Glass Bed and Z Axis Travel

While your z-axis is moving towards the hot end if you reach in and hit that switch does it stop the bed?
It sounds like your switch isn't working. 

Also .3 is too much and I know there is a lot of info about how to calibrate the Z height.  It is often better to just try and adjust and try again, adjust and try again.  If you pick a simple print job and have it do a loop about 15mm before you can usually tell by how well that sticks if you have it were it needs to be.  All of this is assuming the bed is also level to the hot end.

Wardjr:

The Z limit switch works as intended. I have pressed the switch a couple times and it stop the Z movement as expected. The issue is when the bed is moving down not up. When moving up it hits the Z limit switch and stops. I can assume that the printer knows when to stop down Z travel by reading the bed height settings and moving that far from where it hits the Z stop. Which is why I thought changing the bed height might fix it.

The bed is level using the paper method. Plan on getting a dial indicator soon and using that. For the Z height, I read on google groups something to the effect of measuring the skirt from a print, comparing that to what is set for the first layer height, and adjusting as needed.

Satman-49:

I currently at work and don't have access to my comp. What I do remember is that X max is set to 159 and Y max is 150 (Solidoodle 2 has a 150x150 print area so X is 9 mm beyond the bed). Everything else is the same expect, I can't remember what is selected for Printer Type (I think it's labled as Solidoodle 2, from the manufacter's downloaded settings). also, I don't recall seeing an option for dump area though. I've read Ian Johnson's arcticle that included dump areas and thought it was odd that my version of Repetier didn't have the option.

I apologize but I am unfamiliar with SATMAN-49. You are correct in that SD2 is 150mm cubed. I do recall that the printer settings are 150mm (with X being 159) and the print area is all set to 150 in Slic3r. I will double check when I get a chance. Thanks for your advice. I might need to double check the Z offset again but that still doesn't explain why I am getting the excessive travel in the downward Z movement (150mm of Z axis). ). 0.3mm or even 3mm would be far less than how far it sounds like the Z is trying to move. It might not be a Z travel issue as I am thinking. I'll trouble shoot some more as soon as I can and see if it the noise isn't coming from somewhere else than I had originally thought.

Gotcha, I must have missed it. I run back and reread it.

Yea, it worked. Lowering the bed with the leveling screws allowed me to adjust the stop screw more. The thing is I can't recall reading anywhere that the bed might need to be adjusted. I've always read that only the stop screw needed adjusting.

Thanks for you guys help.  I don't see exactly how to mark this as resolved but consider it fixed. Hope this helps other newbs like me with their first printers.