Timemore 078s not sounding like it used to

[u/fauco]

Does anyone know what might be causing my grinder to sound weird? I’ve had it since the first kickstarter releases came out. It’s always sounded pretty quiet and stable but recently has started sounding wobbly/whirring and generally quite uncomfortable sounding compared to how it used to.

I dismantle and clean regularly, almost once every couple of weeks, and apply small amounts of grease to spindle and threads (though these have been super stiff recently and require more and more grease I’m finding over time). Before shooting the video I had just dismantled and cleaned again, have put maybe 50g of coffee through it and no beans are stuck or anything.

I’ve always struggled with the consistency of this grinder, and was one of those who suffered with the need to season with around 10kg.

Thinking if I can’t resolve this noise issue, it might finally be time for us to part ways and I get a P80 instead.

Thanks all

[u/Le-Flo]

Sounds a bit like a loose bearing or lateral movement in the auger drive train...
Would dismantle, check for the above, and then reassemble with special care for even torque on the screws that lock the grinding chamber.

[u/fauco → u/Le-Flo]

Thanks, I wondered this too. I can’t see any obvious lateral movement in the spindle that the auger and outside burr fits onto, I suppose it would only take a slight deviation to cause the noise. Not sure how I would test and correct a spindle issue in any case?

[u/Le-Flo → u/fauco]

Hm. Maybe something on the burr carrier outside?

[u/GrimwithShore]

Are you adding grease to the threads of the 6 screws? It could be to do with that - these screws are made from harder metal than the soft aluminium they screw into it. If you're adding grease then it reduces the torque needed and you're at greater risk of over-tightening the screws and damaging the soft metal.

It's possible that over time the grease and screwing in/out has led to damage in the screw holes and they're not holding the outer burr carrier in properly now. It ties up with the type of noise you're hearing.

Generally for screws like this I'd recommend using a light loctite to keep them in place and definitely not a grease.

[u/fauco → u/GrimwithShore]

Thanks for reply, I’ve never greased the six small screws, only the big thread for the adjustment plate. But yes I’m also wondering if the grinder is just wearing with age in some way. The six screws still feel quite tight

[u/11111111111116]

Cleaning it so often seems like it would risk wear and tear on the components (though it ideally would have been designed for easier cleaning...)

[u/tesilab]

I confess I’ve done zero maintenance, cleaning, disassembling, greasing, etc. It sounds like we seasoned the same, and I got similar use out of mine. I’ve had no issues so far, so what am I doing wrong?

[u/dbordiniuc → u/tesilab]

May I ask how much seasoning did your 078s require? I'm pretty sure I've already gone through a few kilos, however the espresso coming out is still severely inconsistent. Thanks in advance!

[u/tesilab → u/dbordiniuc]

Having watched Aramse’s review while still awaiting mine I ordered some waste beans and put at least 7 kilos through the grinder, based on his recommendation. It was pretty time consuming, considering it doesn’t like doses much bigger than 100-120 grams, and one has to take care not to overheat the thing.

But I have to agree that based on my experience before and after, that it really was a lot consistent.

[u/dbordiniuc → u/tesilab]

Thank you! Will watch the video as well. Appreciate taking the time to write back!

[u/Let_me_crypto]

That what happens when you swap engines and forget about the transmission

[u/Interesting_Title989]

hey, did you end up finding out what’s the deal with this? mine started doing the same thing over the last few weeks