Ceado E37S motor not engaging.

#1: Post by **SonVolt** » October 3rd, 2015, 9:55 am

I went to make my morning espresso and the grinder seems to have died. It still powers on but the grind button doesn't engage the motor. I hear it trying to start and then just a low pitched electrical whir sound as the timer runs down. Is there anything I should check first?

#2: Post by HB » October 3rd, 2015, 10:23 am

Sounds like the burrs are binding; try backing off the grind setting way way coarser. If the motor doesn't turn, kill power immediately or you risk overheating the motor windings.

October 3rd, 2015, 10:32 am

That did it! It started right up. Should I do anything else at this point or can I reset the grind setting and proceed as normal?

Btw, is periodic binding up normal for grinders of this caliber?

#4: Post by HB » October 3rd, 2015, 10:40 am

Binding can happen if the grind setting is simply too fine, but more often it happens when you move the grind setting finer while there's grounds in the coffee. Most grinders can handle small movements finer (say 1-2mm) with the motor off, otherwise the motor should be running or the burr chamber emptied before moving the setting finer. See How important is running the grinder while adjusting? for extended discussion.

TLDR: It's an operator error and fortunately no damage was done. If it happens again, immediately cut power, move the setting coarser, and then move the setting finer with the motor running.

October 3rd, 2015, 10:48 am

Interesting. I haven't adjusted the grind setting in a while. It was pulling 45 second shots so it may have been set too fine regardless . Thanks for your quick help!

#6: Post by HB » October 3rd, 2015, 10:52 am

In that case, another possibility is a stone among the coffee beans. But let's think happy thoughts.

#7: Post by **brianl** » October 3rd, 2015, 11:20 am

Great advice dan.

October 3rd, 2015, 5:36 pm

Ok I'm not out of the woods yet. I tried to readjust the grind size back towards a finer setting and the dial won't budge about halfway through - It's stuck at about the midpoint. Is something stuck in the burrs? What should I do from here?

#9: Post by **jfrescki** » October 3rd, 2015, 6:07 pm

SonVolt wrote:Interesting. I haven't adjusted the grind setting in a while. It was pulling 45 second shots so it may have been set too fine regardless . Thanks for your quick help!

I had my grinder stall last month without having adjusted the grind and it turned out I had low voltage that was a power company problem. Figured I mention it in the highly unlikely event you have a similar situation.

October 3rd, 2015, 6:49 pm

If I unscrew the top burr collar the grind setting it will move the full range from coarse to fine. If I tighten the screws back down then the grind setting dial won't go beyond 3 if adjusting finer (scale 10-0). I'm not sure if that's expected behavior or not.