Ran out of filament, now unable to autoload
Hello, I'm new to diagnosing issues, have been printing for only a year, and once I did the live-Z-adjust things worked great. I looked at other posts on the forum, seemed like downgrading the firmware and shimming something were some suggestions. Not sure if they're relevant to my issues, and I'm not really sure what to shim anyways...
Last week I started a print and misjudged how much filament I still had on the spool. The filament ran out, and the print stopped. I aborted the print at that point. And I haven't been able to [auto]load any filament since... At first I'd insert the new filament and hear a clicking noise, presumably from the loader gears. That happened twice, and after that no more noise.
I backed out the loader tension adjuster screw and opened the door on the other side. I don't see any filament stuck there... but the new filament goes through the loading gears and won't go any further.
I saw some posts that recommended reverting to the 3.12.2 firmware, and I did that. No change. Otherwise I've been running the 3.13.2.
I tried heating the extruder for PETG, hoping that if any of my PLA is stuck in there I'd be able to clear it. Using the accupuncture needle didn't help... though it seemed to run into a bit of something towards the very end.
How can I fix this? Coincidentally my Revo Six extruder kit just arrived in the mail, would installing it get around anything that might be stuck in the old one? Not quite sure yet what other parts are in there... and I think I need the latest firmware for the MK3S to work with it.
Sorry if I seem a bit clueless, have nearly no experience debugging these issues yet.
Thank you,
Tom.
I presume your filament sensor is disabled (LCD menu) so that when the filament ran out the extruder pushed until it could no longer grip then it stayed in the hot zone, unmoving, and overcooked...
this is not a firmware issue.
There is a good chance you can clear this by removeng the idler tensioner and opening the idler door as you have done, then heating just the nozzle to about 10° above the printing temperature for the filament, cut another piece of filament square ended, not pointed as usually loaded, and then pushing it down through the extruder by hand.
If you are unlucky then remove the nozzle, instructions here: https://help.prusa3d.com/en/article/changing-or-replacing-the-nozzle-mk2-5s-mk3s-mk3s_2069
...then push filament through the hotend until it runs smoothly finishing by pulling it out quickly .... replace the nozzle, close up and recalibrate the first layer Z offset.
Cheerio,
RE: Ran out of filament, now unable to autoload
Thank you, Diem! I had a feeling that something was stuck in the extruder (same as "nozzle"?). I'll disassemble it today and get it cleaned up. I was running with default settings, and thought that the filament sensor was enabled. But I'm not certain. I'll work through your suggestions and report later. Thank you!
SOLVED: Ran out of filament, now unable to autoload
Thank you, Diem, that worked! I heated the nozzle to PLA + 10C temperature, via Settings -> Nozzle. Then I removed the tensioner bolt, and fed a square-cut piece of filament. I had to push fairly hard -- I used needlenose pliers just 1mm above the spot where the filament is fed into. And of course I supported the whole assembly with my other hand. Eventually I got some movement, and was able to push through most of the PLA piece. Then I pushed through a short section of a "nozzle cleaner" filament. And while things were still hot, closed up the tensioner door and fed regular filament from the spool. My test print has been going for an hour now, so I think I'm set. Thank you for your help 🙂