inane2
Well-known member
Good evening all,
I have a pressure washer question for my resident GJ'ers. I have a Karcher electric pressure washer, 3.68M. I do also have a gas powered washer but I like the little Karcher, sometimes it easier / quicker to use it depending on location, application, etc. The Karcher is 10 years old and has never given me one minute of trouble. Used it last summer without any issues.
Pulled the washer out over the weekend to wash the kids Power Wheels off. Plugged it up, hooked up the water, squeezed the trigger to get it flowing. I then turned the pump on, the motor ran, pressurized the hose and shut off (just like normal). However, the trigger on the wand had all kinds of pressure behind it and I couldn't depress it, way too pressurized. Shut everything off, unscrewed the hose, flushed the line and tried again, same result. Did some quick research online and came up with several things. I don't believe I have an obstruction in the wand but perhaps a stuck valve or stuck bypass valve. Tore the washer down last night and investigated. Concerning the pump, there isn't much there on the surface. It is slightly oily on the bottom of the pump where the hoses connect. I've watched some videos on youtube. The teardown don't bother me, just kind of want to know what to look for.
I just want to be cautious so I don't have o-rings, pistons and springs flying all over the shop. I anticipate comments such as "those are junk", "throw it away", etc. I'm good with that, but if it's something fairly simple or cheap to fix, I don't mind to fix it. While it is 10 years old and I feel certain I've gotten my money out of it, I don't want to give up on the old girl unless it´s something significant.
Thanks!
I have a pressure washer question for my resident GJ'ers. I have a Karcher electric pressure washer, 3.68M. I do also have a gas powered washer but I like the little Karcher, sometimes it easier / quicker to use it depending on location, application, etc. The Karcher is 10 years old and has never given me one minute of trouble. Used it last summer without any issues.
Pulled the washer out over the weekend to wash the kids Power Wheels off. Plugged it up, hooked up the water, squeezed the trigger to get it flowing. I then turned the pump on, the motor ran, pressurized the hose and shut off (just like normal). However, the trigger on the wand had all kinds of pressure behind it and I couldn't depress it, way too pressurized. Shut everything off, unscrewed the hose, flushed the line and tried again, same result. Did some quick research online and came up with several things. I don't believe I have an obstruction in the wand but perhaps a stuck valve or stuck bypass valve. Tore the washer down last night and investigated. Concerning the pump, there isn't much there on the surface. It is slightly oily on the bottom of the pump where the hoses connect. I've watched some videos on youtube. The teardown don't bother me, just kind of want to know what to look for.
I just want to be cautious so I don't have o-rings, pistons and springs flying all over the shop. I anticipate comments such as "those are junk", "throw it away", etc. I'm good with that, but if it's something fairly simple or cheap to fix, I don't mind to fix it. While it is 10 years old and I feel certain I've gotten my money out of it, I don't want to give up on the old girl unless it´s something significant.
Thanks!