Ender 3 V3 or V3 Plus: no filament coming out, abnormal extruder noise or a jam

Symptom

The Ender 3 V3 or V3 Plus does not push filament out of the nozzle when a print starts, or the extruder makes an abnormal noise and stops extruding. The print may also come out stringy, short of material or with incomplete layers and infill.

Likely causes, from most to least likely

1. The filament is tangled on the spool or the spool holder: the extruder cannot pull it, the motor skips steps and makes noise.
2. The filament is not fully inserted into the extruder: it was loaded bent or did not reach the bottom.
3. Leftover filament in the nozzle or in the hotend throat.
4. Filament jammed between the extruder gears or debris in the front housing of the extruder.
5. The motor cable gets in the way of the filament at the motor port: normally about 70 mm comes out of the hole in the base; if more comes out, the filament jams there.
6. Damaged, worn or skewed extruder gears, or a material profile that does not match the filament (for example Hyper PLA settings with another PLA): the print comes out stringy or short of material.

Checks to tell which one it is

• Check whether the filament is tangled on the spool and whether the anti-tangle spool holder is fitted correctly.
• Heat the nozzle to 240 °C (or your filament's temperature), release the extruder lever and pull out the Teflon tube: if the filament comes out when pulled by hand, the clog is in the throat; if it will not come out, it is in the extruder.
• Look under the printer to see whether the motor cable sticks out of the hole in the base well beyond about 70 mm and rubs the filament.
• With the extruder clean, check whether the gears have damaged teeth and whether they sit straight and flush.

Before you start

Before taking anything apart, cleaning or adjusting it, switch the printer off and unplug it, unless a step says otherwise, and do not touch the nozzle, the heater block or the bed until they have cooled down. If in any doubt about electricity, heat or moving parts, stop and ask a professional.

Step-by-step fix

1. Load the filament properly

   Cut the filament tip at a 45° angle and straighten it. Release the extruder lever and push the filament into the inlet; when you feel resistance (at about 22 mm), close the lever and use automatic loading from the screen, which is the method Creality recommends. If it will not go in, heat the nozzle to 240 °C and load it by hand, always keeping the filament straight.

   Check: When extruding from the screen, filament comes out of the nozzle continuously.

   If that does not fix it: Find where the clog is with the Teflon tube check and follow the matching step.

2. If the clog is in the throat or the nozzle

   If the filament came out when pulled by hand, it is stuck in the hotend throat or the nozzle: clear it with the cleaning needle following the Creality after-sales video linked in its guide, with the nozzle hot and without touching the hotend with your hands.

   Check: When extruding, the filament comes out straight and steady again.

   If that does not fix it: Contact Creality after-sales service.

3. If the clog is in the extruder

   If the filament would not come out when pulled, it is stuck in the extruder: clean it following the Creality after-sales video to remove the filament and filament dust from the gears and the housing.

   Check: Filament goes in and out of the extruder easily and the noise stops.

   If that does not fix it: Check the gears (next step).

4. Check the extruder gears

   After cleaning the extruder, check that the gears have no damaged teeth and that they are fitted flush and not skewed.

   Check: The gears grip the filament and the print no longer comes out short of material.

   If that does not fix it: If they are damaged, uneven or skewed, contact Creality after-sales service.

5. Remove whatever gets in the filament's way

   Untangle the spool and use the anti-tangle spool holder or the latest side spool holder, which Creality explains how to print and fit, and insert the filament as its video shows. Also check that the motor cable does not stick out too far underneath (normally about 70 mm).

   Check: The filament enters the extruder straight and without jerks.

   If that does not fix it: Check that the Teflon tube is not deformed; if the motor cable gets in the way, contact Creality after-sales service.

6. Pick the profile of the material you use

   In the slicer, if your PLA is not Hyper, choose the generic profile (Generic PLA). Creality notes that with third-party filaments this profile does not guarantee the best result and you may need to tune it.

   Check: The print comes out without strings or missing material.

   If that does not fix it: Check the Teflon tube and the wear of the extruder gears.

Prevention

• Cut the filament tip at an angle and straighten it before loading.
• Use the anti-tangle or side spool holder that Creality recommends for this printer.
• Choose the profile of the material you are going to print in the slicer.

Still not fixed?

Tell usi3d's AI about your case: choose your printer, describe what you see and add photos if you like. It proposes checks step by step, with their sources.

Tell the AI about your case

Printers it applies to

Creality Ender 3 V3 and Ender 3 V3 Plus.

Official sources

This guide summarises the official documentation linked here:

• Ender-3 V3: Nozzle Does Not Discharge Filament · Creality
• Ender-3 V3: Extruder Abnormality / Extruder Jam / Extruder Abnormal Noise · Creality
• Ender-3 V3: The Motor Port Is Clogged By Filament While Printing · Creality
• Ender-3 V3: Stringing / Lack Of Filament / Infill · Creality
• Ender-3 V3 Plus: Nozzle Does Not Discharge Filament · Creality
• Ender-3 V3 Plus: Extruder Abnormality / Extruder Jam / Extruder Abnormal Noise · Creality