Robo E3: Unclogging the Stepper Motor (when Filament Won't Load)

If you have a filament jam in the stepper motor of your printer preventing you from loading filament, follow the video below to un-jam it.

You'll need:
Phillips Head Screw Driver (ideally #1 & #2)
Unclogging Tool or Paperclip
Allen Wrench Set (possibly, depending on your clog)

Step 1) First, make sure that the jam is happening at the stepper motor. If the filament is being pulled through the stepper motor but jamming in the tube or at the nozzle, follow this guide to clear any clogged nozzles.

Step 2) Take off the filament door to on the side of the machine. In the top left corner, the feeder motor is what we will be looking at.

Step 3) Unload your filament. Then, locate the 2 screws on the right side of the feeder motor. Unscrew them and pull out the feeder motor so there is access to the entire assembly.

Step 4) Locate the 3 smaller black screws and unscrew them. This will allow us to take off the top plastic plate and gain access to the inside of the components.

Clearing Debris from feeder motor

step 5) You can now take off the cover plate. Slide the filament tube out of the way and take a look at the top portion of the filament path. If there is filament in that passageway, take a paperclip or a small tool and push the filament out of that jammed area. You can also go up through the bottom of the passageway and try and clear debris from that way.

Step 6) If you are still having trouble clearing debris from that passageway, you can unscrew the lever arm. The Lever arm can be unscrewed with an allen wrench, and is in the middle right side of the feeder motor assembly. Be careful taking the lever arm out, as the spring may have a tendency to shoot loose from the assembly.

Clearing debris from white filament tube.

Step 7) If there is debris inside the white filament tube, you can now take some filament and feed it through by hand. 

On the nozzle assembly, locate where the white filament tube is going down into the assembly. There is a black plastic piece or gold metal piece that you need to push down, and while it is depressed, pull up on the white filament tube to take it out of its assembly. You now have access to the white filament tube from both ends. 

Step 8) Take a long piece of filament and slowly push it from the nozzle side of the tube up and all the way through. Now, from the feeder motor side, do the same thing. This will push out any debris from the tube that may be stuck in there. If you are having issues pushing it all the way through, you can bend the filament tube to make it more strait so it is easier to push the filament through.

Step 9) Now, push the white filament tube back into the nozzle assembly (no need to depress the black plastic ring/ gold ring). 

Step 10) Reassemble the motor according to the video, replacing each piece in turn.

Step 11) Re-load filament. If the filament pulls through the stepper motor, you have cleared the jam!

Step 12) Run a print and see if all is printing correctly. If it is not, please refer to our other support articles on jams in the nozzle area of the printer. If needed, contact us for additional support.