I'm not sure about 'pushing my finger off" the steam wand, but it sure tries to spray everywhere and the pump doesn't stall.

I did a test with a cold machine to see how much water will come through the steam wand when the steam valve is open and all switches on. I got 250 ml in 30 seconds. Does that indicate a healthy pump?

Also, re the group valve, when I install it, it acts like the spring and stopper are compressed all the way. Does it have a tendency to bind against the wall of the containing tube? Is there some trick to installing it so that it is sure to move freely?

Thanks!

That's what I mean by pushing off, I wouldn't expect it to blow your finger off or anything.

Honestly I don't know if they have a tendency to bind, mind doesn't. I'm just reasoning out where I would look for a problem based on what I'm reading.

To eliminate the pump as a problem, does 250 ml in 30 seconds via the steam wand seem reasonable?

I just tried it and got 300 ml in 30 seconds. So the same realm.

LXT824x wrote: Also, re the group valve, when I install it, it acts like the spring and stopper are compressed all the way
Thanks!

That may be right but it doesn't sound right. Look at this video and see if your spring and ball look right:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L5zufsA3-c
The spring is definitely not compressed in that video. If yours is, I'd suspect that is your problem.

Now I'm completely perplexed. The group valve sleeve (which I could not remove) looks clean as do the spring, mushroom stopper and its hex nut container. Just to be sure I bought a group valve assembly of which I could use the spring, stopper and hex nut container with no improvement in flow. The new spring is a little longer than the old (20 years old) one. Bottom line, the best I get from either is a fast drip.

Is it possible I'm getting good flow when the valve is removed but inadequate pressure? Is it time to invest in a pressure gauge to measure at the pump?

Update - Disaster!

So, thinking I might give a descaling one more go, I poured some properly diluted Durgol into the Gaggia Coffee tank and ran it. All seemed well until I went to flush with plain water. Instead of the more or less clear water I expected, it had black particles in it. I suspect this was aluminum oxide from the boiler - a surprise since no other descaler produced this - not Gaggia's brand descaler, not citric acid.

During the flush, things cleared a bit, but suddenly the pump emitted just a hum and no more water came through. And so it remains. Did the Durgol do something to the pump or was it just a coincidence? Is the pump dead or just clogged?

I'm prepared to replace the pump, but I would like some opinion on this before I go that route.

Thanks!

Have you tried opening up the boiler to do a manual descale? I'm wondering if some scale broke off and plugged up the group valve?

Black is very odd though. I'd start taking stuff apart and figure out where it came from. Maybe it is from the pump and it is dead.

Thanks for your response. It's not the group valve, since I removed it during this descaling and the passage is clear. I'm not keen on pulling out the boiler, since, from the videos I've seen, it's a major project, and I've never done it before. Pulling the pump seems easier (again, from the videos).

The black substance, whatever it was, is worrying. Could Durgol be too caustic? I diluted it per instructions.

Thanks!

Checking the inside of the boiler really is a good idea, and really not that onerous, but here are directions for checking your pump:
http://www.gaggiausersgroup.com/index.p ... =page;p=30