How to replace La Pavoni lever gaskets
Short answer
Unplug and empty the machine, remove the lever and the group (two bolts), then replace the portafilter gasket, both piston seals, the piston rod seal and the group-to-boiler o-ring. The piston seal lips face the pressure side: upper up, lower down. Grease lightly with food-safe silicone.
These steps follow a community iFixit guide shown on a Professional, which notes the job is basically the same on all these machines. It covers 2-bolt groups (1974 on). First-generation brass-sleeve machines are different.
Before you start
- Know your generation. Millennium kits include a sleeve seal and a larger portafilter gasket. Check yours.
- Tools. The iFixit guide lists a 14mm wrench, a 10mm wrench, circlip pliers and a 2.5mm flat screwdriver.
- Grease. Food-safe silicone. Orphan Espresso recommends NSF-certified Dow 111, used sparingly.
Steps
- Unplug the machine, let it cool, open the steam knob to release any pressure, remove the boiler cap and pour out the water.
- Loosen the piston rod nuts. Two M14 nuts at the top of the rod are locked against each other. Hold the lower one and undo the upper. On reassembly, leave the lower nut a little downward play.
- Remove the lever. It is held by two pins secured with ring pins. On reassembly, the rear hole sits higher.
- Remove the group. It is fixed to the boiler with two M10 bolts.
- Replace the portafilter gasket. It is not symmetrical: the flat side faces out.
- Replace both piston seals. The lip always points to the pressure side: the upper seal points up, the lower seal points down. Kanen Coffee warns that a lower seal fitted backwards leaks immediately.
- Replace the group-to-boiler gasket.
- Replace the piston rod seal. Squeeze the circlip, remove the perforated brass disc beneath it, and replace the silicone seal under that. Its lips also face into the cylinder.
- On Millennium machines, replace the sleeve seal.
- Grease lightly and reassemble in reverse.
Kanen also suggests inspecting the cylinder bore; if it is pitted or scaled, polish gently with 600-grit wet sandpaper, never aggressive abrasives.
After reassembly
Fill, heat and bleed the false pressure as usual. Pull a few water-only shots and check for leaks at the group, the rod and the boiler joint.
If this is more than you want to take on, send a repair request.
Parts for this job
Gasket repair kit, pre-Millennium
Listed for: Listed for pre-Millennium Europiccola and Professional
Includes silicone grease per the listing.
MacMaxe Europiccola rebuild gasket kit
Listed for: Listed for pre- and post-Millennium Europiccola
Check the part list against your generation.
Complete replacement gasket set, Professional
Listed for: Listed for Millennium and pre-Millennium Professional
Complete set for the Professional.
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Related
Questions owners ask
How long does it take?
Plan an unhurried session the first time. Old gaskets can be stuck hard; Stefano's repair terms mention chiseling out a group gasket that is cemented in place.
How often should gaskets be replaced?
Whole Latte Love suggests every three to five years, depending on how long the boiler is left on.
Sources
iFixit repair guide; Kanen Coffee repair notes; Orphan Espresso; Espresso Machine Repair by Stefano; Whole Latte Love.