This is probably going to be long, so I apologize in advance.
I can't believe I'm having problems again. Is this normal? Am I not doing my due diligence in maintenance and preparing for printing? Or do I just have a crappy printer?
I do print a lot when it is working well. Maybe I'm just wearing it out.

I'm using a Tronxy XY.

My current problem is under-extrusion. Not the first time, but the normal fixes aren't working now.
Nothing has changed about my slicer settings, so I'm pretty sure it's mechanical.

It started when my bowden tube fitting failed and I did not have a replacement.

I had purchased some capricorn tube, but had issues with the filament flow thru it, so I went back to the Bowden. I decided to try it again while I was waiting for the other to come in the mail. Again it didn't work, and I haven't gotten a decent print since.

I did some research online. First thing I realized was that I had at some point left a gap between the tube and the nozzle. Melted plastic was leaking out on the top of the hot end. I cleaned that up and made sure that the new tube was positioned correctly. The extruder was still skipping and filament was not flowing as it should. I changed the nozzle to make sure that was not the problem. I used a toothpick to clean out the hot end and even ran some filament straight thru while it was hot with no nozzle attached to make sure that it was cleaned out completely.

The next print I tried, the bed was not leveled correctly - too close to the bed. The print failed. I know that can cause a clog, so I tried to clean it and ended up changing the nozzle again, just to make sure. Still no luck. Bed leveled correctly - new tube - new nozzle. It started out looking good, but before the first level had completed, it was skipping and missing spots.

Next I worked on the extruder. I saw a video that says the extruder spring can lose pressure. You can add washers to increase the pressure on the extruder gear. So I did that.
The video also said that the gear could get plastic stuck in it so that it won't grip the filament. I tried to clean that with a stiff brush and toothpick. It looks clean.
The only other thing I can think is that I need a new extruder. The gear looks like maybe it is worn down? Maybe it just needs replacing?

Bottom line - For whatever reason, my printer acts like there is a clog in the nozzle even tho I am using a brand new nozzle and brand new bowden tube. I have tried several different filaments, so I know that isn't the problem.

Any ideas what else I can try? Thanks