Extruder Disassembly & Cleaning
Strip, degrease and re-grease the LGX extruder gears when they bind or run rough, with the exact reassembly order for pins, springs and needle bearings.
This guide covers the full disassembly, cleaning, re-greasing, and reassembly of the LGX extruder used on the Vision Miner 22IDEX. Over time, grease inside the extruder collects dust and filament debris, and the gears can start binding or running rough. A periodic clean and re-grease keeps filament feeding consistent.
The procedure is done with the extruder off the printer. To remove the extruder from the toolhead, follow the Extruder Replacement Guide up to the point where the extruder is detached, then return here.
Before you begin - safety and risk
Read the Safety - Before You Begin article to understand the hazards involved in working on the Vision Miner 22IDEX V4 - including electrical, thermal, mechanical, and chemical risks. All procedures in this wiki are provided as recommendations only. By choosing to follow any procedure, you do so at your own risk.
Small parts - work over a mat
The extruder contains small pins, washers, springs, and needle bearings that are easy to lose. Work over a mat or tray, and set parts down in the order you remove them.
Tools and Materials
- 2 mm Hex screwdriver (hex wrench)
- Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) or similar alcohol-based solvent
- Small container (for soaking parts)
- Toothbrush or similar small brush
- Paper towels
- Gear grease (must be compatible with plastic gears)
1. Disassembly
- Undo the bottom screws with the 2 mm hex screwdriver and remove the interface plug.
- Undo the top screws and remove the front plate.
- Rotate the extruder 90 degrees counterclockwise and remove the middle section.
- Remove the drive gears, plastic washers, and pins.
- Remove the extruder assembly from the motor.
- Remove the lever, double gear, and spring from the back SLS piece.
- Lift the needle bearings out of the drive gears using the 2 mm hex screwdriver.
2. Cleaning
- Place the double gear, drive gears, and needle bearings in the small container. Fill it with IPA and let the parts soak for at least 10 minutes.
- Wipe off the excess grease and solvent from the stepper motor, then brush off as much remaining grease as you can.
- Repeat for the double gear: wipe with a paper towel, then brush clean.
- Repeat for the drive gears.
- Wipe the needle bearings clean.
Be gentle with the needle bearings
Wipe the needle bearings gently so you do not push any of the needles out of the bearing cage.
3. Re-Greasing
- Gather the degreased parts, the drive gear pins, the grease, and a small brush.
- Apply a generous amount of grease to the motor gear.
- Place the needle bearings on the drive gear pins and apply grease. Insert the pins with the needle bearings into the drive gears.
- Apply a generous amount of grease to the drive gears.
Keep grease off the filament teeth
Do not get grease on the toothed surface that grips the filament. Greasy teeth will slip on the filament and cause under-extrusion.
- Apply grease to the inside of the double gear.
4. Reassembly
- Insert the spring from the front of the back SLS piece.
- Add the double gear behind the spring, then push the double gear pin into the double gear.
- Add the right drive gear pin.
- Add the lever to the drive gear pin and seat the spring onto the lever.
- Add the left drive gear pin.
- Add the drive gear plastic washers, then the drive gears.
- Spin the gears to spread the grease around and make sure nothing is binding. Add more grease to the double gear if needed.
- Push the lever all the way to the left, then add the middle section.
- Place the assembly on the motor.
- Make sure the lever is still all the way to the left, then add the front lever part.
- Add the front plate, then the interface plug.
- Add the shortest screw to the top-left hole, then add the rest of the screws. Tighten them down carefully.
- Turn the double gear to spread the grease and check that nothing binds. The extruder is ready to be reinstalled - follow the Extruder Replacement Guide in reverse.
FAQ
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