Pressure Washer Trouble Shooting Guide

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Having problems with your cold water high pressure washer? This guide may help you figure out the problem and resolve it with a variety of solutions. These are some of the most common difficulties with pressure washer systems. If your questions isn't answered here, please give us a call and we'll see if we can help you get to the bottom of the issue.

Problem	Cause	Solution
Engine Won't Start	Usually a Spark Plug	Turn off the engine, and make sure the wire that connects the spark plug is connected
	Fuel Tank	If the fuel tank contains dirt and debris, siphon out the fuel tank, and do your best to clear out the debris.
	Spray gun not triggered	Trigger spray gun while starting engine.

Water Leaks From Pump	Loose Fittings	The most common cause for leaks are the fittings. Check to ensure that all fittings are tight.
	Water Seals are Worn	Call your local service center for parts or service. Although they are difficult to install yourself, it is possible if you are looking to save money on service. However, it is usually best to take the machine into your local service center.
	Water was frozen in pump.	Because water expands when it freezes, if stored in freezing weather, there is a chance that the water cracked the pump. Do not try and fix the problem yourself, for safety reasons, take the machine into your local service center.
Water leaks from Other Places	Loose Connection	Check all machine fittings, if loose, purchase and replace new fittings.
	Bad O-Rings	O-Rings are usually cheap and easy to replace. Find where the leak is coming from, and look for any damaged rings to replace
	Faulty Hose	If there is a slit or hole in the hose, it must be replaced. Pressure washer hoses are not able to be repaired.
Clogged Nozzle	Debris through washer nozzle.	Turn off and disconnect the washer gun. Either blow out the nozzle, or place a small piece of wire through the tip to unclog it.
Low Pressure	Restricted Water Supply	Check your garden hose to ensure it is the correct size, and does not have any leaks or knots in it
		Turn your pressure supply up or to the maximum.
	Debris or Blockage	Not only will dirt restrict your water supply, but it can also cause damage to your pump. Check to make sure that no ends of the garden hose are in an dirty area.
	Fouled or dirty inlet or discharge valves	Clean inlet and discharge valve assemblies. Check filter.
	Worn inlet or discharge valves	Replace worn valves.
	Worn or wrong size tip	Replace with tip of proper size
Piston Guide Damaged	Running the pump without water.	This is the number one cause for pressure washers needing a repair. When the water cycles through the pump without water being sprayed, it continues to cycle and eventually overheats, which can melt some internal components of the machine
Chemical Injector Problem	No soap out of spray gun.	Check to make sure the tip being used is a chemical injector tip, regular washer tips will not work properly for chemical injecting.
		Check to Ensure the Chemical Valve is open
		Ensure that the Chemical Nozzle being used is the correct size for the washer.
Continuous Flow when Trigger is not pulled	Debris in Valve	Check the spray gun to find where the debris is located, then rinse out where the location of the dirt is.
Water leaks from under pump manifold	Worn packings	Install new packings.
Water on oil side of pump	Humid air condensing inside crankcase	Change oil as specified in Maintenance Chart
	Worn packings	Install new packings.
	Oil seals leaking	Install new oil seals.

Strong surging at inlet and low pressure on discharge side	Foreign particles in inlet or discharge valve or worn inlet and/or discharge valves	Clean or replace valves.

Pressure Washer Trouble Shooting Guide

Problem

Cause

Solution