# Restore #2 - 1991 Gaggia Baby



## Steve_M (May 26, 2018)

This is my 2nd Gaggia refurb. I detailed the first one here.

For $65 CAD shipped to my door, there was no way I was going to turn this one down. I assumed it needed some love by the description of "it turns on and the the water heats up, but that's about it". It has the exact same internals as the Classic.

Here it is, unpacked and ready to see what's wrong with it.










Popping off the shower screen, it was pretty obvious why this machine wasn't doing anything.










The holes in the shower plate were also clogged quite bad.










All things considered, the boiler wasn't too bad.










After a some scrubbing with small wire and brass brushes, a few cafiza and citric acid baths, most of the parts cleaned up nice. By hand, I used a 4mm drill bit to unclog the ingress and egress water holes on the group head. They were still plenty clogged.










Now onto the over pressure valve. Unlike the classics that have a hex hole on the adjustment nut, this one required a set of needle nose pliers tips to fit into the outer sides of the nut. It was also seized quite bad and required several applications of penetrating fluid and some heat. This was probably the most stubborn part to deal with in the teardown.










With everything cleaned up and now moving, I got it all back together and calibrated the over pressure valve.










It was during the OPV calibration that I realized I had another problem to deal with. The integrated drain tube in the plastic housing was clogged quite badly which wasn't letting the water drain. This caused the pressurized water to spray everywhere instead of being sent down the integrated tube and out the front of the machine like it's supposed to.

I didn't take any pictures of the unclogging process, but I had to take the whole shell apart and the unclog the drain pipe, which probably took about an hour of jabbing at it with a cut off wire coat hanger and some drill bits. The dried up coffee stuck in that thing was like cement.

And now for a little sample of the machine running like it should.

https://streamable.com/lvb6e

This machine is going to live at my parents place, as my father has been quite envious of the quality of coffee coming out of my Classic. Now they can enjoy the same!


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

Nice to see machines being restored and also satisfying:good:


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## WaltzingDingo (Sep 27, 2019)

Oh neat!
I refurbished a Gaggia Baby 91 this year as well, which was such a ridiculously lucky find here as I got it for $20 AUD because the family were just clearing it out. The shower screen and shower screen holder were just as bad as yours, but I haven't seen inside the boiler yet. I am thinking it should be on my list though, because although it's had a thorough descaling without popping the seal, perhaps it's a good idea to install a new seal to go with the new group head seal that I replaced.
A task for a later date. Perhaps I should check the OPV as well like you have.

I am otherwise very satisfied with the coffee it's producing now that I've dialled in my grinder, I also have a rotary dimmer switch between the brew switch and the vibration pump, for future tinkering.

I'm just completely surprised how great of a machine they are once they've been dialled in.


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## BDiab (Oct 4, 2019)

Have the same Gaggia and am currently fixing it too.. Want to get a manometer to test and adjust the OPV however it will not fit to this "spoutless" PF. Do you think it"s better to buy a new PF?

Thank you


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## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

BDiab said:


> Have the same Gaggia and am currently fixing it too.. Want to get a manometer to test and adjust the OPV however it will not fit to this "spoutless" PF. Do you think it"s better to buy a new PF?
> 
> Thank you


You can get a pressure gauge already mounted on a portafilter on eBay. Alternatively if you're looking at getting a bottomless portafilter anyway (I assume when you say "spoutless" PF you mean one of the cast ones), this one will fit.


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## MartinB (May 8, 2011)

BDiab said:


> Have the same Gaggia and am currently fixing it too.. Want to get a manometer to test and adjust the OPV however it will not fit to this "spoutless" PF. Do you think it"s better to buy a new PF?
> 
> Thank you


 Where are you located? There are a few doing the rounds on the forum!


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## bmed927 (Aug 15, 2020)

Steve_M said:


> Now onto the over pressure valve. Unlike the classics that have a hex hole on the adjustment nut, this one required a set of needle nose pliers tips to fit into the outer sides of the nut. It was also seized quite bad and required several applications of penetrating fluid and some heat. This was probably the most stubborn part to deal with in the teardown.


 I have this exact same machine. Could you explain what you meant with regard to your issues with the opv? i see that inside the valve, as you said, there is no hex key? How specifically did you use needle nose pliers in this instance? I want to adjust my pressure, but if mine also lacks the hex key, I want to know how to do it. Thank you for your time, as I realize this is an older thread.


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

Partially open the pliers and insert one point either side of the centre pin. Applying firm downward pressure rotate the pliers to move the slotted nut.

Alternatively use a strip of metal to fit inside the OPV , file a slot in the centre to clear the pin and use pliers / spanner to rotate the metal.


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## Norvin (Sep 10, 2014)

El carajillo said:


> Partially open the pliers and insert one point either side of the centre pin. Applying firm downward pressure rotate the pliers to move the slotted nut.
> 
> Alternatively use a strip of metal to fit inside the OPV , file a slot in the centre to clear the pin and use pliers / spanner to rotate the metal.


 Be careful as the plug is soft brass and the slot is easily damaged by using the wrong tools. If yours is really seized in look for my thread on restoring a Gaggia OWC where I show a method of loosening a slotted plug on a similar OPV that was really stuck. Hopefully, yours will not be as seized in as mine was, it really is the nuclear option. You probably won't need such drastic measures, but at least it shows the layout of components.


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

Norvin said:


> Be careful as the plug is soft brass and the slot is easily damaged by using the wrong tools. If yours is really seized in look for my thread on restoring a Gaggia OWC where I show a method of loosening a slotted plug on a similar OPV that was really stuck. Hopefully, yours will not be as seized in as mine was, it really is the nuclear option. You probably won't need such drastic measures, but at least it shows the layout of components.


 Was it this thread @Norvin I remember seeing it (before I was a member, I think) and choking on my coffee when I saw the scale and muck on there!

https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/27600-gaggia-owc-restoration/?tab=comments&do=embed&comment=385865&embedComment=385865&embedDo=findComment#comment-385865


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## Norvin (Sep 10, 2014)

MildredM said:


> Was it this thread @Norvin I remember seeing it (before I was a member, I think) and choking on my coffee when I saw the scale and muck on there!
> 
> https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/27600-gaggia-owc-restoration/?tab=comments&do=embed&comment=385865&embedComment=385865&embedDo=findComment#comment-385865


 Yes, Mildred, that's it, it has funny formatting as it was cut and pasted from elsewhere. OWC still in service making daytime Affrogatos.

just dug out the special tool that I initially made for the job. Even that wasn't good enough and more drastic measures were needed.


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## Jdelliott (11 mo ago)

Any thoughts if this showerblock fits the baby 91? 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KV61LWG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_3BQPB1DHGHDKASFJB5RD?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

i can't tell if the 91 uses the spring and ball in the middle of the shower block or not.


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

I think it should, remove the existing one to check / compare.


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## Alfieboy (Dec 26, 2018)

@Jdelliott these are essentially a Classic in a different case

Check out https://www.mrbean2cup.co.uk/spare-parts/gaggia/gaggia-baby-gaggia-91 for spares diagrams but if it fits the Classic it should fit yours


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## Jdelliott (11 mo ago)

Thank you!


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## Jdelliott (11 mo ago)

Does this have a 3 way solenoid and adjustable OPV? Looking at the parts diagram I can't quite tell.


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## Alfieboy (Dec 26, 2018)

@Jdelliott Yes exactly the same as a Classic - parts 13 & 21


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