Gaggia Achille leak repaired

Equipment doesn't work? Troubleshooting? If you're handy, members can help.
Levergirl
Posts: 18
Joined: 16 years ago

#1: Post by Levergirl »

A few months ago, there were a few posts about leaks in the Gaggia Achille. However, I never found anyone who described repairing it themselves. A lot of people sent their machines back. So, I wanted to assure people that it is possible and really not all that difficult.

I must, however, owe kudos to Craig (sophiesbar), who knew the answer.

I bought my machine on eBa*, so returning it wasn't really an option. I could, I suppose, have sent it out for repair, but I hated going even a day without that Achille! The coffee is just sooo good. :lol:

My story begins with a little bubble of water at the end of my shot right at the seam between the base of the machine and the boiler. I thought I'd just made my shot a little tight, so I didn't think much about it. However, the next shot, it leaked like a sieve from the same place. I opened up the bottom (after the machine cooled off) and found water inside! Scary! However, I knew this was not really a new story, so I searched home-barista and found the people who had had the same problem. Craig averred it was gasket 16, from some personal experience.



But no one really said how to disassemble the machine to fix the gasket problem. I know that Dave (Cannonfodder) took his whole machine apart for the benefit of the Bench. But there were only a few pictures.

I started out with relatively little fear, since I'm pretty mechanically inclined, and I knew if I screwed it up, chances were good my father (mechanical engineer with a master's in astronautics and aeronautics from MIT) could probably fix it. I've taken the Pavoni apart, but, hey, it's not exactly complicated! And I can disassemble a toilet down to the wax ring and put it all back together. Vacuum cleaners fear me! I must confess that, while I am currently a surgeon, I majored in computer science in college.

I figured out the size wrench I needed (8 mm) and took the bolts to the group off. Then I undid the Allen screw on the front of the group, which allowed the group to come off in 2 pieces, a top and a bottom. I pulled the silicone tubing off of the heat exchanger and laid the top of the machine aside (I had already unscrewed it and removed the side panels). Some plastic piece went flying out from who knows where (more about that later). I took the lever off (so easy on an Achille compared to the LP). Then I disassembled the piston and found that gasket 16, nowhere near where it belonged. Clearly, it had slipped out of place.

Okay, so half the job done. Will tell you the rest of the story tomorrow!
Carolyn
LMWDP #159

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cannonfodder
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#2: Post by cannonfodder »

I have lots of photos but did not flood the page with them.





















Dave Stephens

grong
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#3: Post by grong »

This is an exciting repair story-very suspenseful! So much more so because the espresso sounds so good. Cliffhanger!
Levergirl wrote:Then I disassembled the piston and found that gasket 16, nowhere near where it belonged.
I wonder how this gasket wanders?

Levergirl (original poster)
Posts: 18
Joined: 16 years ago

#4: Post by Levergirl (original poster) »

Sorry it has taken so long to get back to the story. I am on vacation starting today, but had to do all the necessary work to get there.

But now I'm free and clear for a week, other than holiday obligations.

Thanks for the pictures, Dave!

So, where was I? The gasket was not where I expected it to be, clearly why the piston was leaking. And there were small plastic parts flying around.

I tried out a couple of iterations with the gasket. In Cannonfodder's picture 11, you can see the gasket on top of the piston sleeve. This is where it belongs. However, it likes to slide off when you put the piston into the group.


My solution: I put the piston up to its max height into the top of the group head. Then I fed the sleeve onto it, so the gasket was seated against the top of the group head. Then I reassembled the two pieces of the group head and tightened the allen screw.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. First, I had to figure out what that plastic part was that went flying. Sorry I don't have a picture. But it was a piece of the non-return valve. If I can take it apart anytime soon, I will take a picture of that part, since it can be a bear to get it back the right way. It's black plastic, and has a long end and a short end. The short end fits into the non-return spring and the long end fits into the pipe. (They're part of the heat exchanger). In the picture above, you can see a metal pipe that fits into a black plastic pipe (just below the silicone hose). It's outlined in blue on this picture I stole from Dave's buyers guide. Inside the black plastic pipe is the spring and the valve.



It's not really clear on the parts diagram how that went together. However, it will only go together one way, or you can't get the heat exchanger back together. Like I said, I'll try to get a picture, because I can't really describe what you have to do.

Okay, so once you have the group head back together, you have to get it back on the machine. This requires lining up the three hoses and not having the springs pop all over the place. It's nice to have two people for this, but failing that, it can still be done with a little patience and persistence. You know you have it right when the bolts that attach the group to the boiler will go back into their holes and the nuts can be tightened all the way.



The last thing I did was re-attach the silicone hose. I figured at this point, I was home free.

But next, I had to get the panels back on the machine. That really works much better with two people, since two hands do not hold three panels on and fit the top back into place over them. Then boiler cap back on, replace the water reservoir, and screw the lever back into place. I was in business!!

Fabulous espresso once again. No leak!

Still need to get some food grade lube, since it's my understanding this is likely to happen again and lube seems to encourage the gasket to stay in place.

By the way, despite the drama and suspense, it took about an hour to do. Required very little in the way of tools.

Also, having taken it apart, I have a new appreciation for how it works.

Thanks, Dave, for your pictures!
Carolyn
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cannonfodder
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#5: Post by cannonfodder »

No problem, I am glad everything is good. Those panels are a pain to get on by yourself. You have to put the bottoms in the base of the machine and then tilt them in toward the center and squeeze the panels all together while squeezing on the top. They fit together tight don't they. About the time you get the top on, something slips and one of the panels pop out as if it was spring loaded.
Dave Stephens

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mogogear
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#6: Post by mogogear »

Carolyn- Great work! My head is spinning over all the parts! Dave Kudos on the assist !

Santa will bring you something good for sure...
greg moore

Leverwright
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grong
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#7: Post by grong »

It is such a treat to be able to repair one's own machine. Thanks for the excellent story.

cappafan
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Joined: 16 years ago

#8: Post by cappafan »

Wow, great job Carolyn! I'm thoroughly impressed! I sure hope my Achille will never leak - the diagram looks way too complicated. How about I send my machine to you if that happens? Huh, huh, huh! :lol:
Jan, LMWDP #168

morsefull
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Joined: 16 years ago

#9: Post by morsefull »

Thanks to Carolyn I've just re seated the dreaded no 16 gasket and repaired my leaking Achille.
The only problem was I put the non return valves in back to front and got them jammed, but after a couple of sharp pulls on the needlepoint pliers out they popped and after a quick check on the schematic I placed them in the right way and HEY PRESTO! no leak! All seems OK. :D

As a complete newbie I'd like to say what a great place this is to hang out and learn.
I still haven't managed to pull a good shot though, because I only bought the Achille a couple of weeks ago (for £150 / $300 E-bay) and I'm saving for a grinder, (All I've got is an old braun blade "chopper" :oops: ) but I'm very exited and looking forward to dialing in my new grinder and starting on the learning curve.

Cheers.

chrispis
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Joined: 18 years ago

#10: Post by chrispis »

Here's a picture of the non-return valves in the Achille's HX for the sake of completeness of Carolyn's great job. Don't pay attention to the white teflon tapes -- they don't exist normally.

Blue arrow = flow of cold water from the black plastic piston sleeve into the coil inside the boiler.
Red arrow = flow of hot brew water towards the shower screen.



Cheers,

-Christos

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