The machine is two years old so I guess out of warranty. The Isomac company in Sweden went bankrupt but there are still companies here doing service. Good to know about the controller.

I removed the control box and opened it up. The photo shows what it looks like inside. I can't see any sign of fried components. It smells like it has been warm but not like it has burned. I am open for suggestions on the next step in this adventure.

Eric, the smaller black component is an HF33F / 012-HSL subminiature intermediate power relay. I guess that is the heating element relay you refer to in your earlier post? I see no sign of damage on the outside of that component.

Yes. The Myrra is the power transformer and the larger black box is the DPST relay for autofill.

Keep the heating element DISCONNECTED during all of these tests. Syphon a cup or two of water from the boiler using the boiler pressure gage connection. Check the boiler water level with a small wooden dowel functioning as a dipstick. Run all of the silicone hoses back to the reservoir.

Plug the machine in and see that the autofill function works as intended. Check boiler water level to verify. Flush some water through the grouphead. Do all of these functions work as intended?

I went out and got some small tubing, syphoned 1 cup of water out of the boiler (leaving not much in it), plugged the machine in and turned it on. Soon after starting, the pump ran for a while, filling the boiler (somewhat less than half-full I would guess), and stopped. I then flushed some water through the grouphead, and that seemed to work ok also.

Well, firstly I would repeat that test a few more times and measure the water level as previously suggested and note it/date it in the manual(?). The intent here is to be 100% satisfied that all machine functions except for possibly the heating element are OK.

When you are satisfied with that and with the boiler properly filled, I would hook the heating element up with a suitable switch directly to the wall outlet. Use hardware store extension cord and quick-disconnect terminals. You're simple treating the heating element as a very high-wattage lamp. Sounds like a pain, I know, but this removes the machine's electrical circuit out of the picture.

Is this just to see if the heating element heats and doesn't short? In other words, how long do I leave it on?

Yes, this is an independent test of the heating element.

Your fingers become the pstat. The machine does not need to be plugged in. So I would say 5 minutes on, 5 minutes off, or whatever. Just pay attention to the boiler pressure gage and don't walk away.

Ok, I repeated the syphoning, pump running, and grouphead flushing procedure three more times, each time with the same result: syphoning 1 cup brought the dip stick reading down to about 15mm, running the pump brought the dip stick reading up to about 40mm, and the flushing operated fine.

Now I will have to go out and fetch some more hardware to do the heating element test.

An alternative would be to lay the machine on its side and remove the heating element for inspection. That is best done with an ADJUSTABLE impact wrench and a 1-1/2" six-point socket.