Ender 3 Pro continual issues after initial successful prints - Updated

So I have worked on this a bit more this week with no success.

As I mentioned in a post above I:

• re-leveled bed
• checked extruder arm for cracks (did not see any):

• check PTFE tubing (not mangled & no clogs)
• tried test prints at different temps and print speeds (bad to worse)

First I tried printing the bottom of the tester case (this one) again at 50% speed.  Initially it started printing beautifully with the bottom layer looking really good. Then as it got to the screw holders and the last bit of the top of the lower case half, the print quality went downhill. This was the result:

Then I rechecked bed, clogs,... and started with the 4-column retraction / test print. (This one) and it was a squidgy mess to start. So I tried it at a lower temp (fail), then a lower temp & slower speed (Better! but weird stringing), so then I tried the same temp at 50% speed (big time fail):

I think I am going to order an all metal extruder arm set and Capricorn tubing & different nozzle but does anyone think this is the problem? Is it possible the filament (PLA) is collecting too much moisture and causing these things? I store the filament in a foil pouch with desiccant when not in use, so it would have had to really absorb moisture fast to go from printing the bottom of the case pretty darn well to failing by the end.  I'm not quite at the wit's end the other fellow on this forum was with this printer but,.... suggestions?

I don’t think the filament is at fault. I’ve left mine on the printer for weeks and it still prints fine.

I also don’t think the extruder is the problem, as my prints looked stringy at all heat settings.

Maybe a new nozzle?

I’m definitely not an expert, so please do your own extra research, and hopefully others can comment, but my next step would be replacing the hot end assembly. It’s only about $17 CAD for the whole set that includes the nozzle, heater, wires and the tubing. Amazon link: https://a.co/d/f2T1nZy

I've had a ton of good results with new nozzles. but,, I just waste nozzles. At least the brass ones are fairly cheap, I just ordered a Creality basic direct drive and maybe that will work out better.

Wow! Interesting that the cat prints out well, and good catch on the tight filament spool - that’s something none of us seem to have thought of!

If the cat prints well consistently, then it does seem like your profile needs adjustment. There’s a YouTuber named CHEP who does a lot of videos on experimenting and adjusting settings for the Ender 3 Pro printer. He might have some good ideas for you.

I can try exporting a filament profile from my Cura here if you think it will help? I have some for the PLA filament element14 / Newark / Farnell sells, that work well enough for me, but can use some fine tuning.

Hmm, I just re-read my old blog posts and noticed that my test cat also printed perfectly even with the broken extruder. so I’m not sure if a good cat print rules out printer problems, sorry.
Learning to 3D Print

ps, have you tried putting a little bit of pressure on the extruder arm (while it was out of the printer) to test for hairline cracks?

Wow, that's crazy. I wonder what magic they have in the code that allows it to print even with a broken extruder arm!?

I did check the arm under a magnifier but at this point since yours worked after installing a new arm,..

opalko said:

I wonder what magic they have in the code that allows it to print even with a broken extruder arm!

I think it prints so slow and fine that it doesn’t need to move the filament much.

I was talking to a friend yesterday, turns out he also has the exact same 3D printer, and also had the extruder issue and upgraded to the metal extruder like I did.

So I think you can’t really go wrong with the metal extruder upgrade - it’s not super expensive, and it appears to be a very common problem with our printers. So even if it’s not a problem today, it will likely become one sooner or later.

I've ordered one and should have it here and installed by the weekend. Wish me luck.

Do you remember if, before you installed the metal arm, the gear on the plastic one slipped regularly pulling filament through. Mine does and I wonder if this is part of the problem with the print being filament starved..?

opalko said:

the gear on the plastic one slipped regularly pulling filament through

Oh that is definitely an issue then.

I don’t recall seeing that on mine, but that’s what causes the under extrusion.

Knowing that extra detail gives me confidence that the metal extruder upgrade will most likely fix the issues.

I just had an 8 hour print fail at hour 7 last night 
The filament was jammed on the spool. I should’ve checked more regularly! I guess even with the metal extruder’s extra grip that can still happen.

New extruder arm finally arrived and I installed it yesterday:

First print out of the gate, after making sure PTFE, nozzle had no clogs:

Same exact result as before. Birds nest mess. I stopped this print before it got any further.

Tried a new print thinking "maybe this design has bad juju". I picked something at random from thingiverse and tried this model:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3877505

The result: (again, I stopped it when it was obvious it was going to fail)

Also, the CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK of the gear slipping is still going on:

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https://photos.app.goo.gl/eZrzvHGsQqBZouHE7

The filament is a matte black PLA, not glossy, and it has worked for the cat model, and very early prints. This is disappointing and frustrating!

Argh! I was really hoping that would do the trick!

Looks sparkling shiny good though   So at least it looks pretty while it fails  

That clunking though… I’ve never encountered that before. In my case it slipped quietly. I’m assuming you made sure the filament is not jammed on the spool and is moving freely.

I wonder if it could be the stepper motor. If you run the print without filament, does it still clunk like that?

Or it could be jammed at the other end, like a clogged nozzle or failing hot end. I assume if the hot end stops heating it would jam up - if you have a way to check the nozzle temperate while printing, that might help figure it out. Could it be a loose heater wire or bad connection?

does the display show the nozzle temperature at the temperature it is supposed to be?

also a way to check is at the time it fails like that, stop the print and try pushing the filament through manually - it should squeeze out. Kinda like when you first feed the filament.

I know you’ve already cleaned the nozzle many times, but that might be an inexpensive next step too.

I’m hoping others with more experience can add feedback too.

This Reddit thread seems to discuss exactly this issue! There’s hope!

https://www.reddit.com/r/ender3/comments/ahtc1d/extruder_cog_clunking_noise/

“Your hotend is probably clogged, and your ptfe tube probably isn't seated all the way against the butt of your hotend.”

This Reddit thread seems to discuss exactly this issue! There’s hope!

https://www.reddit.com/r/ender3/comments/ahtc1d/extruder_cog_clunking_noise/

“Your hotend is probably clogged, and your ptfe tube probably isn't seated all the way against the butt of your hotend.”

This is my 3rd attempt to reply to your post. The first 2 were flagged automatically as spam or abuse...????? I guess I have now broken this forum in the same way I have done something to my printer.

This is a much abbreviated version of what I tried to post earlier but suffice it to say, I can still print the cat correctly but nothing else. No clogs, tubing seated correctly, filament goes right through tubing. No clunking when no filament inserted.

Thanks again for taking my time to reply to my post here!

stupid spam filter! how rude :D

Glad your 3rd try worked!

Maybe test if the hot end is staying hot? and check the display to make sure the nozzle temperature stays steady?

Sorry I forgot that on the 3rd post. Btu that info was in my 2 posts that got deleted. Display says nozzle steady at 200. I can push filament through to hot end and nozzle without issue.

Totally random question: Do you use Cura? If so, what profile do you use? I've never tried anything except "Standard Quality - 0.2mm". Is there any benefit to trying Dynamic or Super Quality (0.16mm / 0.12mm)?...

that is so frustrating, isn’t it? I have no idea where to go next. Given that you can easily push the filament through when it fails like that, I kinda wonder if it’s the stepper motor, but that’s not a quick or cheap part either. I would hate for you to be replacing all the parts and still not have it work!

yes, I use Cura on a Mac. I’ve been using the 0.2 standard setting over the last few days. I adjusted the temperature settings to match the filament recommendations.

I suppose that’s one other thing to try - do you have any regular PLA filament? When I first started I bought a spool of Creality white PLA, as that was what came with the machine as a small sample.

Even if a nearby friend has some to try a quick print test, that might help.

ps, maybe also try asking CHEP who has that YouTube channel - he seems to mostly use the Ender 3 pro like we have. Or check his videos first - maybe he’s covered that issue already.

This video gives some advice: https://youtu.be/R-cb5dvfxLI

He did have one easy suggestion: is your printing area too cold?

He doesn’t mention the stepper motor ever, so that’s probably ok then.

opalko 

The YouTube algorithm just sent me this video, on dealing with hotend clogs and jams.

https://youtu.be/fzWj6adWc-Y

At 5:10 he talks about jams between nozzle and tube. He later shows how to take the hotend apart and push clogs out. This might be worth trying on your printer. https://youtu.be/fzWj6adWc-Y?t=340

This guy goes into a LOT of detail about how to fix hotend failures: https://youtu.be/uKN0VOuul0o 

Hi Robert sorry if you have already tried this but given that the cat gcode prints okay could you  open it in a text editor and compare it with the file for the failed prints and get an idea of the differences in temperature settings etc. I suppose it would take some time to work through the settings but it might be worth it. I posted this already but in a place I think you won’t necessarily see it so apologies if you already read it.