Delongi Esam 4200

Dtp1979

have this machine 5 years now. Just yesterday the grinding went from what felt like 7-8 seconds down do 3 and spewed out watery coffee. I stripped down the grinder and it had no blockages whatsoever. Gave it a clean and no difference.
anybody come across this before?

alec76

My guess would be motor of the grinder ( worn brushes or commutator for instance)

Dtp1979

would changing out the entire motor do the job or can the brushes be changed?

Krusty_Clown

How are the pucks? Same size/weight/consistency?

How are the burrs? Any chance you caught a pebble?

Dtp1979

yea there’s a few things going on. Pucks are falling asunder. I stripped the infuser, put in 2 new washers and greased it up with silicone grease. I also stripped the grinder.

Strangely enough the grinder running time is working fine now, pucks are crap but now there’s a new fault telling me the bin is full when it’s not. I tried to over ride tte microswitch but it’s still not clearing the fault.
with all these odd faults it’s pointing towards a new circuit board so I ordered one along with a micro switch. I’ll update once I install them

alec76

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121982558#Comment_121982558

Those grinders working on timer. You should have knob on the right which adjusting grinding time. If pucks falling apart then not enough coffee there. If motor is fine and not skipping turns then check Potentiometer ( right knob which changing grinding time by changing resistance), you could use stopwatch and check if this knob actually changing grinding time anymore ; then check circuit board for any sign of corrosion etc).

I would use some electrical contact cleaner to clean board, switches etc

Dtp1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121983941#Comment_121983941

which knob on the right?

banie01

Reading this thread hammers home the fact that my own De Longhi is long overdue a bit of TLC, other than descaling and an odd wash of the infuser now and then since I've bought it? Its just been used and abused. It must still stand as one of the best bargain alerts ever, esp for us coffee-philes.

alec76

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121984656#Comment_121984656

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001EOMZ5E?starsLeft=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_R42HTBGZR3RVM648K5VQ

Is this the one? 2 knobs I could see , left for amount of water used for the shot, right for grinding timer ( one with the coffee bean symbol on the top)

It is only simple machine, amount of coffee measured by seconds grinder used ( MIN/MAX)

alec76

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121984761#Comment_121984761

I would use silicone grease every 6-12 months to grease moving parts ,orings of brewing unit

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FilterLogic-CFL651-Silicone-Lubricant-Grease/dp/B081B4XK8T/ref%3Dmp_s_a_1_2_sspa?crid=5IK5RSEYKNVY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lTAzRCOlu4T_eB112OarYYAltvjSfKEoGjS9WCntk4sftNjjG8GUGMCYS76B74Lgby8M-KqNZXQeq1hhiHWGaDdELSPJkHfhuw7ZDOnCggtS_vbEcMVKolrCXYMt9JzTP_UAqD7JG7AcFH-Zbjg4VlgLDDYUUlR5sH93JaiMcPsC6GbZR3suXFevPMMKIlFzQ2kJ9SF5-ZITfgmgPOSYcA.6TvDuZ2aHsuSy922SSbMuKFd3haX_mfw9YROEZFFYdU&dib_tag=se&keywords=food+grade+silicone+grease&qid=1712429723&sprefix=food+grade+si%2Caps%2C116&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1

Dtp1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985289#Comment_121985289

that’s the one yea. Thanks. I can’t actually get it to go at all now as it’s a solid red light on empty grounds.

Dtp1979

fitted the new board which solved the grinding time issue. Now it’s throwing up random faults which is frustrating as hell. Pucks not forming. Grounds looking like gravel. Pre heat water only coming out in drops. Close to throwing the whole thing in the bin

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985369#Comment_121985369

That's actually been the limit of my maintenance work (in addition to descalimg) in the years I've owned mine. It must be nearly 10yrs now since the original Bargain Alerts thread😮

Honestly the machine has been incredible value for money.

I need to pull mine apart soon to check the grinder and I'll give the machine a thorough once over then.

Does anyone know is there a service guide available anywhere?

banie01

Well, now I need more than the service guide 🤣

I disassembled mine last night to clear and clean the grinder unit. Machine came apart easily and went back the same way. Now when I turn the machine on?

It does the below, powers on tries to start and then cuts out completely.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/FVpvRVfkfS7VXC9FA

I've checked the door sensor and it seems ok. I'm stumped as to what the cause is.

Would greatly appreciate any input👍

Dtp1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122039726#Comment_122039726

did you plug the 2 black wires back onto the circuit board when you re inserted the grinder

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122039831#Comment_122039831

I did, I rechecked there and the issue seems to have been that I misaligned the cone when tightening up. That seems to have jammed the mechanism.

Now to get the grinder reset and brew myself enough coffee to feel like I've accomplished something👍

Kaisr Sose

My entry level De'Longhi bean to cup coffee machine is working fine. I am not liking the taste of the coffee from it any more. Its either over or under brewed. I cant be certain. I dont have that lovely aroma from it anymore. I have cleaned the brew unit and descaled. I am not in high scale area anyway. The pucks are fine as well. Any idea what the cause or fix is? Or is it just expecting too much to get really good coffee from a basic machine with internal grinder etc ?

Dtp1979

did you clean the infuser and lubricate it? I found that always helped me. Also try adjusting the grinding knob

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122041334#Comment_122041334

I've done that, also tried the grinding knob. Machine does run now, reseating the grinder cones sorted that particular issue.

What I need to do now is to get the adjustment high-low grind settings via the cog set properly. If I can offer a piece of advice to anyone doing similar? It would be prior to disassembly. Set your grind knob to one of the extremes, then after removing the coffee hopper, take a photo of where the index(marker) marking is. 👍

That's my next on lined up for this afternoon tho 🧐 I think I currently have it set too fine on even the coarse setting. So whilst it is spinning up, it's not dispensing coffee.

Kaisr Sose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122041334#Comment_122041334

I cleaned it only. I had no food grade greaese. Would lack of that impact flavour so much ?

I was going to look at the grinder but going by the post above,.I may leave well enough alone.

Dtp1979

If my coffee starts to taste off and bitter with less crema then the first thing I do is check how freeley the piston is moving. It should be moved easily with your little finger.
I’ve mine all rebuilt and now the red triangle has a solid red light and I can do nothing. Frustrating.

sioda

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122042330#Comment_122042330

Same here have mine 6 years cleared once a week and piston still moves freely.

Now I'm worried that the coffee tastes bad but I'm used to it 🤣

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122041970#Comment_122041970

Just finished with mine now. I couldn't find any reference mark to line up the index that Delonghi had on the cog. So I'll repeat my advice to take a photo of the Cog wheel in either min or max position before you take it apart.

My method for finding "new" cog wheel position was fairly straightforward. I dropped in the top cone and then rotated the cog and it's quite easy to spot the change in height as you turn the cog. Once it gets to max height? That's marked and then it's easy enough to reassemble.

Just had my 1st coffee from it now, and it's a welcome change from instant. I'll give the puck a look in a while to see if I need to adjust the cog any further but I'm happy enough now.

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122042552#Comment_122042552

I can get it to pull a shot now, although it's still not actually doing a great job of it. Setting up the grinder again is a PITA. I can manage to get it into range where fine & coarse will deliver some coffee, however? If I adjust the cone towards a finer grind? It shíts the bed and doesn't grind anything.

I cannot get the machine to form a puck/disc now🫤 instead the grounds are all a moist crumbly mess. I'll leave it alone tonight and resume fiddling tmrw.

The coffee looks decent, with a nice cream but isn't really flavourful, it's like a crema on top of dark water 🤷‍♂️

banie01

If one had to guess as to what function this spring provided in their Delonghi? What would it be?

I didn't remove it from the machine, but it appeared on my work space whilst disassembling, testing and assembling. There's a chance it may not be from my machine, but I'd guess it is.

Spring with a 20c coin for scale.

Kaisr Sose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122042515#Comment_122042515

I am getting a nice crema but the coffee tastes 'off'. The piston is moving freely. I found some food grade grease and applied it. The piston is the same as before, as is the coffee. I am resigned to the fact the problem may be unfixable with this machine. Having read the posts from @banie01, I am not taking the grinder apart. Anyway, the pucks are perfectly formed.

Dtp1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122046263#Comment_122046263

there’s 3 springs down deep inside the grinder and the ball bearings sit on them.

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122046783#Comment_122046783

Yep, I have those, in there little copper sleeves under the male side of the grinder. This spring isnt one of those (I should have added this info to the post).

Dtp1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122046810#Comment_122046810

Actually I was dismantling my grinder a second time trying to sort it out I picked up the main body of it and noticed a small spring sticking out. I told myself to keep an eye out for it but when I had it all dismantled there was no sign of the spring or where it would even go

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122046841#Comment_122046841

Reddit has said it may be the "detent" spring, it works with a small ball-bearing to provide click for the grind settings wheel.

Dtp1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122046949#Comment_122046949

mine definitely doesn’t click. Maybe that’s why. My machine is a countertop ornament atm anyway

banie01

I think I've figured out the factory indexing of the grinder. There is a small notch on the Cog-wheel operated by coarse-fine knob, there is then a permanent marker dot on the gear surrounding the grinder. On the removable part of the grinder, there is a mark on one of the 3 male indents.

Now in my own case, that's the theory. I couldn't find a way that would get them all lined up in such a way that would give a consistent grind. So, it was back to basics. I set the machine to run with it's left side open, then proceeded to pull a shot, see if it was dispensed and then adjust to a coarser setting and repeat those steps until a shot was consistently pulled.

That then became my "fine" setting with the cogwheel then carefully lifted and rotated to allow the adjuster knob show the correct position. It's tricky as you need to do that part without moving the cone.

Then it's close up the machine and continue to enjoy the best bargain alerts ever👍

Dtp1979

Delongi esam 4200 going very cheap if anyone wants one. New pcb board just fitted which is worth 70 on its own