Can anyone assist with this Chromex CH308 conventional looking espresso machine please? I cant find any reference to this Italian company for a service manual. There may be a forum (SAV?) but it is in French.

When I press the espresso button to brew the coffee, the pump works for about a second and then appears strangulated and stops, thereafter dribbling tiny amounts of coffee out of the portafilter.

Do these pumps go weak or do they just fail please?

I immediately suspected a failed pump but when I open the steam valve, the full pump sound comes on and seems to work fine??

So I unscrewed the metal filter above the portafiler which doesn't look particularly dirty. When I took it off, the pump worked fine and spewed out normal amounts of water from the bare head: I figured that the metal filter is blocked, since not much seems to be blocked above it and I cleaned it. But when I put it back, and put the portafiler back in place (empty), the unit appears strangulated again and no water comes through.

I dont suppose there are two pumps, with one governing the coffee brew and the other governing the steam wand. Does all this just mean that my pump is gone?