I have a Printrbot Simple Metal. Sometimes while positing the extruder will just click. If I help the filament through it will work for some time before clicking again. I turned the extruder current value to 60. I don’t think it’s clogged or a heat problem. Could it be filament width being uneven or is my extruder value current incorrect?
Is your extruder motor hot when it “clicks”
By extruder I am taking about the stepper motor
Why don’t you think it’s temp or a clog? Those are the two most common reasons. (Also do a search on “cold pull” for cleaning hot ends.)
My money is on you need to raise your temp. Yes it might be extruding but having a higher temperature gives a better flow.
“I turned the extruder current value to 60.” Which value is this? There is no way this is 60 AMPS. Also, how fast are you extruding? What slicing engine are you using? (e.g. Slic3r, Cura?) Is this PLA or ABS? Also, are the teeth in your extruder gear clogged with plastic?
Teeth are clean. No clogs as I can push it through without an issue. Yep is at 200 - 205 which is plenty high for PLA.
The motor isn’t hot while it clicks.
Not sure what the 60 represents to be honest. According to the g code is the “current”. That’s all I know about that unfortunately.
Losen the screw with the spring on it that should lower the tension
That is what I do when it clicks
Where are you getting 60 from. Depending on your hardware it should be reading somewhere between 0.4v and 0.7v when measured between the potentiometer and earth on your stepper driver (the board that runs the stepper motor)
Increase current to the motor, if it’s not warming up and it’s clicking it’s likely too low.
It is something stressing your motor. I get it sometimes when temp isn’t high enough (I print PLA at 210-215 now). If it’s on first later, your z is too low- it’s like sticking a cork in the tip of your hotend… or when first few solid layers are over extruding and the surface of last later ends up too tall… Like the z height too low problem-- not enough space to push out the required filament
Had the same issue for months with the maker kit. Couldn’t even finish a 30minute print before that happened. Turned out that after time there was something build up inside the hotend that increased the friction to a point where the extruder started to behave that way. What sorted it out for me was to oil the filament a little bit. And of course clean the extruder. Easiest way i learned is, with the filament in the hot end, heat it to 90 degree and gently pull the filament out with a pliar. Should get rid of most of the builtup. Try not to use to much force to not break your hotend. Better to in rease the temp by 5 degrees and try again.
Let me know if that helps.
@Lukas_Obermann good tip!! I bet you are right. That buildup happens when the hotend is left at temp for a long time with filament. First, ooze and evaporation happen, then the remaining ooze fuels s little char factory. It lightly skins the wall of the hotend. Partially melted filament expands slightly and is sticky and stretchy so it can grab the chat and pull it out. If any char breaks loose, it is the prime source of debris that will eventually clog the tip. Don’t try to push it through.
This method is recommended any time you hear clicking.
Never leave your hotend on after a print and even better, remove the filament and cut off a length before starting.
Care for your hotend and it could last for years.
Brook
What @Brook_Drumm said. I have had 3 Ubis hot ends for a couple of years now and only one of them ever got clogged on me, and it was my own fault because I left it in PID auto-tune mode unattended too long and it carbonized the filament in it (charred filament is very hard). Just remember to purge the last used filament when switching between old and new (especially going from ABS to PLA and back) and it will just keep on running. Also, google “cold pull 3d printer” for more tips on clearing it.
Like this: http://bukobot.com/nozzle-cleaning
The stepper could be softening the filament as it passes through the drive gear. The plastic then hardens again in the cool end of the hot end causing it to get stuck. This happened to me a lot and I was unable to print longer than an hour or or so (and if I left it I sometimes came back with a coil of filament around the drive gear.)
What fixed this for me was just mounting a simple 40mm fan to the extruder pointing directly in to the filament feed to keep it cool as it was passing the stepper motor. Hasn’t jammed or clicked since (8-9 months. Numerous 15+ hour prints.)
Looks like I have some things to try. Thanks everyone 
The need for a fan on the drive motor is relative to your setup… If motor or Extruder is getting hot, go for it. It can’t hurt.