I have a Profitec Pro 500 that I try to keep immaculate. I am very conservative with backflushing with detergent because I have read that it is very hard on the internals. I did it for the first time recently and now my lever has become very squeaky and it is driving me nuts. Do I need to take it apart and lube the cam or am I overreacting? Thanks!!

Short answer: Yes, you should lube the cam with food-grade grease to minimize wear. It is very easy to do and there are lots of videos on line showing how to do it.

Fuller explanation: If you don't have any grease, you can safely pull a few shots and see if the squeaking goes away. Usually the oil in the coffee will eventually lube the cam. When the cam is lubed with grease, the hot brew water gradually removes the grease anyway, and it is replaced by coffee oil. I had the same problem with my Magister (e61) and currently with my Synchronika; I guess all of us with e61 groups do. I now rarely backflush with chem...just frequently with water. When I do major maintenance is the only time I use chem now, since when I do it I lube the cam with grease as part of the cleaning.

I've tried an alternative that I had read by an owner on HB..

I took the lever apart.. but I don't like doing that every time I clean the machine.. seems like a lot of wear and tear on the gaskets/rings and stuff.

I put 2-3 drops of extra virgin olive oil in a backflush disk and do 3 water backflushes.. Makes it smooth.. Some seem to think the olive oil will go rancid in there. I've done this for 8 months.. Have never noticed a hint of taste or anything.. I check the taste of water from group each week.. For me, this does the trick.. eventually the coffee oils will also lube the joint.

ballison78 wrote:I have a Profitec Pro 500 that I try to keep immaculate. I did it for the first time recently and now my lever has become very squeaky and it is driving me nuts.

Well, ensure that it is not the metal-metal contact at the point where the lever and pump start button meet. The VBM also uses a similar [lever gradually pressing a button] style and I simply wipe the top of the lever off to keep it clean and smooth. It solves my squeaky lever problem so far!