Problem with my Vivaldi II

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sjh

Problem with my Vivaldi II

Post by sjh »

A month or two back I started having a problem. For perhaps 1 out of 10 shots instead of getting the normal (somewhat loud) motor/pump noise I get a much softer (but similar) noise, and no pressure. It quickly got worse, and now it happens pretty much every time. Is it probably a bad pump? Motor? Is this a common problem? Something I could fix myself?
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chas
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Re: Problem with my Vivaldi II

Post by chas »

The good news - if there is any - is that it doesn't appear likely to be an electrical problem. You didn't say how old it is so I'm not sure if you might be covered by warranty or not. The first thing you need to do is pull the front cover so you can get a good view of the pump and motor and see what is going on when you are not getting pressure. It sounds possible that the motor is straining but not able to spin the pump for some reason. The next step is to remove the screw holding the collar between the pump and motor so that you can separate the two and check for corrosion or other issues. With the pump pulled away from the motor you should be able to trigger some cycles and see if the motor is always running freely. Also, trying spinning the pump by hand to see if it turns freely.

Before trying the above steps, read through these threads first:

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=986&p=14604&hilit=motor#p14604
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1290&p=15600&hilit=bearings#p15600
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
sjh

Re: Problem with my Vivaldi II

Post by sjh »

Thanks for the info. It is less then two years old, so I'm waiting to hear back from Chris' before I do anything :)

I took the front panel off, and things look ok to me, but I'm not really sure what I'm looking for.
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chas
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Re: Problem with my Vivaldi II

Post by chas »

Did you buy yours before or after CCS extended the warranty from 1 to 2 years?
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
mtrdude

Re: Problem with my Vivaldi II

Post by mtrdude »

I am having an issue as well with my vivaldi ii..This is my first really nice espresso machine. i didn't know u need to do regular cleaning on it.oops.. so after 2 yrs of using it about 2 or 3 times a week the 3 green lights flash on a single shot and 3 yellows flash with double shot. I did my first back flushing with joe glo boy was it nasty in there. pulled a shot the next day and no problem. but my 2nd cup of espresso i pulled the lights started flashing again...anybody know what to do? thanks for all the replies :)
Louis

Re: Problem with my Vivaldi II

Post by Louis »

I certainly want to know what was the cause of your issues (mtrdude and sjh). Pump leaks are a known issue but if it happens as early 2 years of use, we all need to review our "preventive maintenance checkups" (Looking for water leaks at the pump each 4, 6, 12 months?)

A pump replacement/rebuild is quite easy but when the motor also need to be changed because of corrosion, this gets costly...
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chas
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Re: Problem with my Vivaldi II

Post by chas »

There is a problem that happens to a small percentage of owners where the seal on the back of the pump starts to slowly leak. This will eventually ruin the pump. Worse is when the water gets on the motor shaft and corrodes the motor seals and bearings, too. Worse case you might have to replace both which will cost you $310 for parts. On the plus side, if this is what is required, it's not too hard to do it yourself.

Your first step is to disconnect the two water hoses from the pump, then unscrew the collar that connects the pump to the motor. Then you can pull out the pump and inspect both pump and motor for damage.

If you search around on the forum you will find at least a couple of threads with pictures showing the kind of damage you may see after pulling the pump.
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
Louis

Re: Problem with my Vivaldi II

Post by Louis »

chas wrote:There is a problem that happens to a small percentage of owners where the seal on the back of the pump starts to slowly leak. This will eventually ruin the pump. Worse is when the water gets on the motor shaft and corrodes the motor seals and bearings, too. Worse case you might have to replace both which will cost you $310 for parts.
Chas, how frequently do you think one should remove the pump and ensure water is not leaking? Each X months?
Endo

Re: Problem with my Vivaldi II

Post by Endo »

JohnB discussed this in depth in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=986

As mentioned in the dicussion, corrosion has started on some machines as early as one year. :shock: So I would recommend one year as the maximum interval for a preventative check of the area (especially if you never checked it since new).

When you have it apart, you'll want to add lots of grease and possibly enlarge the drain hole to get any leaking water out (see JohnB's photos). Once you put it back togther after the first year, have a look again the following year. If it then looks good, you might want to consider extending the inspection interval beyond one year.
JohnB

Re: Problem with my Vivaldi II

Post by JohnB »

The funny thing is once I cleaned everything up in there it never leaked again while I owned it.
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