Vintage Riviera with a gush & a drip - Page 2

#11: Post by **drgary** » November 19th, 2013, 1:04 am

Howard:

My Prestina manometer went out of whack the other day after the machine overpressurized. Fortunately no serious damage occurred. But I did find myself with a manometer that wouldn't zero out. So I pried off the metal tabs that hold on the glass lens, pulled the rubber gasket off that was holding the lens in place and found that the ratcheted brass arm that connects the needle to the pressure sensor in the manometer was stuck partly open. I moved it back into resting position and the needle is back to zero. I still need to test and see if it now works to spec.

It looks like you cleaned some clearcoat off the brass. You can apply new clearcoat to avoid polishing or remove all the clearcoat with paint thinner and polish it from time to time the way rpavlis does.

The bent dome can be tricky to straighten. It looks like someone dropped that machine on its eagle in shipment or something. You may be able to get a replacement dome from a weenie who sells these machines or from the Zacconi workshop in Italy.

#12: Post by **RioCruz** » November 19th, 2013, 10:33 am

SpromoSapiens wrote:Rio -- thanks for the encouraging report and especially the photo. That black base is awesome! A very handsome machine. Is the base original?

Yes, the base is original. Very heavy, 3/16" steel with black enamel.

I do really like the brass and chrome of your machine, too!

I actually bot my Riviera because I fell in love with how it looked. I know...so very shallow!

I didn't know espresso from Shinola, but the machine just looked so cool I couldn't pass it by. I'm still--even after 30+ years--learning to use it...and still love how it looks.

November 19th, 2013, 6:35 pm

It occurred to me that this nut came on the end of that water inlet.
When I received it it still had about an inch of plastic tubing coming out the end of it so I set it aside and basically forgot about it. Do you think that if I were to put a little disc of rubber or silicone or something inside to block the open end, plus some plumbers tape, that it would form a tight enough seal as a temporary solution to the drippy water inlet issue for now?

#14: Post by **RioCruz** » November 20th, 2013, 10:39 am

Seems worth a try...if you first seal up the hole with something like J B Weld epoxy so there's a strong backing for the seal. Otherwise, you can perhaps get a brass cap with the correct threads at a hardware store and then put in some sort of gasket or seal.

November 21st, 2013, 5:44 pm

Question about piston seals: is it guaranteed that after 30 years, but barely used, I would need new seals? I have taken apart the group, and the seals on the piston are actually quite soft and supple. When I pry with a tiny flat screwdriver, they flex quite readily. The PF group gasket chipped immediately when I stuck the screwdriver in, but the piston seals really do seem fine. Could there be another explanation for the gush from the weep hole? The vacant group cylinder seems very clean, the spring was a little sludgy but seems also pretty clean. Pulling the lever did originally generate quite a creaking sound, but inspecting these seals leaves me wondering, do i really need to drop $75 on a full set of seals right now just to get it working?

#16: Post by **peacecup** » November 22nd, 2013, 12:36 pm

You need to inspect the seals very carefully - the damage can be hard to see. The seals can last for years, at least mine have.

If it is the standard 45 mm piston PV seals should work - they don't cost 25 clams a pop do they? It's 20 euros for the set, including head gasket, here:

http://www.lamacchinadelcaffe.com/pontevecchio.html

I don't think it's too much fun to use the machine with the top seal leaking. Can you post pics of the disassembled piston?

November 22nd, 2013, 2:56 pm

Wow, if PV seals would work, that would be a boon. What do you think? I'm not 100% sure of group size being 45mm but the evidence does suggest it is so...

#18: Post by **peacecup** » November 22nd, 2013, 3:53 pm

Looks like a little corrosion possible in the group itself. The problem could lie therein if you find the seals are 100% intact.

The ID of my PV double basket looks about 46 mm. I don't have a piston to measure, but others may. If the piston diameter is the same I'd guess the seals would fit. The piston looks more or less identical, and does the group.

#19: Post by **peacecup** » November 22nd, 2013, 3:55 pm

November 22nd, 2013, 5:33 pm

Thanks for that piston photo. They sure do look similar, although your gaskets seem to flange outward just a tiny bit, the upper & the middle... Shadow in the photo, perhaps? Below, a couple images from inside the bell of my group. I just scrubbed out a light ring of scale that was in there, probably where a bit of water was inside the piston and evaporated over time. Does it still look potentially corroded to you? I'm not too clear on what exactly the stuff looks like; I figured the stuff at the top of the group is probably old lube and coffee grunge, just need the right implement to scrub it out...