power washer with no power!
#1
power washer with no power!
I have a Craftsman 2600PSI/2.3GPM pressure washer with a Honda easy start motor. relatively little use but has always run great, started on the first pull etc. Used it last week for hours and no problem. pulled it out today and it won't build pressure. eventually the motor starts running rough and stalls. read somewhere that I should run it without the nozzle to see if the engine improves; it did and seemed to run better. but still no pressure. I changed the nozzle to a brand new one that I had and no change so it does not seem to be that. next I saw lot's of suggestions about the unloader valve sticking. pilled it out and disassembled. seems to move freely and everything's in good shape. I'm not able to depress the tip when it's all assembled. but again it moves freely when taken apart. photo attached. its not the type with the small needle tip. Also, not sure why but there's no screen/trap in the water inlet. so something may have got in there. any thoughts? I did try to do some homework before posting but to no avail. thx as always.
#3
Have you watched some Youtube videos on power washer pump repairs? Most that I've seen say that unloader plunger should move. When they stick the pump tries to maintain full pressure even when there's no flow and it can stall the engine when you release the trigger.
You definitely need a screen on the hose connection. It's a positive-displacement piston pump with very tight tolerances...and NO tolerance for junk getting in.
All that aside--no pressure often means an air leak on the input side. Does water leak out of the pump anywhere?
You definitely need a screen on the hose connection. It's a positive-displacement piston pump with very tight tolerances...and NO tolerance for junk getting in.
All that aside--no pressure often means an air leak on the input side. Does water leak out of the pump anywhere?
#4
yes i've watched many now and cant really find one that deals with my Craftsman. the unloader I picturerd is very different from the ones I've seen with the pin that moves easily with the push of a finger. I pulled mine, disassembled (pic attached), made sure everything's moving freely, lubed it, put it all back, checked the supply-side, good water flow form the hose in, good water flow out with the pressure line removed, good flow out of the pressure line with the wand removed, good flow out of the wand with the tip removed, good flow through the tip with the engine off. starts right up, initially felt like the pressure was starting to build, kept the trigger pulled, pressure fails to build, engine starts running rough, then stalls.
my limited understanding of this is that the engine stalls because it is pushing against the unloader thats not working? then the pressure builds and it stalls?
I know there's an adjustment to the unloader. but it's worked fine now for a couple years at the factory setting and to me, adjusting is just compensating for another flaw somewhere?
Tried it all including many videos now. but not an expert! hopefully one of u guys knows the craftsman system of unloaders etc! thx as always jp
my limited understanding of this is that the engine stalls because it is pushing against the unloader thats not working? then the pressure builds and it stalls?
I know there's an adjustment to the unloader. but it's worked fine now for a couple years at the factory setting and to me, adjusting is just compensating for another flaw somewhere?
Tried it all including many videos now. but not an expert! hopefully one of u guys knows the craftsman system of unloaders etc! thx as always jp
#5
If you have the trigger pulled on the wand, it still dies and never develops any pressure while it's running? You said "eventually"... is that a matter of seconds or minutes? Does the engine surge up and down before dying or does it shudder hard and stop hard?
Last edited by cheese; 10-18-17 at 09:29 PM.
#6
yes -- it starts normally and runs strong for about 20-30 sec., with the trigger pulled the whole time it fails to build pressure as it normally would, then the engine surges for maybe five-ten seconds and then just shudders and stalls out. the whole thing takes no more than the 20-30 sec. as far as I can tell the engine intself is running normally till the surging starts. the pressure out of the wand never gets beyond the low initial pressure. and again the unloader seems to be in good shape and everytihng moves freely when apart. Also going back to my original post, there was no screen in the inlet, so it's possible some kind of particle(s) got in somewhere. I could disassemble the entire pump, clean and lube. was just hoping not to go there. as you can see from the parts it's relatively new, and in great shape otherwise with little overall use.
#10
I can only pass on what was suggested to me when I had pump trouble: Just buy a complete replacement from Amazon or eBay and be done with it.
The pump assembly is pretty cheap but Parts are expensive & not discounted. You don't know exactly what part is the problem and it's easy to end up paying more to repair it then to replace.
I went the repair route trying to save $ and there was more wrong with my pump than I first thought. I ended up spending as much on parts as a brand new pump costs.
The pump assembly is pretty cheap but Parts are expensive & not discounted. You don't know exactly what part is the problem and it's easy to end up paying more to repair it then to replace.
I went the repair route trying to save $ and there was more wrong with my pump than I first thought. I ended up spending as much on parts as a brand new pump costs.
#11
You apparently have two problems. The surging is because your engine I starving for fuel. It sounds like the carburetor inlet is not letting enough fuel into the bowl to keep up with engine demands.
The lack of pressure could be trash stuck in a check valve or any number of things. Most likely the problem is in the valve body of the pump, so that would be the only part that needs to be taken apart and inspected. Lube the parts with silicone grease available at a pool store for lubricating pump cover o-ring seals. Look for trash, broken springs, corrosion buildup, galled parts, damaged o-rings, etc...
The lack of pressure could be trash stuck in a check valve or any number of things. Most likely the problem is in the valve body of the pump, so that would be the only part that needs to be taken apart and inspected. Lube the parts with silicone grease available at a pool store for lubricating pump cover o-ring seals. Look for trash, broken springs, corrosion buildup, galled parts, damaged o-rings, etc...