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Guide to troubleshoot your Saeco Ambra Coffee Machine

Electricity related issues

Not turning on

Cable and cable fuse

It is really rare for the fuse to go, but can happen in case of a shorted component.
Check the fuse in the plug. Make sure the plug is properly connected into the connector slot.

Door microswitch

A deformed door can eventuate in the switch not beeing pressed, and although this is a rare fault, it's still more frequent than the switch beeing actually faulty.
Make sure the service door is properly closed and the flap pressing the door microswitch is not deformed.

Electric panel

If the electric board turns out to be the source of the problem, then in most cases it's a fuse or the transformer that is responsible for the symptom.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Not heating up

Unfortunately all possible causes need the attention of a professional.

Thermostat(s)

The most common cause is either a faulty heating element or a faulty safety thermo-fuse.

Temperature sensor

Although rarely, but the temperature sensor can cause this fault as well.

Electric board

Ocasionally faulty triacs and varistors can cause such a symptom.

Burnt smell

Unfortunately all possible causes need the attention of a professional.

Electric components

Almost any electric component can cause burnt smell.

Electric board

Burnt smell mainly arises from faulty electric boards.

Lights / error messages

Ventilate

This message means that there is no water flow in the system and is mainly caused by a blockage in the water system or the brew unit, or a misplaced water tank.
Fill the water tank and let water through the steam wand till you get a continuous flow and the message disappears from the screen.

Fill watertank

This machine lets you know when the water level is low in the tank.
Fill the water tank.

Brew unit blocked

In case the brew unit couldn't finish the complete cycle in 20 seconds or in case it's blocked by something, You will get this message.
Clean and lubricate brew unit.

Coffee beans empty

If the machine can't fill the scale in 20 seconds, it will give You this message, meaning that the container is either empty or the grinder blades are blocked by greasy or wet coffee.
Fill the coffee beans container.
Clean and readjust grinder.

Grinder blocked

You get this message in case there is a foreign object blocking the grinder or in case the grinder is faulty.
Clean and readjust grinder.

Brew unit missing

If You don't put the brew unit back with a firm movement, then it might not sit back correctly in place and as a result it would most likely not press the microswitch sensing it's presence.
Make sure the brew unit is correctly in place.

Dregdrawer missing

In most cases this symptom is caused by a factory flaw of the series. The dump box microswitch was placed in a way which makes it possible that the dump box can easily slip out from underneath the switch by the slightest movement of the box.
Check the dump box, it might not be correctly in place.

Dregdrawer full

The machine counts the number of coffees made since the last time the signal came up and the dump box was emptied and after about 20 coffees it will give the signal to empty it again, even if You have emptied it in between the two signals.
Empty the dump box.

Overtemperature

This rarely occurs with these machines, as they do not have a steam function.
Let water through the steam wand to cool the machine down.

Replace water filter

In case You use the water softener cartridges instead of descaling the machine, then You need to replace it if this sign comes up.
Replace the water softener cartridge.

Decalcify

The machine measures the amount of water that ran through the system since the last time the signal was resetted, and depending on the water hardness level settings, it will give the signal again after the pre-programmed amount of water ran through the system again.
Descale the machine.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Water related issues

Leaking

Dirty water

This problem is mainly caused by ground coffee piling up in the drainage vent, blocking the path of the excess water let out by the overpressure or the boiler valve.
Clean and lubricate brew unit.
Clean the drainage vent behind the brew unit thoroughly.

Clear water

This is a clear sign of a leaking water system. We strongly advise to stop operating the machine as soon as You come across with this fault.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Fill water tank

Check float (magnet)

Some times the magnet (float) in the tank gets stuck or gets filled with water and it either does not float anymore or the magnet inside corrodes to a degree in which it looses its magnetic properties.
Check if there is something restricting the free movement of the float in the water tank.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

No water / coffee through the machine

Airlock

This symptom is mostly accompanied by the "Ventilate" message and means that the filling of the water system is required.
Fill the water tank and let water through the steam wand till you get a continuous flow and the message disappears from the screen.

Water working, but no coffee

In cases, where You can't get coffee out of the machine even though You get water through the steam wand, the most common cause is a blocked, dirty brew unit.
Clean and lubricate brew unit.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Not steaming

No such function

These machines have no steam function to make a much slower limescale building rate possible.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Brew unit related issues

Brew unit blocked

Brew unit is clogged up

The brew unit is the heart of the machine and it is recommended to be cleaned once a week under running water.
Clean and lubricate brew unit.

Brew unit stuck

This mainly happens when the user tries to force the brew unit out without reseting it to neutral position.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Can't replace the brew unit

Gears are not aligned

This fault mainly occurs when the user removes the dump box and/or the brew unit before the machine could reset itself to neutral position.
Put the brew unit aside and everything else back to their places, close the service door and turn the machine off and then on, wait till the machine stands completely still and you should be able to replace the brew unit.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Unusual noises from the brew unit

Clicking / cracking sound

Mostly a sound generated by the brew unit and it is a sign of the lack of lubrication.
Clean and lubricate brew unit.

Gearbox damaged

In extreme cases, the lack of lubrication can even lead to overexerting and damaging the gearbox.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Slow brew unit operation

Brew unit clogged up

The fault might simply originate from the lack of maintenance, caused by piled up ground coffee blocking the operation of the brew unit.
Clean and lubricate brew unit.

Electric board

A rather frequent issue with these machines is an electric board failure that causes the gearbox motor to operate slowly, thereby exceeding the timeframe of operation and resulting in a blocked brew unit symptom.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Ground coffee related issues

Puck consistence

Pucks are falling apart

The ground coffee can't stay together as a puck if it's too coarse or the quantity of ground coffee is too low.
Readjust the grinder to grind finer.
Set the ground coffee quantity higher.

Pucks are muddy

The puck becomes muddy if the ground coffee is too fine and water can't pass through it.
Readjust the grinder to grind coarser.
Set the ground coffee quantity higher.
Clear and lubricate brew unit.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Unused coffee in waste

Ocasionally

The ground coffee quantity is probably set too high.
Clean and lubricate brew unit.
Clean and readjust grinder.

Frequently

The ground coffee fineness is probably set too coarse and the brew unit can't compress it to a puck.
Clean and lubricate brew unit.
Clean and readjust grinder.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Water in dump box

Clean water

Clean water mostly gets in the dump box in larger quantities if the brew unit is not properly cleaned.
Clean and lubricate brew unit.

Coffee

In case coffee ends up in the dump box, that means the brew unit is damaged.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Spilled ground coffee

Small amount

All automatic machines spill some ground coffee around the brew unit. You need to clean and lubricate the brew unit on a regular basis to keep the machine running and clean.
Clean and lubricate brew unit.

Large amount

This maily occurs because of the brew unit as symptom of the lack of lubrication.
Clean and lubricate brew unit.
Clean and readjust grinder.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Not grinding coffee

Grinder operating, but not grinding the beans

In the vast majority of the cases this symptom is caused by either some kind of liquid that was poured into the grinder or greasy coffee beans. Both result in ground coffee stuck to the blades making them unable to grind the coffee.
Clean and readjust grinder.

Grinder does not operate

The grinder is either blocked by some foreign object or the motor might be worn out or faulty.
Clean and readjust grinder.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

End product related issues

Coffee dripping

Brew unit clogged up

A possible problem is that the shower disc is blocked by coffee residue.
Clean and lubricate brew unit.

The ground coffee is too fine

The grinder fineness settings might be too fine and water can't pass through the ground coffee, or the ground coffee is so fine, that it can block the shower disc.
Readjust the grinder to grind coarser.
Set the ground coffee quantity lower.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Coffee is running through and comes out weak

The ground coffee is too coarse

This might happen if the blades are worn, but they can probably be redajusted.
Readjust the grinder to grind finer.
Set the ground coffee quantity higher.

Wrong beans

The beans might be stale or the percentage of arabica beans in the blend might be too high. For these machines we reccomend at least 40% robusta percentage.
Try different beans.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Coffee temperature

Too high

The temperature might be too high in case the system has a larger amount of limescale built up inside.
Descale the machine.

Lukewarm

Oddly enough in most cases this issue is not related to the machine at all. It is rather related to the cold mug or cup the user brews the coffee into.
Pre-heat the cup before brewing coffee.

Cold

This is a rare issue, mainly caused by a faulty temperature sensor.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Coffee consistence

Weak

The strength of the coffee is influenced by the coffee blend, the ground coffee fineness and quantity, the temperature and the pressure. A weak coffee might be the result of stale beans or too high arabica percentage, coarse ground coffee, low ground coffee quantity, low temperature, or a combination of these.
Readjust the grinder to grind finer.
Set the ground coffee quantity higher.
Try different beans.

Strong or sour

The strength of the coffee is influenced by the coffee blend, the ground coffee fineness and quantity, the temperature and the pressure. A strong coffee might be the result of high robusta percentage, fine ground coffee, high ground coffee quantity, high temperature, or a combination of these.
Readjust the grinder to grind coarser.
Set the ground coffee quantity lower.
Try different beans.

There is no crema on top

In the world of automatic machines the theme crema will be somewhat simplified because of the low number of factors the user can influence and the low precision value of these adjustments. Basically there are three adjustable factors that have the most influence on the crema in a correctly operating automatic machine. These three factors are the coffee beans, the grinding fineness and the ground coffee quantity. The higher robusta percentage, the finer the ground coffee and the higher the coffee quantity is, the thicker the crema will turn out to be.
Readjust the grinder to grind finer.
Set the ground coffee quantity higher.
Try different beans.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.

Milk froth consistence

No such function

These machines have no steam function to make a much slower limescale building rate possible.

In case You can't or don't want to resolve the problem with the tips above, then the machine needs the attention of a professional.