ECM Giotto died and need a bit of help

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buddysharp
Posts: 23
Joined: 9 years ago

#1: Post by buddysharp »

Howdy,
My barn find ECM machine restoration is off to a bad start. Was told it needed a tstat but pump was working fine. Pump just quit and noted this little meltdown. Believe this happened a while back as I've noted no smell while testing today.


lots of apparent leaks at base of boiler and at heating element. Tstat is a bit rusty. So, so far I think I need a tstat, a pstat for good measure, the little melted beauty. Hoping the rest will just need a good cleaning. Any and all advice is welcome and appreciated!

buddysharp (original poster)
Posts: 23
Joined: 9 years ago

#2: Post by buddysharp (original poster) »

Here's the big picture and a pic of the label to aid in identifying the model.


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buddysharp (original poster)
Posts: 23
Joined: 9 years ago

#3: Post by buddysharp (original poster) »

Ok that's ugly. Male post was melted off.

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homeburrero
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#4: Post by homeburrero »

buddysharp wrote:Here's the big picture and a pic of the label to aid in identifying the model.
The important label would be the one on the underside of the machine. The first four digits of the serial number on that label indicate the manufacture date. Also, a pic of the controller might be useful (these machines came with different controllers, even at the same age.)

It appears your machine may have two wires up to the reservoir sensor system. Curious about that - does yours look like this one?

Often a burnt connector like that is caused by heat generated at the connection, due to a poor connection. I think that may not be a likely case here, because it's on a solenoid which if working properly should draw only a couple hundred milliAmp of current.

Sounds like a new protective thermal switch should be on your shopping list, but you might consider giving the pStat a chance to prove itself to be bad before spending the money on that. If you have an ohmmeter you can do a preliminary check of the pStat and thermal switch - should be less than an ohm across the terminals that are normally wired up (disconnect the wires when you check the resistance.)
Pat
nínádiishʼnahgo gohwééh náshdlį́į́h

buddysharp (original poster)
Posts: 23
Joined: 9 years ago

#5: Post by buddysharp (original poster) »

Thank you for replying; all I can say is damn this thing is heavy. Here's the label: shows it was made in 2003.


And yes the reservoir system does have two wires and looks exactly like your pic! There is a bit of corrosion there as expected so I'll clean those terminals well before testing again.

And here's the controller:

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One of the thermal controller male leads is melted off and another is partially melted so no way to test - it's shot but I'm glad that it may be the result of a poor connection rather than overload. The rubber tubing was routed right next to the thermal controller leads and I've no doubt that some of the leakage ran down along the tubing and onto the thermal controller. I'll re-route upon re-assembly.

I was basing my pstat purchase on the bits I've read on the site and indications that it is a likely failure point - so I'll balance the cost vs. shipping parts twice before denying it's right to life.

Any suggestions on preferred US parts vendors - perhaps someone that supports the home-barista site?

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homeburrero
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#6: Post by homeburrero »

buddysharp wrote:Any suggestions on preferred US parts vendors - perhaps someone that supports the home-barista site?
Stefano at Stefano's Espressocare has helped me out on a hard-to-find OPV, and has other generic parts. Chris Coffee Service also sells many of those parts, and I know others have reported success in finding ECM Giotto (aka Rocket Giotto Classic) parts at Seattle Coffee Gear. I bet 1st-line also has many of the generic parts. Those are all HB sponsors.

Finding that exact ODE solenoid coil may be a challenge. I think you could swap in a Parker (coil and valve assembly) if necessary. Vendors would know.
Pat
nínádiishʼnahgo gohwééh náshdlį́į́h

buddysharp (original poster)
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#7: Post by buddysharp (original poster) »

Thanks again great information, I'll get started tracking them down. This should be fun!

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chipman
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#8: Post by chipman »

If you aren't able to fix your machine, Great Infusions in Santa Cruz is always an option.

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cuppajoe
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#9: Post by cuppajoe »

Here's the link to my rebuild - ECM Giotto Project

One thing to remember when sourcing parts is that while the old ECM Gioto shares some parts with the new Rocket version, many are not, and the ECM has been out of production for some time. Stefano is the go to guy for most internal bits such as the group rebuild kit. Check out his Isomac parts diagrams, as a lot are interchangeable. Seattle Coffee Gear had a new drip grate that fit mine perfectly, so guess most of the Rocket body parts would fit as well.

Take your time, take lots of pictures and make lots of notes, and look forward to that first shot. These are very capable machines.
David - LMWDP 448

My coffee wasn't strong enough to defend itself - Tom Waits

buddysharp (original poster)
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Joined: 9 years ago

#10: Post by buddysharp (original poster) »

Hi Chipman, thank you for the suggestion! I wasn't aware of them; the only technically savvy guy around here that I knew of was an elderly gent who recently passed away.

Part of the fun is the restoration of the machine. It's a mess and clearly saw a ton of use with little or no maintenance. It may ultimately defeat me but I'm a decent tinkerer. We'll see how it goes...

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