Howdy!
My printer is a Kickstarter X1C with a few parts replaced with more modern ones. I’ve been troubleshooting an ongoing problem with the motors skipping steps and then the re-homing resulting in layer shifts of a mm or so.
I’ve been able to hear a loud “squeak” that sounded a lot like a fan belt slipping on an old car, so I started pulling panels off to get a better look. I’ve discovered that the upper belt bearing on the right hand side of the gantry isn’t spinning when the toolhead moves purely in Y. The squeak is the belt slipping over the bearing.
Moving the toolhead purely in X also produces a squeak, but not as loud. The bearing appears to be turning. I’m not sure yet if the bearing is partly turning and partly slipping, or if there’s another jammed bearing somewhere.
Moving the toolhead in X and Y at the same time doesn’t have an issue - no squeak and the bearing turns freely.
It’s worth mentioning that after almost 4 years of printing mostly ABS, usually in long batches where the printer is running close to non-stop for weeks at a time before having a couple weeks of idle time, the inside is covered in a sticky residue. I’m sure that isn’t helping the moving parts move.
The belts were replaced a few months ago. I’d prefer not to take the current belts off if I don’t have to - because this is a Kickstarter printer, the belt attachment points are pretty unpleasant to work with, and the plastic has grown brittle. I’m kind of afraid they’ll just snap off if I try to remove the belts.
With that in mind, any suggestions on next steps are very, very welcome.
Thanks! Davyd