I know the V3 Plus has an automatic belt tensioner for the XZ, but it is WAY too tight. I have followed the video to tension the XZ belts and they are still too tight. The print quality out of the box is terrible. Do I have a lemon? Has anyone else done a VFA test?
There has to be a better way to tension the belts.
Look at the VFAs I am getting:
X-axis
Y-axis
Hello @sleewok …! 
Welcome to the Creality Forum…! 
I just got the Ender-3 V3 Plus last week and it printed great out of the box. I never thought to do a VFA test but I’m running one now and will compare your pics…
PLA
(Temps I use for PLA)
Nozzle: 220°C
Bed: 55°C
Awesome, thank you so much. I was hoping someone would do this! Hopefully yours turns out cleaner than mine!
Just curious. What else have you printed that looks bad…?
And have you tried different filament rolls…?
I’ve tried multiple filament rolls. Everything looks bad. The VFA print test gives an indication of mechanical issues with the printer and is usually independent of your filament (as long as your filament settings are good).
On my K1C I’ll get VFAs up to around 100mm/s, but the V3 plus has them all the way to 180mm/s which is not good. This is usually a good indication that the belt tension is too tight since it is transferring the teeth to the print.
So here are some pics of the VFA test for the Ender-3 V3 Plus. I see you’ve done some research on this as I don’t really know much about it so lets see what you think… Thanks…
Sorry about the picture quality… 
@jimandyen, I appreciate it. Could you grab a photo of the “90” side straight on, but try to let the light catch any ripples.
Your “Y” looks the same as mine, but the 90 should show me your X
*updated to say “Y”
I have verified that the belt tensioner on the Ender 3 V3 Plus is applying too much tension. The following photo is with the tension on the least amount possible. I loosened the tension on both corners and pressed it up as far as possible and then tightened it down again. You can easily see the reduction in VFAs. However, there is a reduction in fidelity of the layer lines. I need to do more testing to verify the impact, but the overall quality of the walls has significantly improved.
I also reduced the tension on the Y-axis belt. This reduced the VFAs. The problem with this is that you will likely encounter belt slipping at high speeds/acceleration.
Top print is with loose belt and 0.32 layer height. Bottom is with 0.2mm layers, but other settings the same. The photo speaks for itself.
It definately makes a difference…
Where did you find a VFA test?..I’ll try it on my V3.
In Creality Print 5.xx in the main menu (top left corner) find calibration for a VFA test… 
I looked there first, but under test models, I see it now under Calibration. Thanks.
I don’t own a V3…but…surely there is a way to lengthen the screw, or even print a longer fitting???
There is a spring that does the tensioning. I suppose the spring could be replaced.
Update: I have uncovered a couple other issues as I have been trying to get my print quality to an acceptable level. I noticed rattling in the Z bearings as well as the y-axis bearings. I removed the bearings and there is no grease packed in them. I came across Prusa’s build guide from one of their MK series and they describe the process of packing the bearings for the rods. I printed a bearing packer and packed the Y-axis bearings. All the slop and rattle is now gone. I can no longer hear the balls when sliding the bed either. I’m pretty confident that if I can figure out how to pack the Z bearings I’ll get much better print quality. That will be quite an endeavor though since I’ll have to remove the belts.
