Xl extruder stops  

RE: Xl extruder stops

Hi, just a heads up from my 5T, I went the whole way- New dwarf-connector, new cables, new dwarf boards - that did not help. But since. New FW 6.2.4 all problems are gone … 10 x 15 hrs prints - not a single stop … I think they found it …

RE: Xl extruder stops

New to this forum but I wanted to add my experience with the XL. Very similar issues as everyone else for a long time. I have gone back and forth with support on this issue. Here is a history of our attempted repairs:

1. Support suggested removing the dwarf cover connector to reduce cable tension. It did not solve the issue
2. They sent us a new version of the connector that was supposed to help with cable tension. it did not solve the issue.
3. They sent us replacement dwarf cables saying ours were most likely faulty. That did not solve the issue.
4. They sent us replacement dwarf boards. That did not solve the issue.
5. Finally they let us send it back to get a repair from the printed solid facility. When we got it back we were confused from their report as it seemed like they only replaced the cables, and claimed it was fixed. The ones they just sent to us as replacements. We confirmed with them after that they in fact ONLY replaced the cables as "that was all that was wrong with the printer, so that was all the only repair made".

We sent them our printer on 3/14/2025, close to the date of the last post on this thread.

It took about 3-4 months but we were getting the errors again recently. Mostly we would get the errors however sometimes the motor would just stop but it would continue to "print". When it did throw the error it would either do it on the first layer, close to the previously discussed .16mm z height, or 2/3s through the print.

6. After more back and forth with support they said they wanted us to send the printer back to printed solid. I obviously did not want to do that considering the repair they did last time. I asked to tell me if all they are going to do is replace the dwarf assembly, and if so I am not interested and would just like a full printer replacement at this point. They claimed that with this error they typically do not replace the machine, however they are super confident that if they are just going to replace the dwarf assembly that it will work. So we sent it back on 7/11/2025.

Just to note I have always been on the most updated FW possible, even the prerelease versions when available.

I wanted to add to the thread because no one has posted since march, and in my own experience it is not a solved issue, and in my opinion it does not seem like Prusa figured it out either. But maybe this repair will be different, I am not holding my breath though.

Is anyone else still having this issue?

RE: Xl extruder stops

Well it's taken over a year. Currently running 5th replacement motherboard. It's working at the moment for three days. Maybe our luck has changed with that and latest firmware. Am I a satisfied customer? Absolutely not. We now have another printer on the way from the competition. I hate to say it, but after this experience, no more Prusas. I need my machines to work not gather dust. This has cost us dearly. Good luck everyone.

RE: Xl extruder stops

fter printing now over months with heavy loads I just can say that this error never showed up again. At my machine new FW fixed the issue. It is working rock solid since the FW update - knock on wood

RE: Xl extruder stops

I haven't seen it anymore. Yay! Hope it stays this way. I wish you good luck!

RE:

It still occurs occasionally for me.  I’m on the latest firmware and have printed the dwarf cable connectors - not the official prusa ones, the first iteration from the community (I just haven’t got around to doing the official Prusa ones yet). They definitely helped to reduce the frequency of the issue from almost every print to only very occasionally. But what I find is if it does re-occur, it will keep re-occurring until I unscrew the dwarf connector, unplug and re-connect the dwarf cable into the dwarf board, and re-attach the connector.   That then solves it for “some time”.  So with 6.2.4 the issue does still re-occur and for me at least and seems 100% related to the dwarf cable/dwarf board connection. I’ll print the official Prusa connectors this weekend and see how that goes over time. Hopefully that’s a more reliable fix. 

Now the rant, if Prusa wants to genuinely solve this, I reckon they need to redesign the dwarf cable/dwarf board to use a pin-based connection versus a “contact” based connection and offer everyone a free upgrade. It’s just not good enough that the community are expected to eat this.  If this was a car there would have been a mass recall by now.  It’s a shame because when it works it’s great, but when it works I’m like, “oh wow, it worked!”

RE: Xl extruder stops

Here as well. No more problem since the connector guide update suggested by Prusa, where I screwed the cable guides to the extruder covers. I knock on wood as well, because it was a very frustrating experience.

RE: Xl extruder stops

My XL is a 2-tool machine. Even after applying the improved connector, I still got a red screen error, and Tool #2 only started working normally after completing a cable replacement as well.

(The dwarf board in tool #2 was damaged for another reason and replaced.)

After that, Tool #1 showed red screen again, so I again received a replacement cable and dwarf board with instructions to "replace the cable first, and if the red screen appears again, replace the dwarf board."

I replaced the cable first and used it (ODO meter ; 506 hours).
It worked fine for a while, but at 798 hours, Tool #1 showed the red screen once more.
In other words, I encountered the red screen again after just 292 hours.
The warranty had already expired by then.
If the red screen occurs again, I'll replace it with the spare dwarf board I received.
I checked today and the ODO meter is now 861 hours.
I've only used it for 63 hours since the last red screen appeared.
While other users seem to have had their issues 100% resolved, I can't say my problem has been 100% fixed.

I'm currently dealing with a red screen issue on the heatbed (not the extruder).

hahaha 

RE: Xl extruder stops

I have a 2-Tool XL and have had many annoying issues with the Nextruder, on Tool 2 only, stopping after the the first one or few layers.  I replaced the cable connector with a new recommended design to no avail. new cable connector.  I replaced it again with another improved design that secures the cable clip onto the board - newer cable connector.  However, during the replacement, I noticed something off about the way the problematic Tool 2 cable connected to the PFTE tube and plastic cable guide at the orange clip compared to the way working Tool 1 is connected.  The problematic Tool 2 cable ran horizontally straight to the clip with no slack.  The working Tool 1 cable runs diagonally with extra cable bent between the orange clip and the extruder, leaving some slack between the cable orange clip and the extruder.  With the slack in the cable, the cable bundle is free to whip around a bit without tugging on the extruder, isolating it from motion forces that could tug on the cable clip.

So I moved the orange cable clip on problematic Tool 2 up an inch or two and created some cable slack between it and extruder so that moving the cable/PFTE tube bundle left and right does not pull on the extruder.  With the new connector installed and the slack created for the cable movement, I have had NO further failures.  Too bad I made the 2 changes at once!  I would advise testing the simple cable slack change first, then the new connector if the issue persists.

RE: Xl extruder stops

So i have 2 single tool XL first round printers. And still have the extruder motor stopping either randomly or when the print fan turns on. Its either consistent stopping on second layer. And no its not a clog the motor stops spinning on both machines. I have been playing with fan setting and the print was going fine so I manually turned on the fan and the extruder motor instantly stopped spinning. Other time it was 18 hours into a print and stopped again or hours in. Has anyone found a true fix for this. I have played with the cable ensuring its not disconnecting or moving but when the extruder stopped because I told the print fan to come on how is that directly connected. Thanks, I know this is a common problem and has been happening to both my XL since i first purchased them.

RE: Xl extruder stops

My XL started to throw "motor not spinning error" some time ago and after support suggested me to change the cable covers (which I did) that problem didn't go away I deep dived and noticed that my nozzle leds are also flickering (usually they are turned off)... so I found that if you pick up any tool (thru the screen not manually) and turn on part cooling fan (around 30% or more) the nozzle led starts to flicker... so there is some kind of interferents in the cable... I am no electrician but my peasant brain tells me that maybe that interferents, which make led to flicker, may cause also extruder motor to error out, because I always get that error when new tool is picked up and it is the time when part cooling fan is turned on full blast....  

RE: Xl extruder stops

After only one year of blissful printing without stopping extruders it's back. I'd like to throw the device into the trash and think about buying a Bambulab H2C, because that just seems to work. Does anyone have an idea on how to solve the problem with the stopping extruders?

RE: Xl extruder stops

Does your toolhead light flicker when printing if it is on? If so, you could clean your contacts at the junction of the cable harness and the extruder. That's supposed to fix it. Do you have 6.2.6 or 6.4.0? 

RE: Xl extruder stops

I'm going to leave many tips here for people who are still having issues with the extruder stopping.

I had issues with mine in 2024 and recently had to fix another one (from the same year with similar issues).

These are the things that have helped the most and are the usual fixes that I and other people have discovered in this topic and more.

- The issue with pre-release dwarf boards was a problem in the early models and has not been fully proven to be at fault.

- (if your model has screws that keep the connector pushed into the nextruder ignore this part).If your connection to the nextruder is a press fit with no screws, it's important to upgrade the 'dwarf-cover-connector' and 'dwarf-cover-base' to the 2025 revision.

- If it's been a while, be sure your nextruder gearbox is clean and lubed. If you ever open the gearbox, it is always required to perform a gearbox alignment calibration. Make sure the screws are not overtightened, they just need to be snug.

- Be sure that you aren't putting too much pressure on the filament. The top screws from the filament sensor lever should be mostly flashing with the part.

- Inspect the nozzle for any damage to the shaft (dent where the screws hold it in) Compared to nextruders from the smaller models, where they are thumb screws, it is very easy to bend the nozzle shaft. However, due to the variation in filament thickness, it can randomly stop extruding if it's bent and hits a thicker part on the filament.

- Try printing on a different spot on the plate. If it prints fine in the back of the printer and it refuses to print in the front area you may have a warped steel sheet, get a new one.

- Flexible filaments may also be a challenge for an XL printer due to friction caused by the longer PTFE tube. If you ever intend to use flexible filaments, a top shelf spool holder is the best solution. You can feed the filament directly into the nextruder and bypass the tube completely.

I hope that something from here is helpful. My machine doesn't have any problems anymore and I also quickly fixed the second printer. Due to a bent nozzle tube, the filament was unable to extrude in the second case. The gear was causing constant jams due to grinding the filament and pushing plastic parts into the gearbox.

RE: Xl extruder stops

The toolhead lights always flicker. That was never an indicator for a failing toolhead. Firmware is 6.2.5.