OK, my fingers are crossed. Do you think I can manipulate it from the bottom or does it need to go to a machine doctor? do you know which way it threads? If I can twist it clockwise (looking up from the bottom), should it get tighter? I'll try anything. I just got my Super Jolly, and it only has a moka pot and a Brikka to perform for. Sad, sad.

Gatewood wrote:OK, my fingers are crossed. Do you think I can manipulate it from the bottom or does it need to go to a machine doctor? do you know which way it threads? If I can twist it clockwise (looking up from the bottom), should it get tighter? I'll try anything. I just got my Super Jolly, and it only has a moka pot and a Brikka to perform for. Sad, sad.

Don't know. I would assume looking at the piston( upside down) Turn it Clockwise. You might use rubber gloves to give your fingers more traction. I am sorry , I am not too knowledgeable here. I only had my LP for a short while.
Good luck

didn't work. The piston turns freely from above (ran a metal rod through the hole, as it's still disassembled from the lever), but there's no way to hold the other end still so it threads itself. I tried with rubber gloves. I think I'd better send this one off. I might just try to destroy the whole blasted thing to see what's going on in there. I doubt I will, but it would certainly satisfy a certain angry annoyance I feel at the thing. My Super Jolly arrived yesterday, and all I have to use it on is my Brikka.

I'll give it a try. The outer piece (rod into the piston) is metal and the inner piece is plastic, however. I'll try anything. No hammer yet, but I'm not happy. It's not good to make me unhappy. Might mean a hammer.

Gatewood wrote: however. I'll try anything.

No, you won't.......

Ken

kbuzbee wrote:No, you won't.......

Ken

Well, anything that won't put somebody else out. Although I'm getting closer to that.

I think it would be the fastest route..... Seriously...

Did you order a new retaining gasket yet???

Ken

Hey Gatewood -

So you've gotten the screen off, and you still can't push the piston all the way out (i.e., pushing down on the piston rod so the whole thing comes down, out of the group head)? That's really unusual - especially since you say that you can rotate the piston freely. Honestly, if you can, there's nothing holding the piston in the group head except friction between the group head and the gasket seals on the pistons.

Just to make sure I'm understanding correctly, you've gotten the dispersion screen off, so as you look up into the group head from below the machine, you're looking at the bottom of the piston. Looking down at the group head, you've taken the lever off, and so all you see is the piston rod sticking up out of the group. Is that right? Photos are always helpful...

Couple of questions:

1) You wrote, "The outer piece (rod into the piston) is metal and the inner piece is plastic..." Is the piston itself (the larger piece filling the group cylinder, as you look up into the group from below the machine) brass, or are you saying that's plastic? If it is plastic, I would order a newer brass piston head, and new piston seals, while you're at it.

2) If that isn't plastic, is there a thin "sleeve" surrounding the piston head that is plastic? If so, that is the new sleeve that's part of the millenium series, and I would recommend treading softly around it. When I replaced all the seals in my machine, I found a crack in that, and needed to replace it as well... getting it out is a real pain. So if you can avoid damaging that, I would.

3) If there is a sleeve as I described above, is that rotating when you turn the piston rod? If so, then the piston rod and the sleeve are rotating together, and they shouldn't. That sleeve is threaded, and it screws up into the group head. Looking at it from below, I think if you rotate it counter-clockwise, then it will come out. I would back it out (which should also remove the piston assembly as well), separate the sleeve from the piston assembly, and inspect both. This is a very unlikely scenario, though.

As others have said, the most likely issue is that your piston head has become unscrewed from the piston rod - if you're finding that even when the lever is pulled all the way up, the piston head obscures the water inlet. Earlier you wrote, "here's where I broke it - tried to undo the nut on the piston. I should have gotten to the nut first, but there's this brass ball on top of the nut that looked as if it was part of the nut. I put all my puny muscle on that nut and the piston came up a bit from the shaft..." so maybe you unscrewed it yourself. However, if you have a plastic sleeve in the group head as described in 2) above, you should know that the inlet hole is very small - and it may not even be lined up with where the inlet tube reaches the group head. Just want to make sure the inlet hole really is obscured. Again, pictures help...

If that's the case, you really need to get that piston head and rod out of the group head to tighten it back up. While you're at it, I would take a look at the piston gaskets, and make sure they're in good shape. Clean everything thoroughly.

So... I wouldn't be that afraid of using a hammer - gently. If you have a plastic mallet, great. If not, I'd put something soft on top of the piston rod (e.g., sponge, folded cloth, etc.) and tap the rod with increasing force until it comes out. The sticking point will be the first piston gasket - once you can see that, the rest should come out easily.

Or, send it in if that makes you more comfortable. But honestly, these things really are pretty simple to repair.

BQ

I will definitely take some pictures in just a bit. The plastic sleeve is there, but it's not so thin. It's about 1/16" thick. No sign of the water hole. I've managed (by reversing the lever so that it raises and lowers from the boiler side) to get the piston down as far as I can. It's farther than I could get it by using the piston on the correct side. That's a start, anyhow. The plastic thing that shows isn't a brass piston, but some sort of whitish stuff. I'm guessing plastic, but don't know for sure. It's definitely not brass.

I have an errand to run; I'll try the rubber hammer again when I come back. Stay tuned!

OK, posting photos:

Piston outside all the way




OK, I give up: I got this right off the one Dan fixed. Doesn't work for me, and won't let me upload another. *$#^$#!!*

(Self-censored)

Here's another: the piston is up all the way, showing no water hole. (water intake on bottom)



You have to click on them; sorry