# Looking at a 2004 Classic: what should I be checking?



## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Having promised myself I was done with pulling shots at home... I'm heading off to look at a 2004 Classic shortly.

Wondering what I should be looking and listening out for? The seller stated that the steam wand had stopped working a little while ago but now seems back to normal. When the steam was out of action they stated that the light came on but nothing but a few drops of water came out, which sounds like a blocked wand or possible valve?

Anything else specific to these machines?

Thanks in advance for your guidance


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## ratty (Sep 22, 2019)

Take a philips screwdriver with you and remove the shower screen and look at the shower screen holder and the gasket with a torch. If it has been maintained there shouldn't be too many coffee grinds visible. If it's a nightmare, that could be fixable but a price drop would be be in order.

Get the person to make a coffee and and also check the steamer is working.

Alternatively I have a PID'd 2005 for sale, going on the forum tomorrow, with many new internal parts fitted! ?


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## ThePeginator (Dec 17, 2019)

A lot will depend on if the owner is an 'enthusiast' or just 'someone making espresso' - my response assumes the latter.

What maintenance / work (if any) has it ever had?

What level of de-scaling / back-flushing (if any) has it had?

History of the machine, usage etc. - previous owners?

Type / Hardness of water used?

You could whip the shower screen off and have a look behind it if they don't mind - see how gunked up it is. It, and the group gasket, probably need replacing regardless, maybe the shower block too.

That will give an indication of the interior condition, although probably somewhat of a moot point because the steam wand definitely sounds like a scale blockage. Almost certainly worth a full strip / descale / rebuild on a machine that old, it's probably never had one.

Edit:

Another you could check depending how nitty gritty you want to get. IF you have a blind basket, or something you can use to cover the basket (like a silicone sheet / baking tray you can cut up to make a disc), you can do a back flush to check the solenoid is working properly - even pulling a shot should give you an idea, as long as when you turn the pump off it ejects some liquid from the waste tube it's probably ok.

You might be better just buying rattys though! (PID is worth £100 alone - and it's well worth it! Transforms the machine, ad makes it a lot more attractive if you re-sell)

How much are they asking?

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## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

Definitely what water and cleanliness and yes behind the shower screenaand any upgrades.


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Awesome, thanks folks. It's going for £40 so was planning to change out seals, shower screen etc and possibly bung a PID and alternative steam wand on it. Will have a good dig round and let you know how I get on.


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## ThePeginator (Dec 17, 2019)

Skizz said:


> Awesome, thanks folks. It's going for £40 so was planning to change out seals, shower screen etc and possibly bung a PID and alternative steam wand on it. Will have a good dig round and let you know how I get on.


Quite possibly worth a punt at £40..

Although PID'd machines seem to go for 150-200 recently, so it may work out about the same in the end.

Steam wand: £15

Shower screen: £3-4 basic, £15-20 IMS

Group seal: £3? Or £8 for cafelat

PID: £100 for MrShades PID.

Calcinet(descaler) £10 a tub

And that's assuming it needs no other work AND all the bolts come apart nice and easy and nothing strips!

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## ratty (Sep 22, 2019)

You can't expect too much for £40

If you are into refurbishing it then great, another machine brought back from near extinction.

Keep these old classics going ?


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Thanks again for all the advice. Really helpful.

Looked quite tidy for 16 yr old machine and the seller was definitely an enthusiast, with a distractingly gorgeous new ECM machine sat on the worktop that had replaced this. Had a new pump, shower screen and group seal last year (pump purrs like a kitten) and he did the Sylvia wand mod prior to that, which now seems to be working without issue. No surprise that it came home with me then, and I'm quite looking forward to modding it.

Will have it apart properly this weekend and give everything a good clean and descale the whole system. Just need to sort a grinder now as there's no way my knackered Porlex is up to the task.

I blame this forum, and in particular you Classic fans, for reintroducing a machine to my worktop. Shame on you all. But is it okay if I post some pics of the internals here to get opinions?


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## ThePeginator (Dec 17, 2019)

Sounds like a good buy.

Doing the PID mod is actually a really nice way to spend an afternoon if you enjoy tinkering with stuff!

By all means post pics but it's probably worth doing the strip and de-scale regardless.

This is a really good video to follow for stripping/servicing the classic.






The big thing to make sure you don't do is submerge the boiler, when you descale it, turn it upside down and only descale the inside, DO NOT submerge the whole boiler, otherwise what usually happens is the elements short when you re-assemble it.

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## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

They are just good machines which do what they say.


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## ratty (Sep 22, 2019)

Sounds a great buy!

Another video I found very helpful is Whole latta love's


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

ThePeginator said:


> Sounds like a good buy.
> 
> Doing the PID mod is actually a really nice way to spend an afternoon if you enjoy tinkering with stuff!
> 
> The big thing to make sure you don't do is submerge the boiler, when you descale it, turn it upside down and only descale the inside, DO NOT submerge the whole boiler, otherwise what usually happens is the elements short when you re-assemble it.


 Thanks, noted.

Think I'm going to do the pressure gauge, OPV and pump-dimmer mod at the same time as the PID. Seems to make sense to do it all while I've got it apart. Will let you know how I get on.


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## allikat (Jan 27, 2020)

I submerged my boiler during the descale, but with the parts sitting in a box for 3 or 4 days near by my dehumidifier while I waited for replacement bolts, it wasn't an issue. But I can see how it could very easily cause issues if you descale and power it back up the same day. Or maybe I just got lucky... who can say?

I would advise picking up replacement bolts for the shower screen holder/dispersion plate and boiler, and possibly the boiler valves. After that time they may well be corroded if they've not been removed. No matter how well cared for the machine is, there's lots of different metals in the machine, and corrosion is a thing. My machine is only 3 years older than the one you're picking up, some of those bolts were in really bad condition, frozen solid with rust, or looking very poor. And with the number of mods you plan, you will want it to be perfect


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

allikat said:


> I submerged my boiler during the descale, but with the parts sitting in a box for 3 or 4 days near by my dehumidifier while I waited for replacement bolts, it wasn't an issue. But I can see how it could very easily cause issues if you descale and power it back up the same day. Or maybe I just got lucky... who can say?
> 
> I would advise picking up replacement bolts for the shower screen holder/dispersion plate and boiler, and possibly the boiler valves. After that time they may well be corroded if they've not been removed. No matter how well cared for the machine is, there's lots of different metals in the machine, and corrosion is a thing. My machine is only 3 years older than the one you're picking up, some of those bolts were in really bad condition, frozen solid with rust, or looking very poor. And with the number of mods you plan, you will want it to be perfect


 Good advice, thanks. Bolts and seals are on the list, as while I've not stripped it yet I did have another look inside the case today and found lots of scaling around the group head that I missed on first inspection. Based on that I'm assuming the boiler seal has failed, and that the other components are probably pretty grotty internally too, so I'm just going to do the whole lot. But again, it does run and it was only £40!

Got a PID ordered from Mr Shades, just everything else to buy.

The shopping list is growing and suggestions for best source/price for these bits would be welcome. Blue Star Coffee seems to have the best deal on plate/screen/seal set so far but always happy to save on bean vouchers where I can.



Invensys CP3A or CP4A pump, or suitable alternative for the dimmer mod


Dimmer for above (ideally for inboard mounting)


Pressure gauge


OPV - adjustable


Brass dispersion plate


Shower screen


Group head seal (silicone)


Bolts


Seals


Also, does anyone know how the 2019 Classic steam wand compares to the Silvia V3? Is it comparable in performance? An easier fit or best avoided?


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## Bagpu55 (Dec 23, 2019)

Having just done up a 2006 classic I would question the improvement of the screen and dispersion plate over the standard. Water flow seems worse due to the smaller holes but yes you have better thermal mass. But then you are getting a PID. Over the two above I would probably buy a naked portafilter and a decent basket. If your not short on cash not an issue.


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## ratty (Sep 22, 2019)

CP3A pump

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CP3A-Pump-65W-Gaggia-Classic-Coffee-Machine-Maker-Invensys-ARS-Eaton-D/163087987730?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649


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## allikat (Jan 27, 2020)

Well, with a machine that old, a new dispersion plate will never be a bad idea. I plan on doing that job to mine sometime soon. The old one was nasty, and cleaning it only goes so far in getting rid of a decade or more of coffee oils.

I will agree on the dispersion screen, I replaced mine with a stock example. Results from those who chose other options seem a little too variable for my liking.


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## Agentb (Feb 11, 2017)

Skizz said:


> Also, does anyone know how the 2019 Classic steam wand compares to the Silvia V3? Is it comparable in performance? An easier fit or best avoided?


 I haven't tried the 2019 wand, but it's not cheap when i looked.

I have tried the Silvia v3, using the Ferrari Espresso kit, details here

https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/47254-gaggia-classic-rancilio-steam-v3-wand-upgrade-from-ferrari-espresso/?tab=comments&do=embed&comment=683530&embedComment=683530&embedDo=findComment#comment-683530

I have eventually given up on the v3, and returned to the v2, i may go back to the v3 but using the right sized 1/8 male to 3/8 male brass adapter fitting adapter.

You will need to make the hole larger, and you will find the v3 wand is a bit too long - unless you have the smallest milk jug (or raise the machine up)

I think the main problem is the boiler capacity, but the ability to change the steam temp up a bit on the PID makes the biggest improvement. ??


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Agentb said:


> I have eventually given up on the v3, and returned to the v2, i may go back to the v3 but using the right sized 1/8 male to 3/8 male brass adapter fitting adapter.
> 
> You will need to make the hole larger, and you will find the v3 wand is a bit too long - unless you have the smallest milk jug (or raise the machine up)
> 
> I think the main problem is the boiler capacity, but the ability to change the steam temp up a bit on the PID makes the biggest improvement. ??


 Fair enough. Will clean up the v2 that's on it and stick with that.

Things are actually looking a bit grim inside the machine; quite a bit worse than I thought. That said, the bits that need changing were on the replacement list anyway, so other than a bit more descaling and scrubbing there's not that much more to do than I was expecting, with the exception of having to open up the boiler as looks like it's been leaking for a while.

Got a stack of old takeaway boxes and some citric acid sat on the worktop waiting to receive parts and a brass brush at the ready. Going to get started this afternoon as got a few hours to play with. Will try and remember to take pics.


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

allikat said:


> Well, with a machine that old, a new dispersion plate will never be a bad idea. I plan on doing that job to mine sometime soon. The old one was nasty, and cleaning it only goes so far in getting rid of a decade or more of coffee oils.
> 
> I will agree on the dispersion screen, I replaced mine with a stock example. Results from those who chose other options seem a little too variable for my liking.


 That's interesting about the screen. I'd read that you had to be careful not to line up the screen hole clusters with the holes in the dispersion plate but didn't realise people were doing better with the stock screens.


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## allikat (Jan 27, 2020)

Like I said, -SOME- people report doing better with stock screens. Your mileage may vary. The stock one is cheap enough, why not pick one up as well as the IMS and see which one suits your setup best?


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Will do.


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## Agentb (Feb 11, 2017)

Just a little on the block and screen, having replaced the Gaggia screen with new and then later both with IMS block and screen.

It seems to take longer to warm up with IMS brass block. It certainly is a lot heavier, so in theory should more thermal mass should keep the temps a bit more stable.

The Gaggia screen seemed to be more resistant to flow and more concentrated towards the centre in a doughnut shape (than the IMS). It probably makes a difference if your prep is not good.

The Gaggia aluminium block is a pain to clean, it's like a blanket to coffee oils.

The fit between screen and block is quite tight, and i can't remember but one way IMS in Gaggia or Gaggia in IMS was really too tight. It needs to be a good fit, and it's easy not to notice if it's not a snug fit. Careful not to overtighten that little screw.

Overall i think it's a mod i would do - especially if the block or the screen was in a state.

I'd rather choose a good basket like a VST 18 or 20 (with naked PF) before the block and screen. ?


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Agentb said:


> Overall i think it's a mod i would do - especially if the block or the screen was in a state.
> 
> I'd rather choose a good basket like a VST 18 or 20 (with naked PF) before the block and screen. ?


 Well that's lucky then, as I'm doing both ?. PF and baskets, incl. blind basket (look at me, learning the lingo!) are next on the list. Just ordering seals, bolts, and plate & screen at the moment.

Got the boiler and group head assembly out and it's a bit of a horror show. One of the group head to boiler bolts sheared straight off with minimal torque; going to wrap the others in rag and soak with vinegar for a bit before I trying them. The bolt that sheared was badly corroded so it really has been leaking a while. Dreading to think what I find when I crack the boiler open.

Speaking of which, given how bad the scaling and corrosion is around the bolts and group to boiler seam, what's the best way of separating the two halves when I've finally got the bolts out?


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## Agentb (Feb 11, 2017)

Skizz said:


> Speaking of which, given how bad the scaling and corrosion is around the bolts and group to boiler seam, what's the best way of separating the two halves when I've finally got the bolts out?


 I have never heard of that being a problem. Make sure you get a photo of any fossils that are inside... ?


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## ratty (Sep 22, 2019)

Agentb said:


> I have never heard of that being a problem. Make sure you get a photo of any fossils that are inside... ?


 There could be new species discovered and you could name it!


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

ratty said:


> There could be new species discovered and you could name it!


 Sounds good to me. Maybe 'Nincompoopus Baristusaurus'.

Latest update from the fun factory: looks like someone's had a go at the OPV in the past as the hex socket looks distinctly rounded. Not touching it until it's soaked for another few hours but any idea how to get it out if I can't get a hex key to bite?


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## ratty (Sep 22, 2019)

The major problem we face is the manufacturers use dissimilar metals for economic reasons not giving a t-ss for their longevity, hence the corrosion!


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## MartinB (May 8, 2011)

Light tap with a rubber mallet - or - simply sit the boiler and group assembly in a container of citric acid & water deep enough to cover the join between the group head and boiler and let it fizz away for a bit!


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## ratty (Sep 22, 2019)

Skizz said:


> Sounds good to me. Maybe 'Nincompoopus Baristusaurus'.
> 
> Latest update from the fun factory: looks like someone's had a go at the OPV in the past as the hex socket looks distinctly rounded. Not touching it until it's soaked for another few hours but any idea how to get it out if I can't get a hex key to bite?


 I had the same problem with my 2005 classic and had to buy a new OPV!

The old one is in an engineering workshop still and the friend has not got back to me in 3 months.

There is a fix where you drill two small holes through the adjuster screw on either side of the top of the screw. (it doesn't matter if it's drilled all the way through the adjuster screw!) Then you use two smaller drill bits or other hardened metal material pins that just fit through the drilled holes. The person who described it made up a jig to fit the pins in at the top, with two long length arms attached, allowing the screw to be undone. It maybe possible to hold them in position to turn (without scraping the bore thread!) with a large pair of mole grips, rather than having to make a jig?

The drilled screw can still be used as it doesn't have an effect on the pressure that's controlled by a spring and a rubber piston seal in the bore, below the adjuster screw.

The spring tension controls the amount of pressure the OPV 'allows'.

The need to use the drilled screw still, I was told was that it is an unusual sized thread and a separate screw is not sold. I have not checked the thread myself so cannot really say how accurate that is.


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

ratty said:


> I had the same problem with my 2005 classic and had to buy a new OPV!


 I think that's what I'll have to do. Bit narked at the additional cost but I knew there might be issues with a machine this old. Really wasn't expecting the amount of scale I've found though. I reckon the previous owner may have exaggerated the extent and frequency of their cleaning regimen.

Again though, at £40 for the base machine I'm hoping I can come out of this without it costing too much. That's becoming a bit of a mantra: 'It was only £40, it was only £40, it was only...'


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## ratty (Sep 22, 2019)

At least you will have some new parts installed that if lubricated on the threads will be easy to adjust, or remove for descaling in later years, whether you keep it or not.

I just thought, you may be able to force in a slightly larger torx bit (hammer it in!) if you are contemplating buying new, when you have removed the OPV and put in a vice to try. So it won't matter if you knacker up the old one!


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

ratty said:


> At least you will have some new parts installed that if lubricated on the threads will be easy to adjust, or remove for descaling in later years, whether you keep it or not.


 That's true.

As for hammering in a torx bit I'd be worried about just jamming it in completely. Brass is pretty soft stuff. I'm just going to order a new one for the sake of getting things moving again.


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## ratty (Sep 22, 2019)

If your getting a new one it won't matter losing a torx bit will it?


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## allikat (Jan 27, 2020)

The torx trick worked for my stuck bolt. I tossed all 4 of the boiler bolts and replaced the lot. And cheap torx bits are available in many places. And a torx bit is a low cost for a fixed machine.


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Both absolutely right of course. Call it a brain fart. I've got loads of torx bits already so will have a go tomorrow.

Also, the boiler separated from the grouphead with the aid of some stanley knife blades and the sheared bolt gave up the goods to some mole grips, so happy days on that front. Doesn't look too bad inside either, and the mating surface looks relatively free of pitting. Bit of sanding and it'll be fine. The dispersion plate came free too, though it took more soaking in resin cleaner (super concentrated citrus degreaser for router cutters) and a longer bolt to drive it off the grouphead. Nasty on the back side of it though! ?

Going to clean up the inside of the case tomorrow and consider where I might drill it for a pressure gauge. Will also see if I can figure out a way to install a dimmer in the case that's accessible and not too aesthetically grim.

While I remember, turns out that the tiny brass bottle brushes I use for cleaning router cutters are also perfect for getting into smaller channels and ports in coffee machines.


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## allikat (Jan 27, 2020)

Don't worry mate, we've seen much MUCH worse. A good descale and she'll be right.


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## MartinB (May 8, 2011)

I've seen a lot worse! Get that sat in some descaler, plus a light sand with sandpaper and jobs a goodun!


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Busy weekend meant little progress on the refurb, unless you call an epic fail on the 'non-destructive OPV removal' front, progress. Ordered a replacement on Friday so used a spare 30 mins yesterday to attack the old one, do-or-die stylie.

A T30 bit didn't get enough purchase on the insert/plug to move it and suspected that a T35 - of which I don't have any spare cheapo versions and which are generally only available in larger sets - would likely have too large a contact point and probably just mash the plug even further into the threads in compression. Figured two sharper but deeper cutting/driving faces would get more purchase, so filed down the edges of an old flat headed driver to cut into the brass and hopefully back the valve out of the assembly bore.










Dropped the valve assembly into boiling water to heat, mounted it in the vice and tapped the driver in so it cut into the plug as far as possible. Got the mole grips on the the driver and went at it. 'Creak, scrunch, ping... balls!'. Fail!










It's possible that having just two points of contact caused the plug to deform and lock into the threads even further but I suspect it was completely buggered prior to that.

If anyone thinks they can do better and are in the West Sussex area, you're welcome to the valve.


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## Adam T (Mar 3, 2020)

Hi, just found this forum and thread.

I rescued my neighbours 2006 bought classic from a journey to the recycle centre a couple of years back after he decided he couldn't be bothered with the fuss of pulling shots and bought a capsule machine. My coffee needs are generally taken care of by my Bialetti however I've used the machine a good few times and it all seems to work well enough and steams/froths to a standard which impresses my inlaws.

Anyway it suddenly lost all pressure the other day so I decided that the strip down, clean up and rebuild which has long been on the cards is now going to happen. Knowing my neighbour it's never had any maintenence or routine cleaning and probably not been used a huge amount either. Having taken the top off there's nothing obviously wrong (famous last words). I'm qualified in electronic servicing and not adverse to tinkering. The machine owes me nothing so I don't mind spending a few quid within reason.

Apart from all the valuable info in the above thread just wondering if there are any other begginer tips or scares I should be prepared for.

Interested to see how Skizz's machine turns out as I suspect I'm in for a similar ride.

NB I can post a new thread if this is going to highjack the original


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Hi Adam - the more the merrier, and nicely done rescuing your Classic.

There are links to two of the more helpful vids on Classic disassembly/reassembly near the top of this thread. From my own (limited) experience, my best tip would be - subject to your water hardness - to take your time and soak scaled parts in descaler for longer than you think you need to. Soak, heat, soak, heat and be ready to use a pick and brass brushed to clear scale and chase out threads etc.

A good tip I found elsewhere on this forum was to use Stanley knife blades to separate the boiler from the group head if it's reluctant to let go.

It's been entertaining having this to work on for the occasional half hour here and there between jobs (I work from home), with today's jobs being to cut the hole for the face mounted pressure gauge (machine's face, not mine), de-gunge the case and start flattening the boiler mating-surface. Cutting the hole was fine (had forgotten what a bugger stainless can be to work with) and the case Is probably cleaner than it's been since new. Wasn't getting far with 120 grit on the boiler though and can't find my 80 grit so that'll get finished tomorrow when I've bought some more.

Top tip for cutting the hole: auto-punch to get started, 2.5-3mm bit to tee-up and then move up by 0.5mm at a time until you're at the arbor's pilot diameter. 3-in-1 is fine for cutting at a low speed and remember that this is some really hard stainless, so it pings chips at you when starting with the smaller drill bits. Also, unless you've got a dedicated metalworking space, a magnet for picking up dwarf is helpful as you probably don't want razor sharp bits of stainless getting stuck in people's or animal's feet/paws.

Nearly ready to put it all back together and fit the PID.


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Skizz said:


> Also, unless you've got a dedicated metalworking space, a magnet for picking up dwarf is helpful as you probably don't want razor sharp bits of stainless getting stuck in people's or animal's feet/paws.


 That should read 'swarf', NOT 'dwarf'! I don't know what a dwarf magnet is and I don't want to


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## Adam T (Mar 3, 2020)

Cheers Skizz

Got the machine completely stripped down today, amazed to find the boiler was much better than expected. Two rounds of citric mix and it's looking like it's there, I spent more time on getting all the old coffee residue cleaned out to be honest. Going to order a new gaskets then rebuild next week, hoping it springs back into life again after the mysterious loss of any water at the head. It was still steaming and the pump was working so be interesting to see what it does now.

I'm not deep into this enough to start customising the machine like you are but I must say it looks tempting just for the project.


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Adam T said:


> ... amazed to find the boiler was much better than expected. Two rounds of citric mix and it's looking like it's there, I spent more time on getting all the old coffee residue cleaned out to be honest.
> 
> I'm not deep into this enough to start customising the machine like you are but I must say it looks tempting just for the project.


 That's good news then. If there's still nothing at the group head after that I'm sure someone here will have an idea what to try next.

I blame the forum for encouraging the mods. I was adamant that I was happy with Aeropress and pour over and didn't need shots at home. Then rapidly convinced myself that a nice small, cheap, simple machine like the Classic was a reasonable use of worktop space, and then decided what the hell, let's mod it! Textbook mission creep.

You'll be swapping steam wands and fitting a PID before you know it. If you really can resist the temptation to tweak, at least consider the OPV adjustment. Consensus seems to be that it's the one essential mod, followed by the steam wand.


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Mixed results this evening:

All went back together without issue, though routing the capillary tube for the pressure gauge took some faffing. PID components and wiring all completed to spec and PID housing mounted on a butt hinge. Looks tidy enough.

Disconnected the brew SSR to setup the PID and that was pretty straight forward too. Then, reconnected the brew SSR and went to prime the boiler and... tripped the ring main. After being warned about keeping liquid out of the heating elements I'm a bit worried some may have snuck in after all.

Will get the multi meter on it tomorrow but may have to yank the boiler and park it on a radiator for a few days to dry the elements. Balls.


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## MartinB (May 8, 2011)

Disconnect the earth and turn the machine on for a few mins and it should dry out. You need to triple check your wiring is bang on though! Make sure you fill the boiler otherwise it'll probably burn out without any water in.


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

MartinB said:


> Disconnect the earth and turn the machine on for a few mins and it should dry out. You need to triple check your wiring is bang on though! Make sure you fill the boiler otherwise it'll probably burn out without any water in.


 Would do but I need to turn it on in order to fill the boiler, and that's what tripped the ring main. Apologies if I've misunderstood.


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## MartinB (May 8, 2011)

Turn it on and turn on the the steam switch and brew buttons, dont touch the steam valve and I believe the boiler should fill up. Give it 20 seconds or so and release the steam switch and water should flow from the grouphead.


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

MartinB said:


> Turn it on and turn on the the steam switch and brew buttons, dont touch the steam valve and I believe the boiler should fill up. Give it 20 seconds or so and release the steam switch and water should flow from the grouphead.


 Thanks Martin. That is what was shorting it so couldn't get it to run long enough to fill. With your suggestion and some sanity checking by a certain Classic PID guru, I dried the boiler elements out. I'm not going to detail what I did as it's bloody dangerous and could've ended in a very bad day if I'd cocked it up!

Given that I'm writing this, we can assume I didn't cock it up... unless there's some seriously Sixth Sense stuff going on. Needless to say, if you are going to try it then make sure you know what you're up to and ideally have guidance from someone else who knows what they're on about. Was an exciting lunch break anyway, without any funny hairdos resulting, so that was nice.

The machine is now running, so thanks again to all who kindly offered their advice.

I also set the OPV to 10 bar according to a filter-mounted gauge (hopefully 9 on the puck). Panel-mounted gauge seems to consistently show 0.5 bar lower, as expected.

See below for a pic of the first shot not to go down the sink: 18g Horsham Coffee Roaster 'Nova' in = 37ish out. Ground at 1.8 on the Feld 47; first shot at 1.5 choked and will probably go coarser still. Ridgeless VST 18g basket, cheapo chisel levelling device and relatively light tamp, ran to 1:30! Wasn't battery acid but certainly wasn't great.

Definitely need to dial in the grind and refine my prep. Will then look at the pump dimmer mod. Would also like a shallower drip tray and really fancy a little 'P.I.D.' badge to sit below the Gaggia Classic' badge, because I'm a bit sad ?

Cheers all!


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## MartinB (May 8, 2011)

Glad you got it sorted ???


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## Bagpu55 (Dec 23, 2019)

That's looks ace. Worked hard there. Almost exactly the same set up as me. But I'm missing the pressure gauge and leveling tool.


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Bagpu55 said:


> That's looks ace. Worked hard there. Almost exactly the same set up as me. But I'm missing the pressure gauge and leveling tool.


 Thank you. Really enjoyed myself. Blowing the ring main wasn't so much fun but the fix was exciting ?

I really like the levelling tool but do wish I'd gone for the 58.5 version with the knurled grips. This one's a little too small for an 18g VST so you have to roll it round the edges, Kenwood Chef style. The smooth sides make it a devil to keep hold of too so I keep nearly dropping it. Will probably order the other one off eBay.

This morning's shot, and a vast improvement over yesterday's efforts: 18g HCR 'Nova', 1.9.1 on the Feld 47, into 18g VST, bottomless - tapped, levelled and very light tamp = 40g out at 33 secs. Nice but a bit bright. Maybe a slightly harder tamp? Getting there.


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

Couple of other mods now completed on this 2004 Classic:

*1. Brass dispersion plate modification*

Having fitted a brass dispersion plate and IMS screen from the outset I was never entirely satisfied with evenness of dispersion across the screen. While the appearance of water dispersion without a PF in place has little bearing on actual performance once a loaded basket is locked in and offering some back-pressure, I wanted to address the signs of jetting and uneven extraction I was seeing but without losing the greater thermal mass/stability of the brass plate. Following the lead of others, I widened the bore of the existing holes from 2.5mm to 3.5mm and drilled two additional 3.5mm holes near the centre of the block. I then countersunk the exit of the holes (down-flow) in an attempt to reduce exit pressure.

The result was earlier centring of the flow from an 18g VST basket in a bottomless PF and less evidence of jetting/cratering on the puck post-extraction.























Definitely an improvement but I'm going to keep an eye on this and may try switching back to an original alloy plate and stock screen at some point, purely for curiosity's sake.


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

*2. Silvia V3 steam wand - Ferrari Espresso upgrade kit*

Having had mixed results from the Silvia V2 wand that came with the machine I decided to remove a source of excuses for my crap milk steaming efforts and fit the upgraded Silvia V3 wand.

I looked at doing a direct conversion, modifying the existing copper steam-pipe to accommodate the longer V3 wand and articulating ball-joint but had concerns about long-term effects of flexing the pipe when moving the newly wigglable wand around. That in mind, I chose Ferrari Espressos conversion kit as it comes with a bracket which mounts the ball-joint directly to the machine chassis and also a flexible steam-pipe that makes managing space inside the machine a bit easier. That, and it was only seven quid more expensive than buying the parts for the basic conversion individually.

This job tuned out to be more work than I'd anticipated and involved:



Removing the panel-mounted pressure gauge, switch module and entire group-assembly


Thoroughly masking off the remaining electronics and PID unit to avoid scattering stainless filings/swarf over everything


Die-grinding the existing wand exit-port to allow for full articulation of the new wand


Carefully marking and drilling two holes for the supplied mounting bracket - i was able to enlarge one of the cleco holes from manufacturing


Always remember that stainless is a very hard material so use good quality HSS bits and/or carbide tipped tools at a low speed and some form of cutting fluid: 3-in-1 oil is fine. Drilling and machining stainless steel will cause lots of very small and very sharp pieces of waste material to be ejected at high velocity so wear proper eye protection (not just your normal specs!) and remember that any newly machined edges will be extremely sharp! Consider your tool path, where your hands (and other bits of your body) are in relation to the tool and where a tool, blade or drill bit will go if something slips or fails/shears before you expect it to.


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## Skizz (Feb 10, 2020)

And the results are a wand that's far easier to position where you actually want it and theoretically capable of ghostriding. By enlarging the original wand exit-port I can get sufficient articulation of the wand to mean its more than high enough for a 600ml jug so no need for a machine riser.

So I'm now a latte art god and its all thanks to this upgrade. That'd be nice, but its not true. I'm still crap at steaming milk only now I cant blame the wand. I see lots of practice with water and washing up liquid in my future ?


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