So if you lift the lever with no coffee in the filter..water will come rushing out? Just trying to cross out all the dumb mistakes I have done putting these back together.

roadman wrote:I'm getting water in but the steam coming out of the steam arm is anemic and I have to pump the lever up and down like mad to get to get water through the group.

At the top of the pull I'm feeling a click but not hearing it.

Jon

Steve is busy with his Olympia rebuild this evening, but mentioned that it's possible the lever is upside down. Look closely at the picture below that I borrowed from another thread (Pavoni in background):



See how the pivot hole is off center? Did you install it with the same orientation?

Well, live and learn. Yes the arm was upside down. Now the water gushes without pumping. Thanks for the help on that one.

Still not enough pressure coming out of the steam arm, but I'm hoping new seals will correct that problem. Am I on the right track or could it be some other problem?

Jon

Well, looks like the seals are not the problem at this point.

Since the machine was de-scaled the pressure relief valve has been acting strangely. It has been making funny noises as it warms up before it starts to whistle. It's letting off steam way too early.

No water goes through the puck until the very end of the stoke. It's not dependant on the grind either.

Is it possible that the spring in the pressure relief valve is messed up? It looks like replacing the spring is a simple repair - any caveats before I go in?

Jon

roadman wrote:Is it possible that the spring in the pressure relief valve is messed up? It looks like replacing the spring is a simple repair - any caveats before I go in?

Although I don't own a La Pavoni, curiosity led me to search for a little background information (*). I found a hobbyist site on maintaining and repairing them; the advice on troubleshooting steam leaks looks promising in that it covers repairing the pressure relief valve in detail.

(*) Steve promises to loan me his so I can educate myself properly.

I would put money on the pressure relief spring in the cap. It should be quite stiff if you push on it with an ink pen.

Looks like the spring is indeed the problem. It's pretty flaccid. Just ordered a couple from the east coast as I was unable to find one in stock here in California. Hopefully it will arrive before it's time for me to hit the road again next week. Otherwise this will have to wait until I return home in December.

Thanks to everyone for the help and support.
Jon

Quick update: the spring arrived just after I left, so the repair will have to wait until December.

In the meantime here in Bern I've repaired my friends' Europiccola by doing a simple seal replacement. Since their leaky machine was brought back from the dead without having to bring it to the shop for expensive repairs they now think I have magical powers - a sort of an appliance healer. I tried to tell them it was just stuff I picked up on the net but they're having none of it. Wonder if their delusional state was brought on by a sudden massive infusion of caffeine into their nervous systems, having been without for so long.

Jon

roadman wrote:Quick update: the spring arrived just after I left, so the repair will have to wait until December.

In the meantime here in Bern I've repaired my friends' Europiccola by doing a simple seal replacement. Since their leaky machine was brought back from the dead without having to bring it to the shop for expensive repairs they now think I have magical powers - a sort of an appliance healer. I tried to tell them it was just stuff I picked up on the net but they're having none of it. Wonder if their delusional state was brought on by a sudden massive infusion of caffeine into their nervous systems, having been without for so long.

Hi Roadman,

I'm the guy with the nasty bubbly shots you referred to over on CG. It's been a long time since I've seen them, and looking at the thread again, man...those are gross. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know what happened in my case. The problem went away. I paid very close attention to grind, used fresher beans (started roasting), and, well, the problem went away. Maybe I just got better with the machine...they are tricky at first.

Cheers,
--Derek

Has anyone come up with the cause of these bubbles? I am getting the exact same problem with my Pavoni. Somehow the group is not expelling all the air at the top of the stroke - I know this because the lever is quite soft for the first part of the pull.

Anyways, I am baffled as to what is going on - I have brand new seals on the piston, the handle is installed right side up. The bubbles appear regardless of freshness of roast (both with coffee roasted 2 days ago and with Illy preground coffee). The only variable I haven't ruled out is replacing the gasket where the piston shaft leaves the group. However, I cannot envision how a problem with this gasket would lead to air in the cylinder. There are no obvious signs of problems here (no water leaking out the top, etc.)

Anyways, if someone has some suggestions, I would be very grateful.

-Brad