An extruder that skips jumps or clicks instead of feeding filament steady. The gear loses grip on the filament for a beat, snaps back, and the print goes thin right where it happened. Per Prusa’s extruder-noises guide, the skip is the motor or the gear giving up against resistance it cannot push through.
The skip almost always points back to a blockage, a tension problem, or a speed that asks too much. Work the causes in order and reprint the same test after each fix.
Your material changes the odds. PETG and nylon skip more when they are wet, and TPU skips when you push it too fast.
Where the fault comes from
| Likely cause | Fix | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Nozzle too cold or partly clogged | Raise the nozzle 5 to 10 C, or clear a clog with a cold pull. | hi |
| Idler tension off | Set the idler to a light, even grip, neither slipping nor grinding. | hi |
| Print speed too high | Drop print speed 10 to 20 mm/s and reprint. | hi |
| Bowden or PTFE restriction | Reseat the tube fully into the fitting and check for a kinked end. | md |
| Wet filament | Dry the spool, then reprint. Wet filament thickens the melt. | lo |
Fast fixes to try first
Print a simple one-wall test and watch the gear, then work top to bottom and reprint after each step.
Raise the nozzle temp
Add 5 to 10 C and reprint, or clear a clog with a cold pull if the path is blocked.
Set the idler tension
Turn the tension screw until the gear grips filament with light, even pressure.
Slow the print
Drop speed 10 to 20 mm/s and reprint. The extruder skips less at lower flow.
Dry the filament
If the skip came with popping or a rough surface, dry the spool and reprint.
If the quick fixes stall
When temp and tension do not end the skip, the path and the gear are the next place to look.
Reseat the Bowden tube
Loosen the coupling, push the tube to the bottom of the hot end, and retighten.
Clean the extruder gear
Pull the filament out, brush the gear teeth clean, and tighten the grub screw.
Recalibrate e-steps
Mark 100 mm of filament, command a 100 mm feed, and trim the e-steps to match.
What your material changes
PLA feeds easy and skips least when it is dry. PETG and nylon pull in moisture fast, and a wet spool thickens the melt so the gear cannot push it through. TPU is flexible and skips when you run it too fast, so slow down and keep the filament path short for flexibles.
Habits that backfire
A few common choices hide the cause or wear the gear.
Avoiddo not
- Over-tightening the idler until the gear grinds a groove into the filament.
- Cranking the nozzle temp to mask a clog, which worsens the next skip.
- Ignoring wet filament on PETG or nylon.
- Changing temp, tension, and speed in one pass, so the real cause stays hidden.
Key takeaways
- A skip is the gear losing grip against resistance it cannot push through.
- Raise the temp, set the idler tension, and slow the print first.
- Reseat the Bowden tube and clean the gear if it returns.
- Dry PETG and nylon. Wet filament thickens the melt.
For the sound it makes, the extruder clicking guide covers the click that comes with a skip, and the filament storage guide covers keeping spools dry.
Related guides
Related
More in this area
Cross-reference
Sources & methodology
2 citations · reviewed 2026-07-10- 01Prusa Knowledge Base: Extruder noises (skipping and clicking)accessed 2026-07-09Tier 1
- 02All3DP: Slipping or clicking extruder (troubleshooting)accessed 2026-07-09Tier 2