Ender 3 V3 SE or KE: no filament comes out, the nozzle clogs or the extruder clicks

Symptom

On the Ender 3 V3 SE or Ender 3 V3 KE no filament comes out of the nozzle, the filament cannot be retracted, the extruder clicks while printing or its gear does not turn when you ask it to extrude.

Likely causes, from most to least likely

1. The nozzle or the heat break (throat) is clogged.
2. Filament jammed or wrapped inside the extruder: nothing comes out of the nozzle and it cannot be retracted either.
3. The extruder (E axis) does not turn because of poor contact: the motor cable on the V3 SE, or the print head adapter board ribbon cable on the KE.
4. On the V3 SE, clicking while printing comes from a retraction speed that is too high.
5. When changing material, residue of the previous one stays in the nozzle.

Checks to tell which one it is

• Try to retract the filament: if nothing comes out of the nozzle and you cannot pull it back either, it is jammed in the extruder.
• Ask it to extrude from the screen and watch whether the extruder gear turns: if it does not, it is the motor or its cable.
• If the V3 SE clicks while printing, check the retraction speed in the slicer.

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. Lower the retraction speed (V3 SE)

   If the extruder clicks while printing, change the retraction speed in the slicer from 40 mm/s to 25 mm/s and slice again.

   Check: The extruder stops clicking.

   If that does not fix it: Check whether the nozzle is clogged (next step).

2. Clean the nozzle and the heat break

   Follow Creality's after-sales video for your model: on the V3 SE, the one on cleaning the nozzle with the needle and replacing the nozzle; on the KE, the one on cleaning the nozzle and the throat. Do not touch the hot nozzle with your hands; to replace it on the KE, Creality says to heat it to 200 °C first.

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

   If that does not fix it: Check whether the filament is jammed in the extruder (next step).

3. Remove filament jammed in the extruder

   If no filament comes out and you cannot retract it either, the filament is jammed or wrapped in the extruder: take it apart as in Creality's after-sales video for your model (on the V3 SE, the extruder disassembly video) and remove the filament.

   Check: The filament goes in and out without resistance.

   If that does not fix it: If the gear does not turn, check the extruder motor (next step).

4. If the extruder does not turn

   Switch off and unplug. On the V3 SE, reconnect the extruder motor cable, including at the mainboard; on the KE, reconnect the print head adapter board ribbon cable. Measuring the E-axis driver voltage or the cable continuity with a multimeter is only for people who can measure safely: otherwise, skip it.

   Check: The extruder gear turns when you ask it to extrude.

   If that does not fix it: Contact Creality support with a video of the extruder.

5. Change material without leaving residue

   Creality's procedure for the KE: heat to the temperature of the material you are removing, unload it, insert the new one, heat to the higher of the two temperatures and load for 30 seconds until the new one comes out clean. For example, from ABS to PLA: unload at 260 °C, load for 30 seconds at 260 °C, then lower it to 220 °C.

   Check: The new material comes out clean, with no residue of the previous one.

   If that does not fix it: If it comes out in bits or not at all, clean the nozzle (step 2).

Prevention

• After every material change, check that it extrudes properly; if not, look for a clog in the nozzle.
• Before each print, remove residue from the nozzle tip with a tool while the nozzle is hot, without touching it with your hands.
• On the KE, Creality recommends replacing the nozzle every 500 hours of accumulated printing.

Still not fixed?

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Printers it applies to

Creality Ender 3 V3 SE and Ender 3 V3 KE.

Official sources

This guide summarises the official documentation linked here:

• Extruder Noise During Printing / Retraction Anomaly Noise (Ender-3 V3 SE) · Creality
• Motor Does Not Rotate / Homing Failure / X, Y, Z, E Axis Do Not Rotate (Ender-3 V3 SE) · Creality
• Ender-3 V3 SE User Guide · Creality
• Clogged Nozzle (Ender-3 V3 KE) · Creality
• Extruder motor not turning, Extruder gear not turning (Ender-3 V3 KE) · Creality
• Equipment Daily Maintenance Guide for Ender-3 V3 KE · Creality