# Help with Ebay purchase - La Pavoni Europiccola!



## Ben1 (Jan 11, 2012)

Hi all,

I've just bought a used La Pavoni Europiccola from ebay and picked it up today. After experimenting this afternoon I'm now thinking there may be a problem with it but hopefully someone with more experience can give me some help.

I had about 8 or 9 attempts at making a decent shot this afternoon and couldn't get it to work at all. Basically, when I pull down the lever I can feel little/if no resistance and nothing comes out until I have raised and pulled the lever maybe 3, 4 or 5 times, and then I get the coffee gushing out! The steam wand seems to be working fine, let me take you through the process that I have been doing:

1. Heat up the machine and group head with portafilter attached to get everything up to temp

2. Grid beans (I'm using a Gaggia MDF grinder)

3. Let out some steam through the wand and also lift the lever up and pull down to get some water through the group head (tried this once and then twice on the next attempt.

4. Put the basket in and then lift the lever, wait for 6 or so seconds for preinfusion, then pull down - I now get no resistance at all and no coffee coming out, lift again and pull down, same thing happens until maybe the third or fourth time then i get coffee coming though fast (still with little resistance), maybe 3 seconds and 2 shot glasses are full - and no crema obviously.

At first i thought the grind was too course so i tried a finer and finer setting until i was on number 1 (finest setting - supposedly turkish grind!) with the Gaggia MDF and still no difference. I am using Percol beans from the supermarket though - could this be the problem?

I'm thinking it has to either be the beans not being fresh enough or there is something wrong with the machine and I'm not getting enough pressure.

Like I said the machine was an Ebay purchase which I picked up today and I'm now not sure what to do! I will try fresh beans first, from hasbean or Mancoco (my local), but if anyone can shed any light in the meantime i would really appreciate it!

Many thanks.


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## Southpaw (Feb 26, 2012)

I've never had a lever but it sounds like you've got too much pressure which fractures the puck and then gushes. If you pull once - how long are you waiting? I'd try loosening the grinder back to espresso and give it a single pull on the lever and wait 30s to see if anything comes?


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## Ben1 (Jan 11, 2012)

Southpaw said:


> I've never had a lever but it sounds like you've got too much pressure which fractures the puck and then gushes. If you pull once - how long are you waiting? I'd try loosening the grinder back to espresso and give it a single pull on the lever and wait 30s to see if anything comes?


Thanks for the reply. I tried waiting about 10 seconds after the first pull but nothing came out, after 3 or 4 pulls it started coming through but as I said, much too quickly. The thing is with all the videos I've seen the coffee comes through as the lever is being pulled - and on the first pull. I'll try taking the grinder back a few notches and see if that makes a difference, though I did start at setting 7 and had the same issue.


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## DannyMontez (May 19, 2014)

If you're getting no water it could be due to the seals on the piston being worn. It's an easy fix.


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

What happens if you pull it with no coffee in?


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## richard_m_h (Nov 21, 2014)

If you haven't got it sorted yet, you need to lift the lever and hold it for 10 secs or so. Then push down.

I can feel when the water has stopped flowing.

Just lift the lever without the portafilter to see if water comes through.


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