E61 lower post wear

#1: Post by **slybarman** » April 1st, 2023, 7:10 pm

How much is too much? The corner of the this lower post (I'm sure not the correct name) is kinda rounded off from the cam. Is this a problem?

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#2: Post by **JRising** » April 1st, 2023, 7:30 pm

I'd say "No, it looks okay"... Why, is it squeaky?

Does it no longer open the drain valve beneath it? I think it's still got plenty of life left in it, but put a dab of grease on it, put it back together and test it. If it's not working well, replace it.

April 1st, 2023, 7:35 pm

Thank you John. It is functioning as intended. I had taken it apart to grease everything and just noticed it was getting worn over. This was the first time I took the lower spring down so I got a much better view of it than I normally do. I usually grease everything with the posts left in place.

#4: Post by **Giampiero** » April 1st, 2023, 10:02 pm

Everything ok, it's only the position where the camme engage with the pin, the upper side of the pin it's still flat.

#5: Post by **StoicDude** » April 1st, 2023, 10:59 pm

This is how mine looks if you need it for reference. Machine is close to a year old.

#6: Post by **BaristaBoy E61** » April 1st, 2023, 11:16 pm

JRising wrote:I'd say "No, it looks okay"... Why, is it squeaky?

Does it no longer open the drain valve beneath it? I think it's still got plenty of life left in it, but put a dab of grease on it, put it back together and test it. If it's not working well, replace it.

+1

You got a problem when your portafilter starts 'sneezing' on removal from the group or some other group function is impeded.

Still looks good to me too!

#7: Post by **cafeIKE** » April 2nd, 2023, 12:21 pm

e61 need a rebuild about every five years / 5,000 shots

'pf sneeze on removal' is not a reliable metric.
The gaskets begin to leak and the group doesn't hold pressure.

#8: Post by **Randy G.** » April 2nd, 2023, 3:37 pm

You probably only have about another ten years life left in that valve IF you keep the operating parts clean and lubed.
I would be more concerned about the crud in the bore-hole where the cam's pivot pin sits inside the cam chamber. The cam's shaft also has a lot of black buildup on it. Make sure you clean and lube that part as well as the seals for that shat will wear faster otherwise.
For more detail on the E-61 group, see these two articles on my website:
How-To 18 - Simple Lubrication of the E-61 Group
How-To 19 - Overhauling and Lubricating the E-61 Group

#9: Post by **BaristaBoy E61** » April 2nd, 2023, 3:56 pm

cafeIKE wrote:e61 need a rebuild about every five years / 5,000 shots

'pf sneeze on removal' is not a reliable metric.
The gaskets begin to leak and the group doesn't hold pressure.

Portafilter sneeze is very reliable metric. All gaskets can be holding pressure but wear of the drain valve stem at the cam will result in group drain valve not having enough of an excursion to fully open, drain and fully release pressure at the portafilter. Therefore, the portafilter sneeze.

We can disagree on this one.

#10: Post by **cafeIKE** » April 2nd, 2023, 5:05 pm

I can't imagine how much wear the cam must have to 'sneeze'.
When I rebuild the group, there is a deep indent in the gasket, maybe 1+mm. The cam would have to wear an awful lot or be too short in the first place to 'sneeze' the pf.