*Attempting* to Service my Neighbor's Olympia Cremina - Page 2

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coffeedog
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#11: Post by coffeedog »

Seals look to be installed correctly. Personally for seals, I'd go with the OEM set from Cerini. I want to say the last time I cleaned my newer Cremina, the seals looked ever so slightly thicker than your pictures - but hard to tell from photos and memory.
Steve
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Richard
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#12: Post by Richard »

coffeedog wrote:Personally for seals, I'd go with the OEM set from Cerini.
Absolutely good advice. Why buy arguably substandard third-party seals when the OEM are readily available?
-- Richard

zan
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#13: Post by zan »

In my 2009 Cremina the solution was to put the "original" spare parts.
I think that also in your Cremina are these:

TAV.25 GROUP HEAD 1 FAGI gaskets




w3agle (original poster)
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#14: Post by w3agle (original poster) »

Played briefly with the teflon tape but didn't like that lack of precision. Once I realized it's only $15/gasket from Cerini it was an easy choice to try that next. https://www.cerinicoffee.com/collection ... per-gasket

Headed out of town for the week and hopefully I can update with a successful repair next week. If not, I'll definitely take a video of the dripping and the deluge when I pull the lever up. Hopefully I don't see that again. Lol!

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drgary
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#15: Post by drgary »

Not arguing against using OEM parts. I've used the Teflon tape shim many times. I didn't worry about lack of precision when it consistently worked.
Gary
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What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!

w3agle (original poster)
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#16: Post by w3agle (original poster) »

New seals from Cerini installed. I was so confident that I didn't even take photos. Ugh. Same issue as before. No change. So much for my comments about precision! Plumbers tape may be my next attempt.

Is there anything else I could be doing wrong on the re-assembly? I have the gaskets installed the same orientation as my previous photos. I've watched so many videos.

Here are a couple of videos of what I meant earlier when I said "deluge":

Marmot
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#17: Post by Marmot »

Is that what you meant? I thought water was coming out when the lever was down. What we see in the video is perfectly normal. When the lever is up water is introduced into the grouphead and will infuse the coffee in the portafilter.

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coffeedog
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#18: Post by coffeedog »

Marmot wrote:What we see in the video is perfectly normal. When the lever is up water is introduced into the grouphead and will infuse the coffee in the portafilter.
Your "deluge" is most excellent! The reason for the OEM seals was to address the drip during warmup. Are you still experiencing that?
Steve
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w3agle (original poster)
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#19: Post by w3agle (original poster) »

Ah. Well I feel kind of silly. The drip is totally gone now.

There's still a downward pressure on the piston that you feel in the lever. As if it's being pulled down. My very first re-assembly also left with the same sensation, and at this point I can't even remember the specifics, but I know the shot I tried to pull did not even come close to working.

It's early and I haven't had any coffee yet, so I'm not sure if that makes sense.

I'll heat her up and see what happens!

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coffeedog
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#20: Post by coffeedog »

Well that is good news! Just to be clear, the lever will normally be down (gravity, lever weight, etc.) Let us know how it goes - it certainly sounds like you are good to go!

One last thought, if it sat in your neighbor's cupboard for a long time it's possible the seals and housing might have gotten a little "tacky". When you re-lubed, it allowed the piston to move more freely, so maybe that is the difference you are noticing.
Steve
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