Solidoodle 2, Y-axis slipping/skipping (Page 1 of 4)

Thank you. I'll give that a go. I actually thought that was one of the things I tried, but I didn't really loosen the belts before trying to find neutral. Makes sense now that I read your comment.

One other question about this process: before I started adjusting things, I noticed my left and right belts were really loose. I could easily finger tighten them and one looked like it was minute away from falling out. I tighten the adjuster bolts, but was wondering how much tension there should be on those pulleys. Also, when you adjust, it seems like only the top side of the pulley belt gets tension. Is that right? Basically, it is tightening from the bolt to the gear, but not after the gear.

It basically ends up as a closed loop so tightening the belts with the set screw loose on the drive rod is how I do it.  That way the tension isn't affected by the teeth of the pulleys.  It is difficult to describe how tight they need to be, They should be tight enough to prevent backlash but not so tight they deflect the drive rod..  You don't want them too loose either.  The important thing is they be equal in tension.  Then do what I posted above after you've tensioned the belts and secured the left setscrew.  Basically to get those belts timed with one another one drive pulley has to be able to rotate on the shaft.  It may take a few attempts but eventually you find that sweet spot where everything just works.
I want to clarify to follow the above posted steps with the belts tight (adjusted properly) but the right drive pulley set screw loose.

Great stuff guys. I thank you both.  Didn't realize direct drive was an option. Only question now is if I can get my printer working good enough to print one of these out.

It's worth the trouble to fix and there's a good chance an SD4 will have just as many issues.  Spend some time looking through other hacks and mods.  There's a lot of easy to do upgrades as long as you already have to tear it down.

Funny you mention that. The front right 3D printed bracket is pulling away from the metal frame a bit and has some play. Might be cracked in a place I can't see. It is no longer flush and you can tell it's off because the end of the screw that should be parallel with the frame is not longer true. Could that really be causing the issue?

Question now is how do I fix the problem without a 3D printer?

^all of that and if all else fails reach out.  Someone will be willing to print you new ones and send them.

Why be calm when you could use vise grips?

Hammer, gaffer's tape, vise grips, and a combination screwdriver and you can fix damn near anything.

Once the boyfriend and the kids finish moving out, I'll have plenty of time and space. Right now the kossel is sitting on my bedroom floor and the solidoodle is on a bookcase, a table, and in some bags in the kitchen.

It very interesting.

Sorry to revive this thread, but I'm at my breaking point here with this SD2 and you guys have had some great suggestions so far. Here's where I'm at:

Temporarily duct-taped the right-front rod bracket into correct position. No substantial play on pulley or rod. I loosened the left and right belts via the socket head screws giving them a fair amount of slack. I also loosened the socket set screws on the rear rod. I wiped all old lube off all rods and re-applied fresh grease. Moved the print carriage around the full range of motion for a good 5 minutes to spread the new grease. Felt no obstructions and moving around the carriage seemed to find the natural resting spots for all pulleys. Tightened up the socket set screws first to lock in natural resting spot. Tightened socket head screws to medium slack on pulley belt. Again, moved print carriage around full range of motion and found no tight spots.  Plugged in and turned on SD2.

After connecting, I found that moving the print carriage via software was now finding full range of motion without any strange noises or stopping via mechanical failure. After heating, I tested out a 5" ring test print. The circle came out as good as I've ever been able to print them. I was psyched, as I thought I fixed my SD2. I then decided to pick up where I left off and print a SD2 wire harness guide. About 10 layers into the print and I hear the "pop" noise again. I let it go, hoping it was the wire harness hitting the frame. Came back 15 minutes later and I have to "stepped" print again, where every layer is about 1.75mm back on the Y axis from the last. X & Z axis are fine. The distance back is almost exactly the same as the filament diameter if that makes any difference. I think it must be the smaller, jerking motions that is making it F-up now. Any suggestions aside from throwing out my 8th floor window?