I now know the following: The pressurestat seems to be fine, though I could not get the machine warm enough to test it. The boiler is 100% only need a new gasket for the element. The element is working but I am going to have to replace the 380V one with a 220V element. The steam wands is working fine but will still like to replace them with brand new shiny ones. The hot water outlet is still perfect. The boiler inlet lever and valve is working 100% and my normal water supply should be sufficient pressure and I don't need an external pump to be able to fill the boiler.

Here is the bad news and the things I don't know:
The hydraulic heads
I have no idea how they should be operated. I have no user manual (have requested one from Cimbali about a week ago).
I have plugged the my main water supply into the heads inlet and water immediately runs out from two bottom screws in the distributor (the gadget attached to the head where one can choose between a single or double shot and also consist of a small lever that activates the flow.
I have no idea why this is happening and I suppose I will have to open it up to be able to see what's happening.
Here is a link to the diagrams of the hydraulic group and the distributor:
http://www.purecafe.co.za/thejam/CIMBALI_M15_grouphead.pdf Hopefully it is just some gaskets that needs to be replaced.

I opened one of the hydraulic groupheads, starting from the top. It was quite easy and I will be able to put it back without having to replace any seals.
Now that its open one can see how it actually works. The top chromed dome is a cylinder with a piston inside. This piston is connected to a rod that is also connected to a smaller piston that can be seen when you remove the shower screen. So pressure from the top forces both the pistons down simultaneously. One only need a little pressure in the large top cylinder to be able to produce 9bar of pressure in the bottom cylinder, basic hydraulics.

This part is simple to understand and there is view parts involved. The distributor on the other hand seems far more complex. This mechanism sets the piston position to poor a single or double shot. It has a lever to activate the flow. It also has to redirect the water to push the pistons back into position once the portafilter is inserted. To take them apart will be my next step.

I have opened up all the groupheads and is currently busy descaling all the parts.
I now know what parts I need to get this baby up and running. It is mostly gaskets.

I have contacted the supplier that initially told me it wont be a problem to get these parts and now it seems it is not so commonly available and nobody in SA have stock for these parts. They now have to ship the parts in from Italy. I am waiting for there quote and in the meantime I am calculating what it will cost me to bring the parts in myself. With high shipping costs it will be better to buy all the parts from a single supplier. But so far I have not found a supplier that stock all the parts I need. If anyone have suggestions to where I can buy these parts, please let me know.

Just a photo of some of the grouphead parts:

I just got one like yours but 2 grups or heads. Same color in Vancouver Canada, I will tested tomorrow. How your's gping with the parts?
I am nw in this but any advise will help. The last owner told me they change all the piston and heat element, Was serve but he got a new one cimbali and storage this for long.

Fidias

Sorry I have not been updating this post for quite some time now.

The big old hydraulic M15 is still in my garage, I can get all the parts I need but it is terribly expensive. If you look at the individual parts they are not that expensive but this machine has 12 seals per group, and its a 3group. Then there is still the shipping costs and tax. I love this machine and have got a lot of respect for the engineers that designed it. Its amazing to think that it is a automatic volume-metric machine and the only electric part is the element, but I am still planing on finishing it.

Here is some links regarding this model.
The only place I could find that stock all the spares I need is Astram Group in Toronto Canada.

http://www.astramgroup.com/
http://www.customrubbercorp.com/p_gasket16.htm
http://www.espressoparts.co.uk/cimbali_group3.asp

Renier

Finally I found someone that can bring in parts for me at a good price, and I should receive them in 2 weeks time. Some of the parts I will still have to have manufactured locally. These include a 220V element and a couple of small seals

I have recently met the Cimbali export area manager for Africa Massimo Martellato at a hospitality expo in Johannesburg, and what a great guy. He gave me his card and promised that he will send me all the info regarding the M15 that he can find. Two weeks later he emailed me this great document explaining the workings of the M15's hydraulic system: http://www.bigdoor.co.za/espresso/m15.pdf
Thanks to Massimo I now also know what the incoming pressure for the machine must be: a constant 1.8bar. This is achieved with a pressure reducer connected to my main supply.

Renier

Finally I have received the parts I have ordered. It is now 11 months since I bought the M15. Hopefully I can now make some progress.
My 1st priority is still to get the machine in a sound working condition but I was wondering if I should change the look of the M15 a bit. The Hydraulic heads is so interesting and half of it is actually hidden. Well I will have a good look at it when I get there.

Renier

I have been following this rebuild from the beginning, and I have to say that this is one of the most obscure machines I have seen. As for your question, Dont change it a bit.

-Cecil

Yea it is a strange looking machine.
The things I am considering changing at this stage is the colour and the stainless steel cover surrounding the hydraulic heads. It actually covers half of the chromed heads. If I change it, I will make a new cover and keep the old as is, just encase the original looks better. I get the feeling the original designer was worried that the chrome heads will look to obscure. To me this what makes this machine unique.

I actually like the colour, but I am maybe going to use it in a new shop we are planing to open next year and it wont fit with the current brand idea. Maybe I got just a little to inspired when I saw the photos on Terryz1's photo stream of the Intelligentsia GS2 Restoration and Modification: http://www.flickr.com/photos/w1r3d1/331 ... otostream/

I think I am going to take some photos and make a photoshop illustration so that we can see how it will look with the alterations I mentioned.

Thanks for the input Cecil

Renier