Help me fix my Gaggia Syncrony Compact

[knuckler49]

Hi everyone, longtime lurker, first time poster.

I have a Gaggia Syncrony Compact that broke down last night. This is almost certainly my fault, but I'm hoping someone out there might have a suggestion. I descaled the machine, then couldn't figure out how to get the machine out of descaling mode. While fiddling around, I removed the coffee dispensing system (the large black plastic piece that traffics ground coffee through the brewing process). Once I removed it from the machine (which itself was quite a process), I could not get it to snap back into place. The problem seems to be that the notched wheel at the back that controls the movement of the coffee dispenser now does not line up with the corresponding hole on the dispenser.

Is there any way to reset the machine to cause the wheel to return to the starting position, even though the coffee dispenser is not in place? Any other suggestions?

 

[Mark at Whole Latte Love]

You have got the gears out of alignment. You don't really want to take out brew group unless at end of cycle. You can fool machine to get brew group back in.
Here is how :

BREW GROUP REMOVAL AND DRIVE GEARS ADJUSTMENT
FOR AUTOMATIC MACHINES
If you ever find yourself in need of removing a Brew Group that has jammed. This will assist you in doing so correctly.

To fix this problem follow these simple steps:
You will need a #1 Philips screwdriver

1.) First, open the door on the machine and remove the drip tray and dredge drawer

2.) Locate the nickel size hole in the brew group. It will have an "N" next to it. At the 9 o'clock position, you will see another hole about 1/3 of the size of the first. Directly behind this hole, or about an inch up depending on the position the machine was stopped in you will see a single philips head screw. You may have to look around the side of the brew group to locate the screw as it is not always visible from the smaller hole. Remove this screw; it holds a small coupling water inlet (it is similar looking to a tobacco pipe) to the brew group.

3.) Remove the brew group by pressing/pushing (depending on your machine) on the part that says “Press" or "Push”. Pull firmly and straight out. Be cautious to not break the brew unit. Also be aware of the door of your machine as it can break as well.

4.) With the brew group out, remove the small coupling water inlet (tobacco pipe) that is probably still stuck to your machine and reinstall it in the brew group as it was before. Make sure the screw is installed snugly but not too tight.

5.) Turn the brew group around so you are facing the back. Now imagine what a check mark looks like, the top we will call position A (longer part of the checkmark) and where the checkmark ends (the smaller portion) is point B. You will notice what looks like a large checkmark where the coupling water inlet is located. The water coupling can slide up and down in this checkmark opening. The water coupling should be in the B position.

REINSTALLING THE BREW GROUP
To do this, the gears will have to be reset to the start position. In order to do so, you will have to bypass the three micro-switches (Brew Group, Dump Box and the Door switch).
Bypassing the micro switches:

1.) Looking at the back-side of the brew group, not the side that says "Push" or "Press," you will notice something fin-like or nose shaped. This piece fits into a keyhole or coin slot looking slot in the machine and that is where the brew unit micro-switch is located. Take something like an index card, envelope, or folded up piece of paper, and insert it into that keyhole so that it will trick the machine into thinking that the brew unit is installed. Start the piece of paper at the top of the slot and slide it to the bottom of the slot. The paper should be thick enough so you can let go and it will remain in place. Leave this object in there until the following steps are complete.

2.) WITHOUT putting the brew group back into the machine, reinstall the drip-tray and dredge drawer and close the door.

3.) After doing so you can then turn the machine ON. At this time the gears will begin moving until they return to the correct start position. At this point remove the object from the keyhole position and you can now reinstall the brew group. If the brew group does not go back in correctly, try a few more times. The machine will return to its home position. Note: The two large spokes of The brew drive shaft should in the Up position

At times, the gears in the brew drive assembly will not complete the cycle to the proper
start position for different reasons. Some of the reasons are:
• Brew group jammed or blocked
• Either one of the micro switches in the brew drive have gone bad.
• Brew drive motor Failure.
• Broken teeth on either of the brew drive gears.
• Dirty brew group, covered by coffee grinds.
• Brew group or gears not lubricated.
• Connections to the board from brew drive assy., or motor have gone bad.
A jammed or blocked brew group happens when the brew group starts the cycle but doesn’t finish it.

 

[lturchin]

This looks like the answer I've needed. My brewgroup tamper consistently smacks into the dreg drawer. I did not know the proper way to reset the machine. Your post may help.
Thank you. -- lturchin