I am pleased to report that I finally fixed my espresso machine. It was easier than I thought and should've read all the comments on the YouTube video about fixing this particular machine the first time around. I figured that grounds were plugging up the brew head but couldn't as many of the commenters said couldn't get the brass screw lose to take the brew head off and clean it out. Someone said they had used a specific cleaner made for cleaning espresso and other coffee devices since vinegar won't really do that job as it won't break up impacted grounds.
I bought a jar of it for all of $5 and available down the street. Worked great though I did have to turn the machine upside down to get it to specifically soak loose grounds in the brew head. After a it dripped dark water for a couple minutes the pump kicked in and fill a bowl full of dark water. Then I ran several well fulls of water through it until the water was clear. This morning's Americano was great though I dialed back on the grind since too fine a grind was the culprit.
