pressure washer pump issues

[bbender85]

so my pressure washer is acting up. anyone knowledgable with them? here's the deal:

start the engine and it starts just fine. pump sounds like it kicks in and puts the engine under load like normal when operating like it should, but it sounds a little strained. pull the trigger on the wand and the engine bogs.. an instant burst of water comes out but then no more than a trickle after that. hold the trigger in and the engine will bog until it stops if you keep it pulled. let off the trigger and the engine RPM's come back, but still doesn't sound quite right.

my non-technical theory; it would seem the pump is being supplied with adequate water and is pressurizing, but for whatever reason the pressurized water isn't making it out of the high-pressure side of things, and the engine is slowed due to the pressure build up (the pump gets HOT to the touch in no time). but why.. i haven't the slightest clue.

i pulled the bottom part of the pump off and disassembled it and nothing looks grossly out of place or clogged; now i'm not familiar with these things at all, but my mechanical inclination doesn't see anything obviously wrong.

any idears?

[Baracudaaa]

Must be a clog somewhere down stream of the pump, probably in the hose. Did you try blowing through it to see if its clogged? Ive had calcium build up from hard water clog mine before.

[finsteratv]

Clog or check your tip too..once I forgot the tip and it wouldn't pressurize fully haha

[fastredrider44]

Mine did the exact same thing. Turned out the choke lever got stuck and was running at full choke and I didn't know it. The motor ran and sounded fine, but just didn't have the pressure it should have. I know it sounds funny, but thats what mine was. Didn't figure it out til I went to start it again and tried to choke it...