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Ender 3 Pro continual issues after initial successful prints - Updated

opalko

Hi folks, I have an Ender 3 Pro that I bought about a month ago. Stock machine. I have successfully printed using PLA and PETG filament initially.  I am using stock settings for PLA and PETG in Cura on a Linux machine for slicing.

The last thing I printed was a case, in PLA, for a transistor tester, one of those cheapee ones that work well. The outside of the case printed fine but the screw holders on the inside were a loose nest of filament that had no cohesion. They would just snap off with the touch of the finger. It would never hold screws.  So I tried printing the lower half again. This time the bottom layer did not even go down well. Tried again. This time even worse!

Ok after consulting different forums, I was first told my extrusion temp was too low - stock Cura setting is 200. I bumped it 210. Nope. Then I was told to clean the extruder nozzle, which I did. Nope. Then I was told to check the z step. So I went through the process of calculating that and adjusted it. No difference.

At this point I started over. I

- leveled bed again (still didn't work)

- cleaned nozzle again (still didn't work)

- tried different extraction settings (on/off, speed etc) (still didn't work)

Today I went back to the default settings and tried printing it one more time (and then a second and third attempt..). Now the skirt won't even lay down properly. Any guidance for what is going on or where to start (again) with this? I keep the PLA and PETG in the foil pouches they came in with dessicant but I don't have a dryer or use the oven before printing.

Here is a link to the photo album of first good prints and then the degradation over time to the last picture which is from today of the bottom of the tester case I am trying to print again.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/PmBKJQojMPebxnpJ8

Thanks

Robert Opalko

  • in reply to opalko

    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.”

  • in reply to ntewinkel

    First - I appreciate you taking the time to reply to my posts here with your experience and suggestions!

    ntewinkel said:
    I’m assuming you made sure the filament is not jammed on the spool and is moving freely.

    Yup

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

    No clunking.

    ntewinkel said:
    Or it could be jammed at the other end, like a clogged nozzle or failing hot end.

    Well, oddly enough, I put in a new nozzle before attempting to print the last few things so there is no way it was clogged out of the box. Additionally I checked the PTFE tubing and could run filament through it without a problem.

    ntewinkel said:
    Could it be a loose heater wire or bad connection?

    Now that I don't know. I don't think so though because I tried printing the demo cat again, and, guess what? It printed perfectly, again!  Then I immediately tried printing something else, and bluuurrraabbbbhggghh a mess. I'm skipping inserting more pictures here again because it is a hassle to go from phone to google photos to download to upload here but the cat really did print correctly and the previous and subsequent prints did not.

    ntewinkel said:
    does the display show the nozzle temperature at the temperature it is supposed to be

    It does - 200

    ntewinkel said:
    also a way to check is at the time it fails like that, stop the print and try pushing the filament through manually

    Comes right out like it is supposed to.

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

    But, it isn't clogged and the tube is seated all the way down! The cat would not print if otherwise (I don't think). Maybe I should go into the cat printing business! lol

    Thanks again for your taking the time to help.

  • in reply to ntewinkel

    First, thank you for taking the time to reply. This is my second attempt to post a reply as the first one got automatically flagged as spam or abuse...ummm?

    ntewinkel said:
    Looks sparkling shiny good though

    Doesn't it though!

    ntewinkel said:
    you made sure the filament is not jammed on the spool and is moving freely

    It does move freely.

    ntewinkel said:
    If you run the print without filament, does it still clunk like that?

    No it doesn't clunk.

    ntewinkel said:
    Could it be a loose heater wire or bad connection?

    It could be but I don't think so. I first tried to print the bottom of the case and it failed. Then without changing anything at all, I printed the demo cat.  It printed perfectly.  Then I tried another random model...it totally failed, right after the cat printed fine!

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

    It does - 200

    ntewinkel said:
    stop the print and try pushing the filament through manually - it should squeeze out

    Comes right out like it is supposed to.

    ntewinkel said:
    I know you’ve already cleaned the nozzle many times

    Actually before I started this last sequence of case/fail, cat/success, random thing/fail I installed a brand new nozzle, so there is no way that was jammed from the box.

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

    But if it was clogged or not seated correctly, how would the cat print perfectly after the first print failed?

    I guess if I want to print cats forever I am good, LOL!

    Anyway, thanks again for helping me try to figure this out.

  • in reply to ntewinkel

    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!

  • in reply to opalko

    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?

  • in reply to ntewinkel

    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. Disappointed

  • in reply to ntewinkel

    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)?...

  • in reply to opalko

    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!

  • in reply to opalko

    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.

  • in reply to opalko

    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.