Filament broken inside extruder, following Cold Pull
I received a "filament jam" error during a print job (PLA - light blue). After removing the filament and reinserting it, I noticed that the material exiting the nozzle was a smaller diameter than usual - something I associated with blockages in the nozzle. I decided to try the automatic Cold Pull to try clear the nozzle. All went without drama until the instruction to pull the filament out of the extruder after the cooling / heating cycle. While I was expecting some resistance, I was surprised by the filament breaking! I can't see the filament from the top of the extruder. However, if I open the idler and swivel, I can see the filament against the extruder gear.
I was able to remove the nozzle and heat block without any difficulty, but can't see the filament from below. I tried extracting the filament via the idler swivel with tweezers, but can't get enough grip to dislodge it.
I assembled the printer from a kit, so should be able to disassemble the extruder for cleaning. My question is whether there is any gain in trying to remove the planetary gear cover in situ? Or should I commit to removing the entire extruder / planetary gearbox / motor sub-assembly?
I will try cleaning the nozzle with a heat gun, but suspect I am going to need to replace this nozzle as it's a year old.