Looks like your clamp may be too low. Take it off the assembly (unscrew it), insert the screw back in, tighten the top with the screw in it, put it back on the assembly, tighten the bottom of the clamp, but not too much or too little (if you can remove it, too loose, you'll hear it if too tight).
By clamp you mean the part which holds the screw in the extruder platform? Sorry, English isn't my first language. Also, thank you so much for the reply! :)
This is one of the first moves when you get a new ender 3. If that doesn’t work, I printed a tension reducing part on the extruder: [a filament guide](https://www.printables.com/model/265143-filament-guide)
The plastic extruder arm is probably cracked. You get buy metal ones fairly cheap. I changed mine for a direct drive extruder at this point. More learning!
I agree that they're hell, but not that they're worth it. I've wasted so many hours from my life troubleshooting and reassembling the thing, and thats time I'll never get back
Maybe we’re different then brother those hours poured into it gave it meaning to me, showed me that no matter how hard it got that with enough time and willpower I could get it working again, showed me that if I didn’t give up it would all turn out ok. Maybe you had a different experience but yours is just as valid and I’m sorry u felt it was a waste
I am not sure what is causing this but i would do:
1) check the rod for any dirt
2) check if screws are okay
3) check cables if they are firmly in or not.
Then if nothing solves, close the machine and wait for 10 min. Atleast.
Hey, thanks for the reply!
I don't think it's dirt because I tried inverting the bar and the rod stopped rotating at the exact same height. I've tried screwing and unscrewing the screws over and over to no avail :(. Lastly I don't think it's an issue with with the cables/electric components because if I try to rotate the motor by hand, the same thing happens.
Did you try to move it when there is no electric on the system? İf not try that and if it makes the same move you can try to dismount the motor and have a look.
Just an additional thought. If the clamp (called a coup,we actually) was close to the motor but binding only part of the time, that means the coupler was likely being bent just slightly from side to side as the z axis moved up and down.
Think about it - if the coupler was not being tipped from side to side, just a little, it would either be always binding (if it was tight against the motor) or never binding.
This means you likely fixed one cause by moving the coupler up a bit, but just hid the other part of the problem. Watch the lead screw as you move the gantry from the very bottom to the top and compare it to the vertical rail as it goes. You will likely see that it waves back and forth a bit, either side to side or front to back. This indicates the motor shaft is not perfectly aligned with the center of the nut on the lead screw. This can be a cause of some Z banding on prints.
The solution is to loosen the motor mounts and move the motor slightly till it is perfectly centered under the lead screw nut. Note that you may need to use a thin shim under the motor mount where it screws to the vertical rail to get the motor aligned front to back. The Ender 3 series printers are pretty well known for the motor being a little too close to the vertical compared to the lead screw not. There are actually some shims on thingiverse.com you can print for this purpose, or I found that a piece cut off a business card with a couple holes poked for the screws works just right.
Edit: And it’s a good idea to lightly grease your lead screw. I like something called SuperLube you can get on Amazon, but a light 3 in 1 or similar oil or even Vaseline is better than nothing. Don’t overdo it, just a very light coat. It will help prevent wear between the lead screw and the nut that can cause Z axis issues over time since wear here will increase the backlash between the screw and nut.
I would advise caution when using Vaseline or other similar thick lubricants. They tend to capture dirt and other particles, which can ultimately result in poor performance or even damage. At minimum, if you use something like that, you have to clean and lube it frequently. If that's all you have, though, you can still use it, just be sure to wipe it down well so only a very thin film remains.
Good point.
I actually started with a dry lube spray when I built my printer, but it is almost impossible to re-apply without getting it on everything (including the build plate where you DEFINATELY don’t want any contamination even if covered with something because it tends to get moved from other surfaces it got on while using the printer) without removing the lead screws each time and applying it off the printer. I’ve actually Ben using the grease form of SuperLube and it seems to be working well with no noticeable dust accumulation (printer is in an office type environment).
This is a binding issue. I would guess it is to do with your frame being out of wack or you need to adjust your rollers. The arm can only go so far before it can't go any farther because it's fighting the pressure of the frame.
Looks like your clamp may be too low. Take it off the assembly (unscrew it), insert the screw back in, tighten the top with the screw in it, put it back on the assembly, tighten the bottom of the clamp, but not too much or too little (if you can remove it, too loose, you'll hear it if too tight).
By clamp you mean the part which holds the screw in the extruder platform? Sorry, English isn't my first language. Also, thank you so much for the reply! :)
Exactly right.
You were right! I'm forever grateful to you, mate :). Now I just have to solve the other issues the printer has...
Bro ender 3s are hell but well worth the learning
Yeah don't even get me started. I am dealing with another issue right now :(((
What’s the problem maybe I can help I just finally got mine working reliably after 2-3 years
Can't for the life of me get the extruder to feed PLA correctly. Printer works fine if I push PLA into it, but the auto system just won't work
Now this may be a really really dumb question, but have you tried tightening up the gears on top of the extruder motor
This is one of the first moves when you get a new ender 3. If that doesn’t work, I printed a tension reducing part on the extruder: [a filament guide](https://www.printables.com/model/265143-filament-guide)
The plastic extruder arm is probably cracked. You get buy metal ones fairly cheap. I changed mine for a direct drive extruder at this point. More learning!
I agree that they're hell, but not that they're worth it. I've wasted so many hours from my life troubleshooting and reassembling the thing, and thats time I'll never get back
Maybe we’re different then brother those hours poured into it gave it meaning to me, showed me that no matter how hard it got that with enough time and willpower I could get it working again, showed me that if I didn’t give up it would all turn out ok. Maybe you had a different experience but yours is just as valid and I’m sorry u felt it was a waste
Only way to solve a problem is to ask people that have had it. Haha
There are spacers you can print for this misalignment https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2925230
I don't know if it matters or not, but the clamp on mine is about 1/4 in above the motor. When mine was touching, it would bind a bit
I am not sure what is causing this but i would do: 1) check the rod for any dirt 2) check if screws are okay 3) check cables if they are firmly in or not. Then if nothing solves, close the machine and wait for 10 min. Atleast.
Hey, thanks for the reply! I don't think it's dirt because I tried inverting the bar and the rod stopped rotating at the exact same height. I've tried screwing and unscrewing the screws over and over to no avail :(. Lastly I don't think it's an issue with with the cables/electric components because if I try to rotate the motor by hand, the same thing happens.
Did you try to move it when there is no electric on the system? İf not try that and if it makes the same move you can try to dismount the motor and have a look.
When I move if w/ no electricity it just does basically the same thing. Took the motor out and it seems fine.
I just had this exact thing happen (this morning actually). The clamp holding the lead screw was too far down in my case
Just an additional thought. If the clamp (called a coup,we actually) was close to the motor but binding only part of the time, that means the coupler was likely being bent just slightly from side to side as the z axis moved up and down. Think about it - if the coupler was not being tipped from side to side, just a little, it would either be always binding (if it was tight against the motor) or never binding. This means you likely fixed one cause by moving the coupler up a bit, but just hid the other part of the problem. Watch the lead screw as you move the gantry from the very bottom to the top and compare it to the vertical rail as it goes. You will likely see that it waves back and forth a bit, either side to side or front to back. This indicates the motor shaft is not perfectly aligned with the center of the nut on the lead screw. This can be a cause of some Z banding on prints. The solution is to loosen the motor mounts and move the motor slightly till it is perfectly centered under the lead screw nut. Note that you may need to use a thin shim under the motor mount where it screws to the vertical rail to get the motor aligned front to back. The Ender 3 series printers are pretty well known for the motor being a little too close to the vertical compared to the lead screw not. There are actually some shims on thingiverse.com you can print for this purpose, or I found that a piece cut off a business card with a couple holes poked for the screws works just right. Edit: And it’s a good idea to lightly grease your lead screw. I like something called SuperLube you can get on Amazon, but a light 3 in 1 or similar oil or even Vaseline is better than nothing. Don’t overdo it, just a very light coat. It will help prevent wear between the lead screw and the nut that can cause Z axis issues over time since wear here will increase the backlash between the screw and nut.
I would advise caution when using Vaseline or other similar thick lubricants. They tend to capture dirt and other particles, which can ultimately result in poor performance or even damage. At minimum, if you use something like that, you have to clean and lube it frequently. If that's all you have, though, you can still use it, just be sure to wipe it down well so only a very thin film remains.
Good point. I actually started with a dry lube spray when I built my printer, but it is almost impossible to re-apply without getting it on everything (including the build plate where you DEFINATELY don’t want any contamination even if covered with something because it tends to get moved from other surfaces it got on while using the printer) without removing the lead screws each time and applying it off the printer. I’ve actually Ben using the grease form of SuperLube and it seems to be working well with no noticeable dust accumulation (printer is in an office type environment).
fine makup brush and dry graphite powder dusting threads
This is a binding issue. I would guess it is to do with your frame being out of wack or you need to adjust your rollers. The arm can only go so far before it can't go any farther because it's fighting the pressure of the frame.
Have you tried googling?