Anyone got tips on opening up a Delonghi La Specialista?

[Thomas Martinez]

Curious if anyone here has actualy pulled one of these apart for cleaning. There's not a whole lot of information out there on how to get into a La Specialista to clean it (as opposed to a Gaggia or one of the older models from Delonghi). It sounds like its not terribly complicated but you have to see what others has done in the past prior to diving in yourself.
The process requires removing the water tank, the portafilter, the portafilter basket, the accessories, and then removing the outer cover. Beyond that, you will have to take it apart for whatever reason you went into the machine for (if for descaling, group head leaks, etc.). But most people recommend going through a guide or video to show exactly how to do it as some of the clips are not immediate obvious.
Any gotchas with the La Specialista? Does the grinder come apart from the brew side separately? If you’ve done this before on one of these machines, please tell someone who is curious but wants to avoid unnecessary destruction of their machine.

 

[Enviou]

yeah there's a torx under the drip tray on the ones I've seen, T20 iirc. People miss it and then crack the side panel trying to pry it off. Go slow.

 

[Breakable Bison]

Did mine last spring. The grinder assembly is its own module, you can pull it without taking the brew side apart. There's two screws on the burr carrier and a clip for the chute. The brew side is trickier because there's a lot of tubing and the solenoid wiring run across the top.

 

[Aero Sumo Fortress]

send it to a tech lol. These arent gaggias, parts are a pain and you can brick the board if you mess with the wrong connector

 

[Escape from the Scooter J]

Did mine last spring. The grinder assembly is its own module, you can pull it without taking the brew side apart. There's two screws on the burr carrier and a clip for the chute. The brew side is trickier because there's a lot of tubing and the solenoid wiring run across the top.

wait so does the grinder come out from the top or do you have to go in from the side? mine sounds like its grinding gravel and I dont wanna open the whole thing if I just need to clean the burrs

 

[Breakable Bison]

wait so does the grinder come out from the top or do you have to go in from the side? mine sounds like its grinding gravel and I dont wanna open the whole thing if I just need to clean the burrs

Top access once the upper shell is off. You don't need to fully strip the machine to access it. The hopper comes off first obviously.

 

[Poor Panda]

plastic tabs are the killer on these. Flex the rear panel outward not up. Learned that the hard way and superglue is now part of my espresso machine

 

[Enviou]

Honestly, worth doing yourself imo unless its still under warranty. Delonghi service told me 180 to descale and do a general checkup on my machine. Took me 40 minutes at home to do it.

 

[Iro]

Is the pump vibratory or rotary on this model? If its a vibratory pump, then the grommets will eventually harden over time and create a lot of noise when grinding.

 

[Aero Sumo Fortress]

Honestly, worth doing yourself imo unless its still under warranty. Delonghi service told me 180 to descale and do a general checkup on my machine. Took me 40 minutes at home to do it.

180 isn’t bad tbh. My time is worth more than fiddling with clips

 

[Motionless Mantis]

definately check to see if there’s a hidden screw behind the steam knob area on the steam wand. There’s a screw there that everyone misses when they first open their machine. I snapped a plastic tab on mine when I didn’t see the screw.

 

[Escape from the Scooter J]

Top access once the upper shell is off. You don't need to fully strip the machine to access it. The hopper comes off first obviously.

thanks, gonna give it a shot this weekend then. Is there any sensor on the machine that needs to be taken care of when you lift the cover?

 

[Breakable Bison]

thanks, gonna give it a shot this weekend then. Is there any sensor on the machine that needs to be taken care of when you lift the cover?

There’s a ribbon-ish cable for the control panel on the upper part of the machine that needs to be unclipped prior to lifting the cover off the machine. Other than that though, nothing else.

 

[Neo]

Is the pump vibratory or rotary on this model? If its a vibratory pump, then the grommets will eventually harden over time and create a lot of noise when grinding.

vibratory

 

[Iro]

vibratory

figured. Those ulka pumps are workhorses but the rubber feet on em turn to rock after 3-4 years. If you pull it apart to do a descaling, grab a set of feet while you're at it. They’re like $4.

 

[Dull Dragonfly]

i opened mine and lost two screws into the carpet, dont open it up over carpet