This is my first post but I have been a lurker. I found this place after I bought my first Espresso machine. I bought a used La Pavoni Europiccola. I learned so much info from reading the tips and techniques on here and everything was going great until i goofed up. I bought some Illy ground espresso and everything has been good during the learning curve. The other night I was pulling the lever up and didn't have the portafilter locked in, I had it about half locked. The pf sneezed or whatever and made a mess. I cleaned all of the mess up and started over. Every since then I have pulling issues. The lever is almost impossible to pull down. Prior to the oops it was firm but smooth, now it feels almost impossible to get down. Nothing has changed with any of the routine. I tried flushing the shower screen without any espresso grounds thru the pf and it works fine. What have I done?
Please help. Thanks in advance!!!

The shower dispersal screen directly above the basket and held in by an o-ring can be pushed out by unlocking the piston rod's two set and acorn adjustment bolts, and driving the piston assembly through the shower screen. Everything then falls out pronto in the drip pan. With a piping hot and full boiler, however, raising the lever fully should evince a gusher. If not, then the piston is mis-set or the screen is blocked or the boiler isn't reaching the head. If the piston rings have wear they'll be swollen on the sides of their smaller circumference, which face a sharp right-angle edge of the piston housing insert, and may be damaged and managed beyond all redemption, on that edge, without care or a compression ring for reinsertion. The lever is basically a valve opener for the full force of boiler steam in simplistic terms, and when open you should be blasting forthrightly.

I don't think you caused any damage when it sneezed on you. That kind of thing happens and causes a mess but not damage (well maybe damage to your skin from scalding water.) The facts that your empty-portafilter flush is the same as before, and that you are getting solid resistance on the pull indicate that the machine is probably fine.

As suggested by Flasherly, it might be worthwhile to pop the screen and make sure it's clean. It should be fine, but it's easy to check so you might as well. Here's a link to a detailed step-by-step for that: Cleaning the La Pavoni Europiccola

I'm guessing that maybe your pre-ground Illy has aged and picked up some humidity and is needing more pressure. Try pulling a shot with 3/4 or 2/3 your usual amount of coffee dose and see if it's once again reasonable to pull. It'll probably not taste good, but doing that should help you decide if the coffee is the culprit. For good coffee I think you're gonna have to give up on pre-ground and get yourself a good grinder.