I have been visiting this site for years with the expectation of upgrading to a "real" espresso machine from a mid-priced super auto. Well, the time is now as I got an unbelievable deal on a Astoria Argenta SAE Jun 1. So yes, I went from a super auto to a full on commercial machine. Also picked up a new Mazzer SJ cheap. Gotta love Craigslist. Anyway, I ran a dedicated electrical line, put in a drain, and finally plumbed it in last night. After powering it up and letting it come to temp I have steam and hot water but no brew pressure. I was bummed to say the least. When I activate the switch I get a humming/buzzing sound and it does not seem to activate the procon pump.

The machine is four years old and was professionally installed at a church with a water softener. It was running before they disconnected it and put it up for sale so I did not get to see it run. I did buy it from a church so I don't think they are lying to me but who knows. It is not a stretch to say this thing is like brand new. I would be shocked if they pulled 50 shots through it. After seeing some of the photos of used machines that folks buy on here I could not get my wallet out fast enough.

Any ideas?

Dang, that beast is in great condition on the inside. I bet you got a steal!

Do you happen to know how long the machine sat unused? Rotary pumps can easily lock up if they are unused for long periods of time and not totally cleaned out. Not sure why, but it's a pretty minor thing I think. You may need to pull the pump off the motor and turn the shaft with a wrench to get it going again--at least, that's what I had to do with my pump. You may want to also do a simple descale by mixing 1 tbsp/L of citric acid in a bucket and brewing it through the machine. This may help clear any minimal scale in the pump that may give you trouble; also, the grouphead on any old machine is almost always scaled. they have such constant temperature changes due to the nature of heat exchange that they usually scale worse than anywhere else on the machine.

Anyway, my point about the seized pump--that's just a guess, the motor will make a funny noise that doesn't sound good, but doesn't sound distinctly horrible when it's seized. That's why I suspect pump seizure on your machine, based on your description of the noise. You can also get a bad noise like that from a sticky solenoid valve, but you should be getting pressure on the brew pressure gauge if your pump isn't failing. Anyway, to check if your pump is seized, you just need to unscrew the clip that hooks the head to the motor, and pull it away. You should be able to turn the shaft that you expose pretty easily. If it's stuck, that's your problem. It should also have a smooth action as you turn it. You should be able to check without unhooking the water supply, since the hoses are both flexible.

Good luck; let me know if that works. By the way, try using the machine with the case off and take a listen where the noises are coming from, that can aid diagnosis a lot.

Also from the good above advice
check
There is a filter screen in the top of the grouphead
(shut water off release all pressure first)
around the gicluer
then check the 3 way solenoid valve as well

Thanks guys.....I will be able to play around with it later today and this weekend.

So the clamp in between the pump and the motor is the only thing I need to disconnect and they pull apart? I see the 3-way solenoid valve behind the grouphead. Sorry for the newb question but what do you mean by "check"? Am I looking for corrosion on the terminals?

Nicholas - I think I did get a good deal. I won't say how much but it was a little less than $301.

Is there any type of internal stopcock leading to or from the pump that may be in the Off position? The sound you describe is exactly what I hear when I shut off the water supply to the pump to service internal plumbing and forget to turn it back on when I restart machine and try to pull a shot.

I thought you were on to something Owen. There is a valve underneath in between the sight glass and the boiler that is shut off but it looks to be some kind of drain line because it just empties into the drain.

I think you got it right with your first thought Nicholas. Took the pump off and it would not turn. Had to force it a bit but I can now turn it by hand sans tools. I spoke to the church and it was hooked up but sat idle for a year. Should I use some type of lube on it before I put it back together?

Alright....pump is back on and presumably working. It makes a little more noise than I thought a rotary pump would. The brew pressure gauge says nine when I engage the pump but still no water through the grouphead. I checked the screen as Stefan suggested and it was way bent out of shape. I molded it back the best I could and reinserted it. I will order a new one but I think it is fine for now.

Could the pump be making noise and not pumping water? Thoughts?

Is the autofill working? If you have hot water and did not manually fill the boiler with the lever on the right side under the drip tray, it has to be. (Unless there's who-knows-how-old water in it and it's not refilling.)

So the autofill is what manages the boiler level and while it's separate water circuit from the brewhead, it will let you know if the pump, water supply, pump solenoid and Gicar box are mostly working.

WES

Nice, that looks familiar!

I got the same machine (labelled as a Laurentis) about 2 years ago and had the same problem with the pump freezing up. (and was helped by the same folks here )

I also had a blocked tube to the boiler (see above thread) which was preventing the autofill from working. There might be a similar blockage that is causing your no-brew-water issue.

Good luck! I gotta say, the Astoria version looks a lot nicer than the Laurentis!

Regards, Henry