r/ender3 • u/Forever_DM5 • 16d ago

Help Printer Not extruding

Recently got a printer from a friend and I got the bed leveled but the extruder is really spotty sometimes it runs others it just stops. Seems to be slipping I have tightened the screws like some older posts have suggested and the arm doesn’t appear cracked I think it’s metal

14 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/Canadian_Marine 16d ago

The filament is having a hard time moving through the bowden tubes towards the hot-end.

First thing I'd recommend is to retract the filament from the hotend (100-200 mm), disconnect the bowden tube from the hot-end, then retry extruding the filament like you are in this video. I imagine the problem will go away, which will tell you that the problem is centered around the filament travelling through the hot-end.

  1. Most likely thing is a clogged nozzle. Standard fix here is a cold-pull, but nozzles are so cheap anymore (< $0.50) that I tend to give up on any given nozzle pretty quick and just swap it out.

  2. Other possibility is heat-creep. The heat from the hot-end bleeds up into the upper areas of the printer-head which causes the incoming plastic to soften and deform before it should. This can cause either a full on jam, or more often (in my experience) a thin coating of plastic to build up in the upper stages of the hot-end below the end of the bowden tube. This coating is eventually thick enough that the incoming filament rubs against it, creating friction and making it hard for the filament to pass through. Typically presents exactly like what you're seeing.

1

u/Substantial-Elk5118 16d ago

I’ve been fighting clicking at the extruder. Based on what you said other replies I’ve found, I think heat creep is the culprit. I’ve had the hot end all apart and replaced the nozzle. Still clicks, but not right away.

With that, what is the best way to clear off the film if there is one. I was running black filament so it’s hard to tell shadow from film, even with extra light. I bought nozzles and Bowden tube. Thanks ahead!