Creality Ender3 Idler Pulley Nut Replacement

thingiverse

As many others before me - I hit a snag after nearly finishing a 14-hour print job. The timing belt skipped somehow, and I discovered some issues on my Ender3 that needed fixing before starting again. X-Axis: Timing belt tension reduced, the Hot-End required adjustment back to 90°, and after a detailed inspection, the belt made some grinding noise on the right side. After tightening the play at the mount plate, adjusting the Hot-End itself, I noticed that the M8 nut at the idler pulley seemed too thick for a smooth run of the belt. I decided not to wait for parts I had in mind after reading comments about this issue with the Ender3. Let's get started on fixing it. The replacement part is slightly shallower than the original M8 screw, and it worked well to reduce noise and tear of the belt. Now the belt stays centered in the idler pulley. Next: Swap out this with a 20-tooth pulley and a modified spacer since most pulleys come with an M5 bore but not M8. For those who want to stick with the original part, this might help quickly with a simple 10-minute print.