I have run into a problem that seems to have resulted from descaling my VFA expres (a Spanish build single head E61 espresso machine with mostly Italian components). I let the boiler soak overnight in an approx. 5% citric acid solution. Next day I flushed and refilled boiler with fresh water and switched on machine. I then left I unattended for a while to heat up. About 15min later I noticed water coming out of the brew head (flowing continuously) as well as a distinct smell of overheated/burned electronics. Apart from always-open valve the machine seems to function normally ( auto fill, pressure stat and pump). If I disconnect one of the wires to the brew head valve the valve closes and water flow stops. I opened up the GICAR control box to look for burned components but could not detect anything. One of the 2 relays inside appeared to have burned contacts but after taking it out and more careful inspection it turned out ok. The 4 push buttons of the GICAR operate normally.

I'm at a loss what could be the problem. Anybody experienced something similar ?

Thanks in advance,

From the info you have provided- Sounds like you have a control board issue. Between the burnt smell of electronics and stuck in constant brew mode suggests failed control board or keypad. What happens when you disconnect brew keypad ? Does brew solinoid still operate ? It might be just a fluke that it failed after cleaning.

Is it an auto controller that runs a certain volume, then shuts off? If so, the there will be a mechanical flow switch/counter that might have gone bad -- if it is no longer sending pulses, the auto controller will never count up to the limit and shut off.

A happy new year and thanks for suggestions! Indeed I found it to be a control board issue. Actually it was a rather unexpected failure: None of components on board had failed but the PCB itself showed a current leakage path from 220V (pin 1 on green connector) to the output "ERO" (pin 4) , that is the pin controlling the brew head solenoid. The leakage path was enough to open the valve. Took some time to figure it out, initially I suspected defective relais RL1 and I de-soldered it 2x before I figured out that there was something else. Only after cutting some PCB tracks I found a persistent resistive path (measured about 15kOhm) that must have been created over time between tracks on the PCB (double layer metalized holes) carrying 220V and carrying the solenoid output signal. These signals run around the board with only 1..2mm distance. I did not try to figure where exactly the short is situated, I just cut the track directly at relais and directly at board connector and placed a wire instead. After putting controller board back into espresso machine everything seems to be back to normal operation. I guess it is time to replace the GICAR box but these things are so expensive I rather do some repairs despite this taking up a lot of time ....

brekelmans wrote:I guess it is time to replace the GICAR box but these things are so expensive I rather do some repairs despite this taking up a lot of time ....

Nice job of troubleshooting and fixing the problem!