Karcher Electric Pressure Washers

[bruce69camaro]

Does anyone on here know how to troubleshoot a Karcher K2.93 electric pressure washer?

I've had this model for a few years and it has worked great.

I used it just the other week and had no issues. I lent it to a friend, whom had used it before and he calls me saying there is no pressure coming out of the wand, except for the city water pressure.

He told me he used it the day before and all was fine.

I checked to make sure the inlet filter was clean and it was, no leaks, everything was hooked up right, no air in the system but he was right, no pressure.

The one thing I noticed was the motor comes on the second you turn on the on/off switch and it should come on only when you pull the trigger on the gun.

Even with no water supplied or the gun attached, the motor will run when you turn the switch to on.

Anyone have any ideas on what might be the problem?

Thank you.

Bruce

 

[rlitman]

With no water supplied, the motor will run until the pump is garbage.
It has a pressure sensor, and stops the motor when there is sufficient pressure. With no water in the system, it will run the pump dry, and ruin it.

 

[bruce69camaro]

The pump motor normally started when you pulled the trigger on the gun and would stop when you released the trigger.

Now the motor runs all the time when the on/off switch is on run and the trigger is not pulled.

 

[G_P]

Rlit man is right. My karcher got crud in the inlet and the motor came on and kept running. It should run for a second when the switch is turned on to build pressure then shut off until you pull the trigger on the wand.

If he is getting water out the nozzle at city pressure and the motor is running the pump may be shot. I know that if you do not purge the air out of the system before turning it on the motor will sometimes keep running as it won't build pressure. This could cook the pump running it dry.

Sent from my C5120 using Tapatalk 2

 

[bruce69camaro]

I pulled out the inlet filter and that was clean, so is it possible that junk did get through somehow?

You're right, the motor would come on for a few seconds and would go off, now it runs constant, even with no water supply but it was not run like this, only for a test. There was always water supplied.

 

[G_P]

I would take it apart. I'm not sure how the pump attaches to the motor shaft but it may have a rubber coupler that has failed or it may even use a metal coupler with a set screw that may be loose allowing the shaft to spin freely instead of turning the pump.

Is there a chance it was left in freezing temps with water in it? There may be internal damage to the pump.

Sent from my C5120 using Tapatalk 2

 

[bruce69camaro]

I just talked to a shop that services Karcher pressure washers and he thinks it may be a limit switch and he said that alone is $80 plus installation and for that amount, it's not worth fixing.
He also said replacement parts for the older models are hard to come by so if it was a pump, it may not even be available.
No, to the freezing water, I just used it, two weeks ago to clean out the bed of my truck and again on our sidewalk. The coldest it's been down to lately is mid 40's but it has always been kept in my garage.
I worked great on Sunday, and on Monday it went out.
I had it for maybe 6 years, so I guess I got my moneys worth out of it.

 

[Monte]

i know it´s too late but never lend a pressure washer, miter saw and other expensive things....

 

[bruce69camaro]

Lets put it this way, the guy whom I loaned it too (our pastor) feels a lot worse then I do.
I bought this unit with a safety award we got from work, so I'm actually not out any money, but on the flip side, I don't want him to buy me a new one, but he insists. How do you argue with your pastor?

 

[The Ratchet Man]

i know it´s too late but never lend a pressure washer, miter saw and other expensive things....

Amen.

 

[faster]

This should be relatively easy to fix.

Remove the outer casing - you may need a security torx bit.

You should be able to see a black plastic part on on the bottom of the pump with a cable running to it. On one side of this there is a metal bar that can be levered out with a small screwdriver. Lever the bar (you'll see this is 'U' shaped on removal) and remove the plastic part.

Under this you will see a large plastic nut. Give this a 1/4 turn with some water pump pliers and carefully lever out to remove. Careful, this plastic part is brittle.

Underneath this down a recess is a plastic/metal part. This can be hooked out. It is held in by the friction of the o-rings which seal it. You may have to make a tool to hook it out with. Quite tight.

Once this is removed you will almost certainly see your problem! It's a small 'cage' with another part inside it which rattles around. There is an o-ring on this which often fails. The size is crucial - could be difficult to source.

If possible, save yourself some hassle and order from Karcher. The o-ring isn't available, but the 'cage' is. Even better, you can buy (or could buy!) the whole assembly of which the large plastic nut is part of and the cage as a kit. Consider replacing the lot if cheap enough - any problems are usually in this assembly.

A believe this assembly is called the unloader valve.

 

[Sirthor1881]

So what is the verdict, is an electric pressure washer worth the money for occasional use, wash deck, cars, siding?

 

[bruce69camaro]

This should be relatively easy to fix.

Remove the outer casing - you may need a security torx bit.

You should be able to see a black plastic part on on the bottom of the pump with a cable running to it. On one side of this there is a metal bar that can be levered out with a small screwdriver. Lever the bar (you'll see this is 'U' shaped on removal) and remove the plastic part.

Under this you will see a large plastic nut. Give this a 1/4 turn with some water pump pliers and carefully lever out to remove. Careful, this plastic part is brittle.

Underneath this down a recess is a plastic/metal part. This can be hooked out. It is held in by the friction of the o-rings which seal it. You may have to make a tool to hook it out with. Quite tight.

Once this is removed you will almost certainly see your problem! It's a small 'cage' with another part inside it which rattles around. There is an o-ring on this which often fails. The size is crucial - could be difficult to source.

If possible, save yourself some hassle and order from Karcher. The o-ring isn't available, but the 'cage' is. Even better, you can buy (or could buy!) the whole assembly of which the large plastic nut is part of and the cage as a kit. Consider replacing the lot if cheap enough - any problems are usually in this assembly.

A believe this assembly is called the unloader valve.

If I send you a break down of the internals, would you be able to show me the part your are talking about? If so, please PM me your email.

Thank you.

 

[bruce69camaro]

So what is the verdict, is an electric pressure washer worth the money for occasional use, wash deck, cars, siding?

Here is my input, the Karcher unit that I purchased has served me a lot of good. I used it to clean my deck, my siding, sidewalks, driveway and my vehicles. I had it for several years and this is my first issue, so to me, the $100 I paid for it, the money was well worth it.

The only thing I need to do now is check if the bad part is available and it's cost. I worked in a boiler R&D lab so having the tools to pull it apart should not be an issue if it's a simple as Faster claims it is.

 

[bruce69camaro]

Faster,

Is this the cage your are talking about?

http://rjbowers.com/xcart/search.php?mode=search&page=1

Thank you.

 

[bruce69camaro]

Just wanted to update this posting, I pulled the pump apart, just like Faster stated and the inside looked brand new. The o-rings looked like new, it was amazingly clean for the number of years that I had it. I got the cage out and the washer on that looked good.
I saw some small debri and cleaned everything up but still, it did the same thing.
How do you tell if the pump is bad? Is there a test I could do?
The only o-ring I saw that looked bad, was on the pressure line connector that attached to the pump.

 

[hwmarlow]

I know this is an old thread but I just came across it. What was wrong with my unit (with the same symptoms) was the ring gear was slipping on the shaft. It's just a press fit. I glued it back on with some epoxy and it worked again but ultimately failed for good.

 

[Ram]

I wonder if this pump is the same or similar unit on the gas engine pump? Gas engine on my pump runs great does not pump water.

 

[hwmarlow]

Possibly. When my gas powered power washer did the same thing, I thought it a shame to junk it with a good Honda engine. I ordered a new pump off Amazon (under $80). It was fairly easy to replace and the unit has been working great since.