Rebuild of La Marzocco Linea 4AV. - Page 3

Equipment doesn't work? Troubleshooting? If you're handy, members can help.
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Euology101
Posts: 184
Joined: 13 years ago

#21: Post by Euology101 »

coffeekam wrote: I made a list of parts, seals, gaskets etc that i want to get. Can anyone suggest where i can purchase parts online? the only one i know of is espresso parts.com

Some questions:
do i need some kind of sealants, grease or other for the bolts and screws?

For fun, my list of needed parts:

O-rings for flowmeters
group head fiber gaskets
group head cover O-ring
4 silicone gaskets
LM name plate
double scale pressure gauge
control panel cover for a 4 group
drain tray
1 cup tray grate 240mm
cup tray for 4 group
That was a very quick strip and reinstall, took me months to get that far, and most of my stuff didn't come out as clean! Wanna come clean mine up a bit? :lol: Looks great already!

Some things I would add to your buy list:
Heating element fiber gaskets
New Steam boiler Safety valve & copper washer, might as well replace better safe than sorry
Rebuild kit for your Sirai P-stat (may not need it, but your already torn apart, might as well replace it)
Rebuild kit for steam wands? (I didn't do mine at first because they looked good, but found the 2 leaks in each of them, either from old o-rings, or bad seats)
Replace any copper crush washers you may have found, they may not seat correctly and will cause leaks
o-rings for Diffusion screens, if your machine is anything like mine, they are rock hard, and will not reseal properly
Autofill probe gasket - If I remember correctly this is Fiber, and garbage once you remove
.06mm Gigglers (QTY 4) Do some research, if you have it apart, you might as well do this cheap upgrade
Group Head Gaskets
Group Head Screens
Filter baskets

Check the wiring, if you see anything brittle, you should replace it. I replaced my power cord & power feed to my pump because they were extremely brittle. I also replaced the start capacitor on my motor, and had the pump rebuilt. I sent off the electronics to be reconditioned also.

I would possibly look into PIDing both the boilers, even if you have no intention of keeping it, you seem handy, and it will only raise the value of the machine.

As for parts sources, I would say if you do a large bundle, and you have everything you need in one order, give EspressoParts a call, and give them your order. Terry, and his people are very helpful, and I'm sure if you ask nicely they will give you a discount, especially if you place a large order. Otherwise, you may be better off trying to go direct to LM or Espresso Specialists, in Seattle, though you may need a reseller certificate.

Hope this helps.

-Justin

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allon
Posts: 1639
Joined: 13 years ago

#22: Post by allon »

A replacement Sirai is almost the same price as a rebuild kit, and the rebuild kit only replaces the membrane and seal, NOT the switch contacts, which are also prone to wear.
LMWDP #331

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barry
Posts: 637
Joined: 19 years ago

#23: Post by barry »

I'm concerned about the frozen boiler ends. From the early photos, they've been bulged out way beyond their original shape, which is concave, not convex. Those boilers need to hold at least 15 bar pressure. The middle boiler mount should not be flexed out like it is, and the boilers should have a couple of inches of space between them. I'd also check the thermostat thermowells on each boiler, as those are easily damaged by freezing. If the thermostat cannot be easily withdrawn from the well, then the thermowell is almost certainly deformed, if not split.

Try to pressure test the machine after assembly, but before you plug it in. Expect the machine to leak, sometimes dramatically, as soon as you put water to it. It would be nice if you could pressure test the boilers before installing them, as you can expect the group mounting gaskets to be the primary trouble spots.

It will be fun & frustrating, but you will learn a lot. The 4-group that I rebuilt in 2000 ran my shop until we closed in 2009, and it is sitting on a cart about 15 ft away from me. I've redone & resurrected a number of Lineas, so holler if you need help. PM me is the best way to get my attention, as I don't make it through here very often anymore. :(

--Barry

coffeekam (original poster)
Posts: 20
Joined: 12 years ago

#24: Post by coffeekam (original poster) »

napierzaza wrote:A flow meter is going to have a little plastic fan inside. If it's in one piece it's fine. They basically work by the magnets (or magnetic) pieces that are moved by the water. So there's not a lot of pieces.

Your pressure gauge is indeed junked because of ice. I'd check all the smaller tubes but that's pretty much the skinniest most easy-to-break part. When I re-furbished my Rancilio the gauge was just shot full of scale that couldn't come out. Yours are bloated and you could never fix them. Even if you bent them back you couldn't consider them calibrated and accurate anymore.

You should get some food safe grease. You will need this for any manual valves and other areas

Check out espressotec.com. They're Canadian so you will get cheaper shipping. Espresso parts was 30$ shipping and then I paid 30$ brokerage when it arrived. Pretty typical for us Canadians. Though EspressoParts has some good stuff. Though it's more tricky withe espressotec because you can't just email with a item list and ask for a quote. For espressotec you have to use their annoying "custom" part interface and they will probably still correspond with you afterwards.
ok so I opened up all 4 flowmeters and they're intact.Will be replacing the o-rings on them.
I figured that the gauge was no longer good. Now that you point it out, i see how the water has damaged the part.

I can get my hands on some TAYLOR lube very easily. Someone else told me to simply use mineral oil, which can be found at supermarkets. Is that a good suggestion? Sorry for the stupid questions, but you guys specify where exactly i should apply the lube/grease? Not sure what a manual valve is.... :?

With regards to parts. I think i got lucky. I fell on an ebay listing,and the guy had many of the gaskets and seals i need or want to change. His prices were great and shipping is only 8$. He also happen to have a new pressure gauge! (68$)
I did get on touch with a Canadian LM distributor and he got back to me with a quote. Man they're expensive!!

In stock:
1 x white o-ring for flowmeter(LAD070/S1) $ 3.25
4 x group fiber gaskets (L103/B) $5.70 x 4 = 22.80
4 x group cover o-ring(L103/A) $6.00 x 4 = 24.00
4 x gasket, group to boiler, silicone(L100/A) $30.00 x4 = 120.00
1 x double scale pressure gauge(L280) $98.50
Total:$268.55+ TAX

Special Order :

1 x control cover panel 4 gr (CL14/*) $405.80
1 x drain tray, 4gr, low (CL17/*) $323.50
1 x cup tray grate 240mm (CL20/M) $129.00
1 x cup tray for 4 group (CL19/*) $453.00
1 x cup tray assembly, 4gr (with hole guards)(CL19/*A)$587.50

Total:$1898.80 + TAX
Tax =about 14%

In any case, I'm having a friend who has a machine shop look at alternative options. I have a couple of the panels from a 3 group so we're examining how they can be adjusted/extended to fit the 4 gr.

coffeekam (original poster)
Posts: 20
Joined: 12 years ago

#25: Post by coffeekam (original poster) »

Justin, thanks for the support. I have some free time at the moment and was able to put 10-12 hour days on the machine
I'd like to change as many parts as possible and your list is very useful. I'm a bit perplexed how to go about it because A. I don't even know if this machine has been functional at all or if it has nay serious issues that I'm overseeing as electrical problems or major leaks. B. because although i don't want to do a sh** job on it,I want to sell it and make some $. I do realize that both my point go hand in hand.

My plan is to do as much work as possible on it but ultimately have it inspected and verified by a local repair shop. They can plug it, fill it up and run it a few times. Surely they will find some of my errors, but I'll feel more comfortable that a pro has approved it. Then I'll have an invoice and proof that it runs smooth which can help during the sale. Should there be a need for other parts etc, I'll be more willing to spend some extra money it then.

I dont' know anything when it comes to electrical stuff, so for that I'm waiting for a mate to help me out.
Having cleaned them, the wires look in good shape. I'll def keep the start capacitor and pump in mind.

I thought of doing adding the PID mod, but to be honest, it's very expensive. :(

Thanks for the contact. I'll def get in touch with Terry. Curious if he can get me a better quote for some panel parts.

coffeekam (original poster)
Posts: 20
Joined: 12 years ago

#26: Post by coffeekam (original poster) »

I know how fun pictures are so here are a few.
I just remembered that i got 10 brand new portafilter gaskets when i got the machine but along with them i got these:

any idea what they are??


Some other shots in case anyone can spot issues:


Left thermowell



Right thermowell


thanks

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cannonfodder
Team HB
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#27: Post by cannonfodder »

Those two white long parts look to be steam tips but I never seen that kind on a linea. The wire screen is probably the aerator for the water tap.
Dave Stephens

dustin360
Posts: 825
Joined: 13 years ago

#28: Post by dustin360 »

The white tips are for whip cream canisters, the white rubber things are the gaskets for the whip cream canisters. Dont know what the screen is for, but it looks like it goes up in a faucet or the hot water spigot.

coffeekam (original poster)
Posts: 20
Joined: 12 years ago

#29: Post by coffeekam (original poster) »

oh yeah that makes sense for the whip cream
the screen doesn't seem to fit anything on the machine, so it's possible that it came with everything by accident
Still waiting for a quote for the missing SS panels. Haven't done much on the machine in a while. Getting a bit impatient...

coffeekam (original poster)
Posts: 20
Joined: 12 years ago

#30: Post by coffeekam (original poster) »

ok so today i received my parts:
pressure gauge
upper group o-ring and paper gasket
group to boiler gaskets
and flowmeter o-rings

I'm slightly disappointed. The silicone gaskets don't seem to have the same thickness as the original ones i have in place, and they're not uniform in size.
Good thing i kept the old ones...just in case.

I realized that the gauge i received isn't an original LM part. There is no Marzocco print on the white face, but more important, the fitting tips are not the same as the original! Have a look at the pic please.

What do you guys suggest??
I've informed the e b a y seller about this.Waiting for his feedback

PS: sorry for all the pictures that i post and them being horizontal. take them with iphone...