I've pulled the manual up on the web site and page 15, figure 5 shows a zip tie around the release fitting for the bowden tube. This confirms that your printer is not a direct drive and confirms that the efforts should be focused in the area of figure 5. If you've accidentally removed the zip tie, there's a good chance the problem is related to that. If not, get a spare zip tie and cut off the one in the photo.

Once you've cut the zip, push the fitting downward while pulling upward on the PTFE tubing. It's going to be easier if you've removed any filament you can, perhaps even easier if you've heated the nozzle up to temperature. That may be your best bet, as you really want to remove any filament that's been "bulbed" under the PTFE tubing.



Disregard the circled area in the image above. It's not related to your problem, I hope.

Instead, focus your attention to the colored area around the blue at the top of the image. I'm color blind and not sure if it's yellow or green, but you get the idea. Notice that the bottom of that color (the PTFE tube) is as far into the recess as it can go. If your PTFE tube is not bottomed out, there's a gap that creates the problem you've described. By heating up the system before you try to pull the PTFE tube clear, you may be able to get the bulb out if it is there. I'm hopeful that you don't have one at all, as I don't know how you'd get that out other than by disassembly and replacement of the heat break. They aren't particularly expensive if you don't buy the thirty dollar titanium version, but it's an inconvenient task at the very best.

Once you have the PTFT tube out, fish around with a skewer or similar non-metal object to determine the depth of that bore. You want to have a good idea how far you have to push in the PTFE tube on the re-assembly portion.

As far as your question about taking things apart, this is indeed doing so, but it's a "surface" operation, not digging deep into the guts.