I was happy to finally find a video with it, as I have one myself! It belonged to my parents but they didn't use it anymore, but it's as good as new. I don't know anything about solenoids, but I, too, remove the portafilter after making and espresso and it's completely fine! I had the same problem with the water, but it was because I let the machine run on an empty tank, so there was an air bubble right before the tube joint that didn't let the water pass through, after replenishing it. So I emptied the tube and injected some water straight into it with a syringe (I removed the needle before). I hope that was the case for you, so my comment might be helpful, and hope you got it working anyway!!

@@pietrogigante5930 Hey Pietro. My water issue was caused by a build-up of coffee oils and limescale. The machine had not been used for many years before I bought it. I actually documented the restoration here, if you are interested in taking a look inside the machine. Cheers!

@@littlewren2353 I'll have a look, thanks!! Bye!

I would think twice before paying $300 for this machine. Its great, but I paid $50 for it on Kijiji, then paid about $60 in repairs as well as a fair amount of cleaning/maintenance. After fixing this machine, I sold it for around $175, but I see them pop up on craigslist/kijiji periodically for between 200-300$ with some regularity I was willing to take the risk initially because I wanted to open it up and see how it works, and it was a great price. I think if you are patient you can find a much better price for this (or a similar vintage gaggia) Dont forget, your grinder should be the expensive part of your set up - invest in a good grinder and good beans - it really makes all the difference.

@@DougJonesFresh my grinder is a Lelit Fred p044MMT, for specifically espresso, I got it because I bought a Rancilio silvia that had “broke pump” I assumed I could fix, however the group head ended up being bent and the boiler had an ungodly amount of calcium build up, the bent group head made me think of what caused that to happen and maybe it was bad sensors or wiring. I’m usually working on things like that myself but right now I just don’t feel like fixing it up and I’m looking for something else, I assume my grinder is good enough, and the seller on eBay claims it has never been used before but thanks for telling me about that lol, is there anything else you’d suggest in roughly the same price range?

@@DougJonesFresh parts for the Rancilio Silvia would end up costing around 400 for proper parts anyway, on top of lots of labor and time for to work on it so at that point it isn’t worth it to me

​@@samuelacheson5979 I dont have a lot of personal experience, but I think that if I were shopping for a machine now in that price range, I'd be waiting for a good price on a Breville Duo Temp or something similar (has 3 way valve and preinfusion). Or maybe spending a bit more on a Gaggia Classic Pro or Rancilio Silvia. As much as I enjoy the machine I have now (Capresso Cafe Pro - $250), I am often jealous of nicer machines and wish I had been more patient and saved for a more feature-rich machine

@@DougJonesFresh How did you go about opening it up? I have just bought one of these but with the plastic being old and brittle, I don't want to damage it when opening it up to clean/repair

You could argue that latte art is never strictly necessary. Practice makes perfect!