Ender 5 Plus heat creep / extrusion issue
I've got an older mostly-stock Ender 5 Plus that's been having an extrusion issue. It'll print normally for a few layers, then the extruder starts chewing the filament with nothing coming out while the printer keeps moving.
I've checked the extruder and it seems to have plenty of pushing force. It's a metal assembly and isn't cracked. I've replaced the nozzle, replaced the Bowden tube, and cleaned out the hotend. I also cleaned the heatsink fan.
I'm printing PLA at 200–215°C. I originally pulled the filament right after it stopped and found that the filament was swelling from 1.75mm to around 2mm for roughly 40mm near the hotend.
In my last few tests, I've been pulling the Bowden tube out right when it stops extruding. The section of filament above the heatsink was soft/hot, which makes me think the filament is getting heat creep farther up into the Bowden tube.
At this point I'm wondering if I'm dealing with a weak/failing hotend fan, a heat-break issue, or something else I'm overlooking.
Anyone have thoughts on what I should check next?