I have a infuriating problem with a pressure washer, it's getting to the point where I'd love to take some thermite to the damned thing...

I bought this pressure washer just last year and had issues from the start..

It's a husky 2600PSI washer with a Kohler 13.5HP (I think, I know it has 13 on it)

Cold starts are a Dreaded Nightmare. you have to yank and yank and yank... pushing the prime does not help (it does move fuel, see below)

In the off chance you manage to get it running it sputters and dies almost instantly. the last time we used it (just saturday) we could not get it going with out using "Start you Bas****" fluid. and to keep it running we pushed the primer a ton of times just to keep it running.

The things we've done,

Taken the carb apart. (4 times now) checked the float to make sure it was working, checked the Jet(s) to make sure they were clean. checked the fuel it was clean and new... Oil is at the right level... put in a new spark plug (no difference at all) Made sure we had spark, It appears to be a good strong spark..

Hot starting is just as bad, if you run it out of gas or even turn it off and try to start it again. your outta luck for atleast a half an hour or more. and yesterday the on/off switch refused to work... any ideas?

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

Back to basics. If the plug is wet and smells like gas it has fuel and is probably a spark or compression issue, but maybe not. I am confident you can get this but it is in a dark place in your mind. If it doesn't want to move for you try wetting your hair.

I dont recall if the plug was wet or not.... I know the last time I used it I ran it completely out of gas... I try to do that with my mowers/weedeaters etc before I store them... It was kept in the back of my wagon all winter (it dosnt run right now, perfect storage)

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

Pictures would be helpful, I've never seen a Kohler engine on a pressure washer. Lately, however, they have sourced engines from so many sources that anything is possible. The easiest way to troubleshoot this is to remove the air filter and administer a little fuel (gas) to the air intake. If it responds, you have a fuel (or lack of) problem. Next, how does the compression feel when you pull it over? Most small engines can't be tested with a compression tester, as they have compression release devices on the camshaft. Checking the valve clearance would be my next step.

Compression feels the same as it did when I picked it up. It's a Kohler 173CC engine, (I thought it said 13.5HP) I'll take a picture of it tomorrow. air cleaner is fine and starts when sprayed with Start you B****** fluid. will also stay running when you jab the primer thing... I'm thinking fuel delivery issue... but I dont know how... We've taken the carb apart several times, checked the float/needle&seat jets etc

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

Kohler lawn mowers and I bet press washers has China made carbs which are pieces of crap. We used to change them almost every hard start complaint. Is it a choked model?
Sometimes over tightening warps the air filter box too causing vacuum leaks.
Did time at Sears small engine repair.

Im pretty sure it's non choked. I cant see where it's cracked.. I've done nothing to cause it anyways. I'll take a picture of it and post that too. It's one of those home de pot pressure washers

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

I have a wood chipper with a Tecumseh OHV that does the same thing. Play with the primer to make it run for a minute, then, with some luck, it stays running. I suspect vacuum leak somewhere, but that is just going by what I would suspect on a car. The chipper is a 5.5HP... so you need some ooomph to turn it.

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It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. Robert A. Heinlein


09 Jetta TDI
1985 300D

Not to double guess your work but I would make sure the main jet is clean. The main jet for that motor (if I remember correctly) is a screw on.

Three things to check-

1. remove the jet by using a flat head screwdriver and make sure it is clear (i.e. you can see light through it if you hold it up to the sun)

2. the part of the carb where the jet screws onto. if the whole card is the "tree", this is the "trunk" of the tree- there is a hole where gas flows into.

3. make sure the float has no liquid inside it (unlikely for that motor- but you never know)

If there is decent compression, there's no reason why it would not run after checking all of the above.

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Ben
1987 190d 2.5Turbo

Those chinese carbs on Kohler don't clean too well. They had trouble with them big time and came out with a revised model.If its the same or similar as on the lawn mowers which it probably is.
Clean them and one outa ten would work, most the time pop a new carb on.

Just a few more thoughts to add, FWIW

1. Fresh gasoline in tank? Obvious, but subtle...
2a. If there is a fuel pump, does it pump? (Pull of the line, pull the starter, see if it squirts...)
2b. Fuel pump or not, is there "gunk" or any restrictions in the fuel line?
2c. If there is a shutoff valve in the tank, is it full of "gunk" and does it open to allow fuel to flow well?

"dead man'' switch was what was screwing up my mower once...

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1985 300D 198K sold
1982 300D 202K
1989 300E 125K
1992 940T

"If you dont have time to do it safely, you dont have time to do it"

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

did all that. still Hard to start and impossible to keep going... Nothing a Case of thermite wouldnt help.. I'll take it apart again when I have time... post pictures etc... It's been a pretty bad day....

__________________
hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

Some of those units have a small white nylon filter in the fuel line about an inch or so out of the tank, they are very fine and prone to clogging/jelling.


get it running and put your hand over the carb intake, and choke it by hand, if it keeps running as you do this then remove your hand and have to do it again, you got a bad carb. You can remove the filter box and use washers to hold the carb to run w/o the filter box.

I'll take apart the line and see. It looks like from the tank petcock its just a straight line to the carb. but I will double check. sheer cureosity where would I even buy a carb from?

Oh, I should note that there is no fuel in the floats, gas is fresh (I tend to run the tanks dry when I store the equipment) I'll try the hand choke and see what happens

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed