I recently bought a power washer and its hard to start,directions says to push the primer ball 3 times.It takes 15-20 pulls to start if your lucky.Once it starts its fine..Its a 2200 psi Troy Built..Any one else have any trouble like this?My 7year old push mower sits all winter even with old gas and starts with 2 or 3 pulls.

 

Try pumping the primer 12-15 times. It won't flood but, stop if it drips gas.
How about restarting when it's warm? OK then?

 

It starts up easy once its been running. I'd think you'd go by the starting instructions..

 

We have a pressure washer, and getting the thing started definitely takes more than 3 pumps on the primer ball. Give the thing a few more pumps next time and see if it helps.

 

The instrucions say the first time you start the thing ,prime it 5 times after that 3.Any way the advertisement said (Easy start engine) and it wasen't .Like I said once it did start it was fine,but try it the next day and the same thing 5 to 10 minutes of priming and pulling..I took it back and got my money back.

 

Wassabe,Is yours a Troy built? Maybe I just got a bad one..

 

Ours is a Tecumseh brand. Sounds like you did get a bad one. Are you going to buy another one? We've had good luck with ours, and I'm sure it gets abused. We also have one with a Honda motor. I was looking at it and it doesn't even have a primer. We have had the Tec. for a few years and it's been trouble free. The Honda is only a couple years old.

 

Yes, I bought an electric one.The weather turned cold so I haven't tried it yet..

 

I have a Generac with an 8hp? engine. The first start after a week or so of sitting is a beach.

What seems to help is a couple things I do as I am setting up.

Before I am ready but as I am getting things in a pile I first open the fuel **** and let it sit a bit. Then I prime it 3 or more times then I pull the starter rope a few times with the switch off, doesn't need to be a full strength pull, just enough to get the crank spinning a second or so. Also there should be no water pressure in it at this time, the water pressure makes mine harder to pull, you might let some go thru on the first few pulls just to make sure the pump isn't totally dry, but you don't want any real pressure yet.

I do this a few times over the several minutes that it takes me to find the hose, get the wand, find the detergent etc. Just a couple pulls or so without really pulling it hard.

When I finally have the system set up where I want it and with the hoses etc attached, I then do a final prime and pull start it like normal but with the water off. Once it starts turn the water on right away and let open up the sprayer head to blast out some water.

This usually makes the first start of the year easier.

The several pull thrus without starting don't wear you out, like a full strength over and over pull does. I think they help the carb draw some gas thru and kind of prime the cylinder and the carb throat.

All else fails I might use some canned starter spray, but with my washer getting it into the carb is a PITA and a last resort.

You should also drain the carb at the end of the season and maybe even clean it out before starting the new season. I seem to have problems with any carb that has a fuel bowl. They get gummy or have some clay like sediment that clogs up the jets. So a cleaning might be worthwhile. My gas generator for camping had this problem just last week. Started and ran just fine after sitting dry for 2 years and then it stopped after several minutes of running. Opened the float bowl and found grey "clay" in the intake jet. Cleane dthe jet and it ran the rest of the weekend.

After last week I think I am going to make a carb cleaning my routine procedure after sitting for a long time. I waste more time on the first startup on many power tools than I would have if I cleaned the carb. All you really need to do is clean the bowl, the tank and the intake jet.

Just my experience,

Jim Henderson

 

I have a 2200 psi troy bilt w/ briggs engine, c ball. I find, although I don't like to do this to an engine, pump the primer 5 times and turn the throttle wide open. Starts everytime regardless of how long it sits.

I've had good luck with honda, briggs, and tecuhmsa power plants on different pressure washers.

 

Probably a stupid question but I have to ask. Did you use the choke?

 

It dosen't have a choke ,your suppose to move the carb. lever to fast, push the primer 3 times with 2 second intervals between , then pull the rope.