've run into some issues similar to what you're seeing. one of the things that was causing the issue was the profile I was using in Cura. I have an ender 3 max as well but one if the problems was that the printed that i had selected in the software was an ender 3 pro. i was having layer shifts, over/underextrusions, poor layer adhesion, the works! what helped for me was to go back into the printer selection and ensure that i had the correct printer selected in the settings. i was using the ender 3 pro settings for my ender 3 max and it was throwing literally everything out of wack. i also made sure that the bed sizing was correct so i don't loose out on print volume with the ender 3 being the smaller of the beds.
so some things to check before you start back up:
1 what printer is listed in cura?
2 what profile are you using? (the default ones that show up are something like "dynamic quality 0.12" or whatever)
3 have you tried doing a calibration test? (
XYZ 20mm Calibration Cube by iDig3Dprinting) this cube will tell you which axis you might be having issues specifically so you can work backwards from there
4 is the PETG or Capricorn tubing seated properly?
5 have you swapped the nozzle recently? does it need to be cleaned?
6 have you leveled the bed recently?
7 check the belt tightness of you axis
8 check for wobble on the carrier assembly (there shouldn't be any wobble when you grab it and twist gently)
9 clean the build plate (I use Elmer's glue sticks and sometimes I need to run it under hot water to get it cleaned off)
let me know if you have any questions, I've been dealing with ender 3's for a hot minute now.
