anyone ever repair a power washer??

steveo3002 · 08-29-05, 10:15

ive got a small power washer that i use from time to time, recently its started playing up

the motor usually cuts out when i stop washing , but now when i stop washing the motor keeps giving short bursts of on/off

its a karcher brand...anyone know anything about em or point me towards someone that does?

Prometheus · 08-29-05, 03:48

My dad's does that some times, I think it is kind of like an overload kind of deal. The motor is directly connected to the turbine that pressurizes and spits out the water, and when you dont hold the trigger to spray any water, the engine is just building pressure with no release. EVentually, the pressure overcomes what the engine can fight, and it either stalls or slips or something. What I suspect is happening is the on/off bursts are this kind of thing, slippage of some kind. You may want to try playing with the idle, maybe adjusting it alittle bit will fix it enough that you can live with it. Hope this helps.

detailthis · 08-29-05, 04:05

Hey Stevo... I have the exact same problem. When you're not squeezing the trigger the motor kinda pulses on and off. It did that for a few days, then it lost a lot of it's pressure....to the point were i can put my hand 8inches away from the gun. I bought it about a year ago when i was doing some weekend work here and there. But this summer i was using the hell out of it...guess u get what u pay for

. However, it would be great if anyone had a solution or even just an idea on how to repair the machine.

Domus · 08-30-05, 12:35

My electric Karcher started doing this, turned out to be a leak on the inlet spigot. A new "O" ring fixed it.

steveo3002 · 10-04-05, 11:33

a leak huh?? you mean you could see water spilling out when in use?? mine stays dry!

Domus · 10-05-05, 05:23

Yes a small trickle of water, as the water dripped, the pressure fell, switching on the pump. This took only a second or two to pressurise the hose and switched off. A couple of seconds later the pressure fell..................................and so on.

Accumulator · 10-05-05, 08:34

I got so fed up with my last electric Karcher that I literally threw it away. The nearest service place wasn't within driving distance and I wasn't gonna pay to ship it. Every Karcher I've ever had (3) ended up crapping out on me

Hope you have better luck.

steveo3002 · 10-05-05, 11:30

can you suggest another brand thats realible...kinda low end £££

Accumulator · 10-06-05, 06:35

No idea who'd be better than Karcher. With their reputation I always wondered if I just somehow got bad ones.

SCOOBY14B · 10-07-05, 08:34

Buy quality: Honda motor/CAT pump. Bought mine from Home Depot. Regular price was $699, bought it on sale for $599. It has a 6.5hp Honda industrial motor and 2900 psi CAT pump.

Keep the pump oil changed regularly (first 5 hours, then 25 after) and NEVER let the unit just sit there without spraying water (even for 30 seconds). Those pumps are small and are dead heading the water and building up heat fast. You'll fry the pump packing in NO time.

detailthis · 10-07-05, 08:52

For $160 bucks, I should of just spent another $150 on a gas powered pressure washer. But because I'm a tight wad I now have to scrub wheel wells by hand.

kompressornsc · 10-07-05, 09:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCOOBY14B

Keep the pump oil changed regularly (first 5 hours, then 25 after) and NEVER let the unit just sit there without spraying water (even for 30 seconds). Those pumps are small and are dead heading the water and building up heat fast. You'll fry the pump packing in NO time.

Yep, just got a call from my small engine place on mine (Campbell Hausfeld w/ a Briggs & Stratton 4 hp). Pump is fried. Cheaper to buy a new one than to fix it. My brother in-law borrowed it and probably left it running w/o spraying. I may go electric this time just to save $$. I literally just have one project I want to do and can't see dropping $400+ on a gas model (especially since I just spent $100+ on new parts & repairs on this one).