Creality Ender 5+ extrusion problems

Hi, I need help :slight_smile:

I own Creality Ender 5+
After some time is developed extrusion problems.
It cloggs or the motor couldn’t push the filament and it jumps.
It happens mostly after few layers, rarerly it happens at first layer

I tried to adjust the idler tension, clean the brass spindle.
Then I thrown parts at it, checking each time if it works.

  • Metal Creality extruder with quality PTFE tube
  • All metal Spider extruder
  • Another extruder motor

Then I had enought and installed:

  • BigTreeTech SKR 1.4 with TMC2208 drivers and compiled Marlin

Motors are stupid silent, but the same problem persist
Then I tried:

  • printing without enclosure (tent)
  • adjusting steps for extruder
  • adjusting max current for X-Y motors (still can get quite hot)
  • changing printing temperatures in range 195 to 230
  • disabling part cooling fan
  • tuned hotend PID
  • leveling the bed that is in range -0.003 to -0.055mm
  • adjusting nozzle offset, obviously
  • different slicers with it’s default profiles for E5+
    • PrusaSlicer
    • OrcaSlicer
  • retraction length
  • tightening rubber v-rollers

And hotend fan works, it’s the loudest thing now.
The printed 3D benchy it’s not terrible, but it’s a printer for bigger things.
I tried 3 different hotends, oryginal one, and 2 spider ones (one clogged so much that I broke when trying to clean)
There is no X/Y binding that I feel
Hotend and bed thermistors reports temperature as solid.

I’m on wits end, obviously this printer model works for others.
I spent so much time and money and it’s trash to me.

What else could it be, what else can I do to fix this?

This kind of ‘clogs after a few layers’ issue often indicates that heat is creeping back up past the heatbreak, stopping the extruder pushing unmelted filament into the nozzle. Look at the airflow from the hotend extruder fan. If you also use an enclosure this will make the cooling fans life harder.

Also, part coolers can cause problems as they come on. They tend to also cool down the hotend a bit, changing the temperature balance. Silicone socks around the hotend are excellent for dealing with this and keeping hotends a bit more temperature stable.

Finally; dusty conditions and filament can cause a ‘slow clog’ that builds with time. I have little dust shields on my printer since I suffered from this a bit, I have had a failure where the culprit was definately my cat… one of his hairs was half-in, half-out of the nozzle. Bless.

All the things you have adjusted, checked are good. Worth doing in their own right, but I think this is hotend heating/cooling related.

Interesting, thanks.
The hotend fan is plenty loud, I don’t see or hear anything wrong about it (like not balanced or worn out bearing).
But the airflow isn’t that impressive, barely I can feel it when I put my hand behind hotend.
I believe it’s 40x40x10 24V fan, I know noctua has one of this size and spec, but I don’t see it available. I’m afraid of buying new one that is worse than this.
I noticed that when I print in lower temperature, it clogs later…

The nozzle rubber boot came with the hotend, I was wondering why… my prusa doesn’t have one… now I know, thanks!

I will follow with the hotend cooling lead, try to find better fan or a hotend shroud that can accommodate bigger fan

So…
I put noctua fan inside (24V NF-A4x10), and the same thing happened

The stock fan is working fine, it claims it draws 100mA, but I measured it at about 40mA.

What else I can do? This setup must work for others, so why not for me?