Pump runs. Nothing comes out.

[Tai Chi Tiffin]

Machine / revision: ECM Classika PID 2024
Country / voltage: Germany / 230V
Grinder / burrs / setting / calibration: Niche Zero; stock conical burrs; 19 on the espresso scale; calibration dot aligned.
Basket / portafilter: 18–20 g VST-style precision basket; bottomless portafilter (58 mm system where applicable).
Bean / roast date: Peru Cajamarca medium roast; roast date 2026-07-28.
Dose / yield / extraction time: 18.5 g in, 42 g out, 32 s target/current reference.
Water / temperature: soft tap water, about 45 ppm hardness; PID set to 93°C.
Exact symptom: Lever squeaks and a small drip appears at the group after use.
Tests already performed: Confirm drip source and whether it follows lever movement, then inspect only when cold/depressurized Already cleaned the obvious removable parts and repeated the test once.
Diagnostic photograph or video: photo of the machine label/revision plus a short symptom clip.

I am comfortable with basic maintenance, not interested in becoming an appliance electrician by lunchtime. The ECM Classika PID 2024 is doing this consistently: Lever squeaks and a small drip appears at the group after use. I am aware this may end with me buying something I did not know existed yesterday.

[Tai Chi Tiffin]

Confirmed solution: I found the leak at a seal/connection rather than the boiler itself, replaced the worn sealing part, and pressure-tested before putting the case back on. I am leaving the original numbers above intact so the next person can see what changed.

[Recipe Attic]

Short answer: Start with the simple reproducible test before buying parts.
Applies to which model/revision: ECM Classika PID 2024.
Likely cause: The symptom points first to a setup, wear-part or calibration issue that can be separated from a major failure.
Test to perform next: Return one variable to a known reference, repeat twice, and record whether the symptom changes in the same direction.
Expected result: If that subsystem is the cause, the symptom should change predictably rather than randomly.
Safety limit: Stop if mains voltage, exposed wiring, a pressurized hot boiler, repeated GFCI trips or an unknown leak path is involved. Unplug, cool fully and use qualified service.
Evidence: First-hand owner experience with the same model/configuration; not a manufacturer diagnosis.

[Bug Report Fiction]

The useful documented check is the revision-specific maintenance/service sequence, not a generic espresso-machine video. For ECM Classika PID 2024, verify the manual procedure and part number before opening or ordering anything. If the documented test does not reproduce the fault, stop treating that subsystem as proven.

[Garden In Order]

Not the exact revision, but I had a closely related setup with the same general failure mode. The thing that saved time was separating the Niche Zero / puck-prep side from the machine side instead of adjusting both together. Similar experience, not proof for your unit.

[Recipe Attic]

This is a good example of why the exact revision and test history matter. “My ECM Classika PID 2024 is bad” produces twenty theories; the measurements above at least give the theories somewhere to die.

[Paperback-Postpunk]

Inference only: because the symptom is repeatable and your listed tests already rule out some obvious causes, I would suspect the narrowest remaining mechanical/setup path before a board-level failure. I would not buy a part from that inference alone.

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