Extruder will not pull the filament

Hi, im working with a metal direct drive extruder and it seems it doesnt want to grip the filament, the idler screw is totally un-screwed, i've even added some washers to press a little more....

Hot end is ok, i can manually extrude pla, motor is turning the right way, it extrudes and it retracts... but will not hold it! Any ideas?

Thanks!

The pinch wheel that pushes the filament against the drive gear needs to be pushing very hard. It sounds like you've backed out the screw that tightens that pressure. It should be adjusted so that the filament is almost crushed so that the teeth on the drive gear bite deeply into the filament.

In the event of a clogged hot end, the motor should skip steps without carving a divot into the filament. If it can carve a divot, the pinch wheel tension is not high enough.

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Ultra MegaMax Dominator 3D printer: [drmrehorst.blogspot.com]

seems like i totally misunderstood how the thing works, this now makes sense... thanks!