This morning while attempting to make a second shot, the solenoid beside the group head started to buzz loudly so I stopped trying to make a shot. Perhaps unwisely, I pressed the buttons on and off a dozen or so more times to see if it would work. Nope, now very little sound out of it and no water flow.

Guess I'll take it apart tomorrow and hope it just blocked or something. Suggestions welcome.

Mark

There should be a nut and maybe a couple of washers holding the coil in place. Check and see if that's loose.

Nothing happens when I energize the Parker valve when I put a screw driver inside it and turn it on. It's resistance is 1Meg Ohm, so I think it's shot/dead/kapoph.

So I think I need a new (or used) Parker Coil YB09 9Watt coil.

Mark

I always like to double check my test methods, in this case confirm that the coil is in fact non active when voltage is applied, but yeah, looks like a bad coil.

If it is an AC powered solenoid, the buzzing could be a sign that the diode has failed shorted, so now AC is passing through it in both directions causing a 60 Hz buzz.

<nitpick>I dont believe most A/C solenoid coils have diodes.
From information I've found so far, I think they use a shaded pole, and if that fails, you get a buzzing without actuating.</nitpick>

But yeah, if that's the case, you'd need a new coil.

Yep, it was the solenoid. Got a new one from Stefano earlier today and voila a working system again. Had a couple of email exchanges with him to make sure I got the right one. He even posted a picture so that I knew it had the right connector on it. Got to love having an expert like him on hand with the parts we need.

I forgot to check if the new one had equal resistance in both directions (diode if any) and I'm not taking it apart again to find out.

Mark

HI, I recently purchased a second hand Elektra 60s with lever switches (less than 1yr old) and it was doing the same thing described above on the right side group. Buzz but no water flow. I read this post and ordered a solenoid from the supplier to fix the problem. Before the part arrived, I dismantled the solenoid to see what was inside. I found some corrosion which I cleaned. The buzz was gone but no water flowed. I removed the top off the group and found some calcification around the jet and filter which I cleaned thoroughly. The coil was ok so all is working perfectly now!!
I am wondering if to send the part back to the supplier or to keep it on hand since I already paid for postage ($13 )from Sydney. Do these solenoid switches and coils have a predictable duty cycle ( like 2 or 3 yrs then boom.. no more) or is it just a part that fails unpredictably?

I have never had one go bad. They are simple things, basically an electro magnet that pops a metal can up and down to open/close the water outlet/path. Most of the time, they just get dirty and like to stick shut/open. It never hurts to have a spare but with shipping being that high, you may be better off hanging onto it or selling it local than pay nearly $30 for two way shipping.

At least in this part of the world, many suppliers won't accept returns for electrical parts. Some will accept returns if the original seal is intact. I don't blame those who won't accept returns; some less-than-honest buyers install a part, accidentally fry it, and then send it back to the supplier as "defective".