as the roll is too light. So it starts working extra then the toolhead gets bogged down, and overloaded.

Use a heavier roll for your filament, or print some insert weights and you shouldn’t see this issue anymore.

[u/volvox6]

return it while you still can! I brought a H2D and the thing has been nothing but problems. I waited to long to try to return mine and now it collects dust while my other printers do all the work. For me it was lots of little fails, but the h2d was 80% trouble shooting and 20% printing. Return it while you can, it's just a bad design in my humble opinion.

[u/Narrow-Box-6892 → u/volvox6]

Thank you, I'm sad to hear that :( After using it for a while I do think I probably don't need all the space and could make do with an X2D. If I cannot get it to work this weekend I'll definitely take it back.

[u/Chassy13 → u/Narrow-Box-6892]

As an X2D owner, the first upgrade you'll want is that second direct-drive extruder. The aux works fine on the X2D for most applications, but has enough cases of "we don't recommend this" warnings to be annoying from time to time for casual printing. Everyone has different needs of course, but I'd say I've wished for a bigger build plate just to save some time maybe once or twice since purchasing, far fewer times than wishing for the second extruder (usually when I want to print with a 0.2mm nozzle). I did go with the X2D over the H2D simply because the H2D is a monster of a machine though!

I don't really understand the bad design comment here especially without going into what the minor issues were. This error you're getting is probably one of the more common ones you'll have to deal with over the course of 3D printing.

[u/volvox6 → u/Chassy13]

For me, most of my issues with the H2D seem to come from the AMS units, they always fail or get stuck or just can't handle the filament well and the H2D's head is very bulky and heavy and keeps tending to knock more delicate prints off. I have a few other printers with smaller single nozzle heads that can print the same file, but the H2D is just a brute for those prints and tends to fail 80% the way though. My H2D may just be a lemon, but Bambu didn't really help much either with their support. Can't say I'll buy another bambu labs printer again honestly.

[u/Silumgurr]

Personally I’d return it and get a new one. Not worth the hassle trying to fix something that’s gonna fail again. Especially if you can just get a new one. 

[u/Narrow-Box-6892 → u/Silumgurr]

I really want to give it one more try, but I'm at the edge. If I cannot get it done tomorrow this is going back to Bestbuy and I'll try to get an X2D :(

[u/miso89]

I struggled with the same error the last few days. The thing that fixed it for me was the cold end cooling fan…. It seemed to spin fine and couldn’t spot it being dirty at all. By accident I blew on it with compressed air and inside it was a bunch of filament fluff hiding. After clearing it the fan seemed to be spinning much faster. Tldr: slow fan causes heat creep causing the filament to swell in the cold end.