overlandsea Senior Member Joined: 10 Jan 2012 Posts: 10 Location: Seattle Expertise: Just starting
Posted Tue Jan 10, 2012, 8:52am Subject: Help with Oscar
Hi all. I am new to the world of home espresso (well at least good home espresso). Recently picked up a used Nuova Simonelli Oscar, but it is giving me some grief! Worked great, but yesterday it made a strange chemically smell (kind of like burning rubber). Now today it would only partially heat up. The heat light went out way too early (no steam, warm, but not hot coming out of brew head). Any ideas of the issue? (Yes, I do bleed out extra 'false' steam pressure during warm up, but it didn't help today). I'm mechanically inclined, but do not know a ton about espresso machines.
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,669 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Tue Jan 10, 2012, 9:00am Subject: Re: Help with Oscar
They are fairly simple machines really. A heater a thermo regulating system and some plumbing and a pump. I was going to advise false pressure but it sounds like yoi are goong to need to open the machine up and do some troubleshooting.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,669 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Tue Jan 10, 2012, 10:46am Subject: Re: Help with Oscar
With the chem smell, I'm guessing wire issues and the heater would be where I would start. You also said that it wasn't heating properly which also points to the heater circuit ir its controls.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
overlandsea Senior Member Joined: 10 Jan 2012 Posts: 10 Location: Seattle Expertise: Just starting
Posted Wed Jan 11, 2012, 11:23am Subject: Re: Help with Oscar
I opened it up and found that the connection to the lower terminal on what I believe is the over-temp switch had fried (explains burning rubber smell...actually melting plastic). I'm guessing that there was a short of some kind. Does anyone have any idea what might have caused this? When I tried pulling the melted connection off, the wire instantly broke away. I was able to put a new connection from Radio Shack on and the machine now works great.
Any ideas on causation? I'm happy it works, but I'd like to keep it from happening again. I descaled and backflushed the machine the day before this happened...not sure if that could have contributed in any way.
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,669 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Wed Jan 11, 2012, 11:40am Subject: Re: Help with Oscar
You may never know just what the exact cause was, it might have been some water splashed around inside the machine or it may have been a bad connection from the factory that just decided to let go.
I guessed to myself that if you opened the machine, based on the issues, that the problem would be on the easy side to find, burning wires and connectors tend to look, well, burnt LOL!
Congrats on the repair, that is a good machine and he should serve you well for a long time.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
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