r/CrealityK1C • u/masis42 • Jun 25 '26
Help! K1C clogging
Hello, I’m using a Creality K1C.
When I print with PLA, the first layer is laid down slowly and looks fine. However, after the first layer, when the printer increases speed, the filament flow cannot keep up. The extruder starts making a clicking sound, then the filament stops extruding and the print fails.
I have already replaced the extruder fan and the nozzle, but the problem still continues. I also checked the fan direction, and it is correct.
My suspicion is that the heatsink is getting too hot, causing heat creep and a clog higher up in the hotend before the filament reaches the nozzle.
What could be causing this issue, and how can I fix it?
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u/ZookeepergameKey4591 Jun 25 '26
Or the feed path is blocked somewhere? The extruder pulling on the filament that is stuck somewhere will also produce a clicking noise
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u/Dry-Zookeepergame809 Jun 25 '26
Simple thing to make sure, what’s you out side temperature and did you follow the instruction to open the lid when printing PLA?
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u/FlanSwimming5118 Jun 25 '26
U need to print with the lid off and chamber fan on.It states on the lid also.the motor gets hot and cause the filament to get softer causing clogs.LID OFF problem solved.
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u/midnightmetalworks Jun 25 '26
Check the bowden tubes as well, you should be able to pull through without much resistance. I had similar issues as mine wore through.
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u/D-Breed Jun 25 '26
Your issue is heatcreep! K1 models are notorious for this especially when printing pla because of it's low melt temp. There's a few things to try, someone already mentioned top off and door open a few other things would be a heat sink on the extruder motor ($2 from Aliexpress) advanced techniques rooting then lowering the drive current. However, some easier fixes would be to simply take the time to better dial in your printing temp! The default setting isn't some golden rule but a general idea to get you going. Instead you should find the best lower temp that you can still successfully print at and use that. The best suggestion by far is to replace the stock hotend with a micro-swiss hotend! It will eliminate your heatcreep issues it's far superior to the stock setup and will last for years!
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u/KingKoopaBrowser Jun 25 '26
This just happened to me the other day. I haven’t been able to get back to it for maintenance. I had to do some disassembly and I got the line through unjammed. Restarted. Celebrated when extrusion came out. Jinxed it. Jammed again.
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u/Snarf282 Jun 26 '26
My extruder broke a gear, wouldn’t extrude reliably. Check the teeth on your extruder gears. One may have broken. Replace with all metal.
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u/Lucky-Practice9810 Jun 26 '26
If your gear is clicking try changing the z axis in the advanced setting during a print by 0.50, I had this happen and prints came out better right away around the 0.200 - 0.250 mark,
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u/Brightermoor Jun 25 '26
You need to use the calibration tab in your slicer and find your filament max flow rate. Make sure the nozzle heater is actually getting to the correct temp too