S3 Extrusion issues

[NYCRepRapper 0]

Have owned S3 for about 7 months, reliable until now.  The past few days I have ran into extrusion issues where part of the first layer prints nicely, but at some point on the first layer it stops extruding or just extrudes a tiny amount which doesn't even stick to the plate.  Its a weird issue, because the for the first 10 minutes, the first layer (the brim) looks great..  However, extrusion usually fails during the first layer.

 

 

Things I have tried:

 

1)  Swapped out print cores and cleaned print cores several times.  

2)  Cleaned feeder mechanism thoroughly.   Tried various tension levels.  Cleaned bowden tubes.  

3)  New filament roles. (PLA)

4)  Reset Cura settings.  changed speeds/temperatures.

5)  Re-leveled my table.

6)  changed out the silicone cover that protects the print heads as it was slightly damaged.

7) Cleaned the fan on the print head cover.  It had some fine straw in it.  although I dont see this fan turn on during the first layer, should it?

 

Things I haven't tried but am considering:

 

1) building a filament holder and putting filament on the floor.  I use the stock filament holders.

2) More investigating into the fans?  i read on another thread that a faulty fan can cause this.

3) ???

 

Input appreciated.

 

 

 

[SandervG 1,521]

Hello, thank you for your post and welcome to the community! 

Could you include a picture of your feeder, showing the top and the tension it is set at now? 

Could you also include a picture of what your first layer looks like?

 

I believe the fan shouldn't be on during the first layer, but if there would be small strands of filament in there they could block the fan at a later stage so in any case its good that you removed them. 

 

Are you using Ultimaker PLA or a different brand? Which weight are the spools you are printing with?

 

Have you also cleaned your glass plate? I don't see that in your list. Unless there is a lot of glue on there, it shouldn't prevent extrusion, but it could influence the adhesion of your first layer. 

 

Some more questions, looking forward hearing from you!

[NYCRepRapper 0]

As fate would have it, I just got a clean print.  I don’t know what resolves the issue tbh but I think it is related to the feeder.  My last tension setting was somewhat towards the top and middle.  Picture attached. 
 

also my build plates are usually fairly clean with a thin glue layer.  
 

Filament I use a mix of Ultimaker and Polymaker.  In this case it’s polylight PLA.