Cannot remove E61 dispersion screw

by **mindless_fool** on Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:39 pm

Im trying to clean my E61 machine that i got used...i took the top off the group, in it was very dirty, did the descaling of it and the whole machine, now replacing my group gasket( old one was rock hard). i would like to remove the screw but its seems stuck on hard. Its got scratch marks, i guess someone tried before and didnt have luck...my screw driver isnt big enough to hold it slips out, so im trying a coin and holding it with pliers. its a Canadian quarter, but the coin is bending. I sprayed a bit of WD40 still nothing, what else could I try? do i need to go clock wise or counter clock wise? ...also to clean the dispersion screen can i just put it on my electric stove to heat it up and burn anything thats in it?? I dont have a blow torch...

thanks for the help!!

by **iginfect** on Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:09 am

You might try some penetrating oil, I have some in a spray can. It helps with rust and should be available in hardware and auto supply stores.

Marvin

by **miKe mcKoffee** on Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:31 am

mindless_fool wrote:...also to clean the dispersion screen can i just put it on my electric stove to heat it up and burn anything thats in it?? I dont have a blow torch...

thanks for the help!!

Soak the screen in a strong Cafiza/Purocaf etc. solution then attack with a toothbrush. (like 1tsp to cup or so of off boil water) If soaking overnight doesn't loosen the crud enough to remove without the help of a zillion megawatt laser, replace the screen.

by **mindless_fool** on Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:40 am

i got it off this morning, the wd40 left overnight seemed to do the trick, it wasnt as bad as i thought behind it, but i did scrub with toothbrush and Cafiza. the screen doesnt look too bad, soaked it in Cafiza and it looks all clean.

http://users.rcn.com/erics/ · by **erics** on Mon Jan 25, 2010 10:00 am

i would like to remove the screw but its seems stuck on hard . . .

Go to a hardware store and buy a hardened "fender" washer and grind the rim of the washer such that it fits the dispersion screw well.

An alternative tool would be what's called a draglink socket. With the machine upside down on a soft surface, attempt to turn the screw COUNTER-CLOCKWISE. It would be best if you have a friend hold the machine steady.

I have not yet seen a dispersion screw that NEEDED to be removed so tread carefully here because a mistake can be expensive.

by **Randy G.** on Mon Jan 25, 2010 2:32 pm

I also made a tool similar to Eric's solution. I took an American quarter coin (25¢), clamped it in a vise, and filed one side to change the radius to fit the radius of the screw's slot. I hold the modified coin in the jaws of an adjustable wrench (locking pliers would also work). When reinstalling, use the coin WITHOUT the pliers, and finger tight is sufficient.

by **Address7** on Mon Jan 25, 2010 3:43 pm

Another thought - I use the large screwdriver blade on a Swiss army knife. Rotating the blade to 90 degrees (vertical) gives you good leverage with the body of the knife, and it's a quality screwdriver blade.

*Disclaimer* I have only done this on my Elektra, not sure if the dispersion screw on an E61 is a significantly different size.

Enjoy your experience.

by **mindless_fool** on Mon Jan 25, 2010 3:46 pm

anyone buy or get the parts for this http://www.espressoparts.com/FKIT2

seems like standard parts "Faema group head screen screw, one La Pavoni group dispersion screw and one Nuova Simonelli group head screen"

by **danetrainer** on Mon Jan 25, 2010 4:32 pm

I've installed one on my Brewtus, it required a bit of finessing for me, the BIII has quite a bit of taper into the portafilter area...the screen did not seal at all around the outside edge. I do not know if other E-61 groups are like it, I was assuming not, or it would have a different screen for the group.

I ended up countersinking the brass piece more and installing an o-ring at the outer edge under the lip of the screen. I do like it now, and I had ordered a Marzocco group screen to see if it would fit better, but have not tried it, as all is working well.

by **cannonfodder** on Tue Jan 26, 2010 11:57 am

Go to the hardware store. Buy yourself a stubby handled wide bladed screwdriver. They are only a few dollars. Right tool for the right job. A fender washer or quarter will work in a pinch but there is no substitute for the right tool.

by **Randy G.** on Tue Jan 26, 2010 1:04 pm

cannonfodder wrote:Go to the hardware store. Buy yourself a stubby handled wide bladed screwdriver. They are only a few dollars. Right tool for the right job.

I found that the width of the screw's slot for the E-61 (on the VBM, anyway) is long and wide. Some stubby screwdrivers generally available do not seat well in the entire slot, width or lengthwise. With the possibly limited space the user will have to hold the handle of such a screwdriver as well as the limited visibility because of the short handle combine to increase the chance of tilting the driver and having it slip out of the slot when torque is applied. The result can be a damaged screw, damaged shower screen, or barked knuckles (BTDT too many times over the decades). Some may find it possible because not everyone wears X-large gloves like I do.. :wink:

Those screws can be very tight. I know mine was, and I tried various screwdrivers including a stubby as you showed, but it was not possible to safely apply enough torque while maintaining a perpendicular angle of attack. With the modified quarter held by the adjustable wrench to apply torque it was VERY easy to break the screw loose. Torque could be easily applied without straining and it was very easy to observe the placement of the quarter in the slot to be sure it stayed seated properly.

by **djmonkeyhater** on Tue Jan 26, 2010 4:05 pm

This is on an Astoria/CMA machine with the center screw.

I was advised by a Seattle repair guy to pry up the edges of the shower screen with a screwdriver, bend them in and then grab the whole mess with big pliers and turn it. The now completely destroyed shower screen will rotate the screw out when you twist it.

His take on it was that any machine that had a screw that stuck in it had not been maintained and would need a new shower screen anyway. My E61 Futurmat uses the gasket to hold in the screen and it really seems like a much more elegant solution.

WES

by **iginfect** on Tue Jan 26, 2010 6:05 pm

djmonkeyhater wrote:My E61 Futurmat uses the gasket to hold in the screen and it really seems like a much more elegant solution.

which answers mindless_fools query re a screwed in screen available from epnw. I was considering such a fools move and am now persuaded not to. I did have a hell of a time a couple of months ago replacing the gasket but first had a Silvia and was sold the wrong size for my Vetrano.

Marvin

by **Randy G.** on Tue Jan 26, 2010 6:28 pm

The Vibiemme E-61 brewheads (and many/most[?] other E-61s that I have seen or heard of) have the shower screen held in by the group gasket. That is the why Eric's pic has the paint can lid remover tool whshown. That tool can be used to pry out the screen and gasket together as a unit minimizing damage to either thus prolonging the life of both. The dispersion screw in the brewhead is the one to which I was referring, although the method to which we both referred can be used for screen retention screws as well.

Groups that have a screw in the center of the shower screen to hold it in place (the Silvia is just one example) can be removed by the screen-bending method that djmonkeyhater mentioned, but it is more economical to try other methods first wherever possible.

And for the record, the first time I removed the dispersion screw on my VBM, the machine was only a few months old and I bought the machine new, yet it was still so tight that it would not budge with a screwdriver... it happens. And the tool I created only cost me 25¢ to make! :wink:

by **danetrainer** on Tue Jan 26, 2010 7:26 pm

iginfect wrote:which answers mindless_fools query re a screwed in screen available from esnw. I was considering such a fools move and am now persuaded not to. I did have a hell of a time a couple of months ago replacing the gasket but first had a Silvia and was sold the wrong size for my Vetrano.

Marvin

The EPNW kit is to make it simple to do routine cleaning above the group screen without having to wrestle the group gasket in & out to do it. In the course of a year now I can clean behind the screen at least once a week and not dread dealing with the gasket.

Something else to consider when approaching a stuck group dispersion screw is to have the machine fully warmed up...heat always helps in removing stuck screws. Certainly have the machine turned off and protect yourself with gloves or whatever to avoid burns.


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