I've got a Prusa i3 rework with E3D v5 hot end, and I recently noticed some problems while printing PLA:
1. Lots of plastic leaking out of hotend (attachment 1) while extruding, regardless of the speed. Plastic blobs are falling to the surface if not removed manually.
2. Extrusion flow is inconsistent (attachments 2 and 3)
Extruder motor is jittering sometimes.
What should I do with this?

Is that gunk above the heater PLA? If so you have a leak around your heat break tube. It may have been damaged somehow or may just have worked loose. If it's just leaking out the nozzle then check your retract settings. If it's leaking above the heater block then you need to heat to 80 or 90 and try to pull all that stuff off. Then dissasemble and clean out any remaining PLA. A heat gun and some gloves may help here. Once everything is totally clean and clear put it back together as instructed. Make sure it's all totally clean. Especially check the nozzle visually and make sure no grit is stuck in the end. V5 does sometimes have issues with PLA jamming. Make sure the heat sink is cool to the touch at all times. Also a tiny bit of canola oil on the filament every once in a while can help if you are having jamming problems.

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bryanandaimee
Is that gunk above the heater PLA?

Yes, it is.

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bryanandaimee
Then dissasemble and clean out any remaining PLA. A heat gun and some gloves may help here.

Can I use a blowtorch or a kitchen stove for this?

Some people use teflon tape to make sure their threads don't leak any molten plastics. It might help you to take apart the hotend, clean it, then reassemble with a little bit of teflon tape on the threads.

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http://www.marinusdebeer.nl/

Have you correctly fitted the nozzle with the heatbreak tube?

The nozzle does not screw hard into the heater block itself, the end of it it should butt up against the heatbrake.

Maybe the tube needs to screw further into the heater block and when the nozzle fits in it should project a little further out, not sit flush with the heater face.

a

I cleaned up everything and screwed heatbreak hard into the heater, so I don't have any leaks anymore.

You didn't use teflon tape right? Because if you had, you don't have to screw it in supertight and makes your hotend live longer. Lets hope it stays tight! Let us know if you successfully print again.

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http://www.marinusdebeer.nl/