Fixing trash-picked pressure washers and such?

[cmw]

A community had one of those trash days for bulky trash. I drove around in my pickup truck and loaded up. The first item was a mower. I removed the float bowl, sprayed some carb cleaner up there, and had it running within 5 minutes! The oil was gray sludge so I changed that. That one was easy.

Then I got some pressure washers. One had the pump sitting next to the engine with the mounting hardware. I will get back to that one but the engine runs fine without the pump. I can also get the pump to turn but don't know if it is shot. I expect some type of problem since it was partly taken apart and in the trash after all. This is a side shaft Honda GC160 5.5hp unit. The engine at least looks to be in good shape and the oil hasn't been neglected as it was nice and clean.

Then there was a complete unit that appeared to have carb issues. I got it to start and it was spraying water. The oil looked terrible like it had water contamination so I changed that first thing. I ran the unit for like a minute after cleaning the carb and everything seemed fine. I then decided to check the oil just to see how it looked since it was like a milkshake before. The oil fill plug popped out in my hand under pressure and the crankcase was overfilled and pressurized with an oil/water mix. Since the pump is bolted directly to the side of the engine and keyed into the crankshaft, I guess the pump seal must be leaking and then this is going right in past the main crankshaft seal and into the crankcase. Engine seals are likely not designed to account for external pressures like this!

I am wondering if this pump is rebuildable. Is it possible or worthwhile to replace the leaking seal? If so, where is it? I see eBay pumps for pretty cheap these days but wonder about the quality. I am also unsure of how much damage has been done to the engine from being run with as much or more water as oil as lubrication. I am thinking that since I have two very similar setups, I might fix or buy one pump to start. That way if the engine with the water contamination comes apart on me, the other one is still available and I won't be left with an extra pump I don't need. The two pumps I have appear to be different so don't think parts will interchange between those. I might bolt the one pump back on and see what happens. Maybe it is just a stuck unloader. Neither one looks to have been left outside last winter and not winterized. I have picked up plenty of pumps that are split open from ice damage in the past.

Then I picked up a vertical shaft Honda GCV160 unit that was locked up tight as a drum. I figured it was run without oil and figured the pump would be a good spare. I checked the oil and it was dirty but not horrid and at the full mark. I began to wonder about the pump which ended up being frozen up and was also split open from ice damage. I got the engine running fine so will hang onto that as an extra.

Then there was a cheapo Homelite trimmer that just needed a new fuel line. It isn't much of a unit but my GF needs one around her place and it will be fine for her. The hedge trimmer I picked up went out in a blaze of smoke and fire. Apparently there was a good reason it was in the trash!

 

[primerbulb120]

I've got one of these on my pressure washer: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2700psi-Pre...478368?hash=item3acabcdde0:g:VbUAAOSwAuZX1ynJ

I bought it earlier this year. I use it regularly to clean equipment. PLEASE NOTE that it won't fit all pressure washers, so make sure it will fit yours before you buy one. I know it says you will need a 187cc engine or larger, but mine's a GCV160 (160cc) and it handles the pump with no problem at all.

 

[turbofiat124]

Hoping I am not hijacking your thread but since we are on the subject of pressure washers.

My father has a pressure washer that stopped pumping for some reason. It has a B&S side shaft engine on it so the pump is mounted off to the side and is easy to remove. Mine as a vertical shaft Honda engine and the pump is underneath the engine and looks harder to get remove. Which may require removing the engine and pump together. But shouldn't be a bit deal.

I actually got a good deal on mine from Ollies Bargin Mart. I think I paid $250 for it, 3000 PSI. The same re-branded unit everyone else was selling like Northern Tools was $350.

Of course it was reconditioned. I had to take the first one back because one of the fittings on the pump was cracked and was spraying water everything. But they replaced it no questions asked.

Dad said he looked through the port of the water supply hose and said it was packed full of dirt! My first thought would be mud daubbers tried to build a home inside the pump but there is usually a screen to filter out any trash. The only other thought was the water company recently broke a line to fix a leak and usually when this happens, I have to flush my toilet about 10 times and run every faucet in the house for a few minutes to clear the dirt out of the pipes inside my house. But during this period I never seen anything in my water and I live behind my parents house so we are on the same line.

But it looks like I can simply pull the head off the pump without having to even take it off the engine to see if there is something inside the pump head.

I've seen these replacement pumps at Northern Tools. I wouldn't know if there are engine specific or not.

Speaking of busted pumps on pressure washers caused by freezing. I bought a can of that winterizer stuff for mine. I used it once before putting it up for the winter. Last winter we got a couple of good snows, then after the snow melted, instead of waiting an hour in line at the car wash, I got it out to clean the salt off my vehicles. This stuff is not really expensive (Maybe $8 for a small can) and seems to go along way but I wondered if once the can runs empty, I can use the fitting that screws onto the supply port of the pump and connect it a blow off nozzle and just blow the pump clear of any water to protect it from freezing?

Would that work just as well as using the antifreeze?

I would have loved to have seen the hedge trimmer go up in flames! I've had to replace several items on mine, the blade, reciprocating gear and the centrifugal clutch. Mainly because these things hate barbed wire fences!

 

[cmw]

Yes, the pumps are different for horizontal and vertical shaft engines and mount up differently. The mountings are basically the same for each configuration but you must properly size the pumps to the engine, otherwise you can overload the engine and they won't have enough power to work properly. I haven't had time to really dig into this anymore but plan to pull the pump that was leaking into the engine crankcase. I am wondering if this one might have a crack from freezing as well and it is just more internal to the unit and you can't see it from the outside. Many of the homes in the area are resort type places so not always occupied. People forget to winterize stuff so I have seen other broken items as well. They have one of these trash days in the spring and it isn't uncommon to see water chillers and such that were left full of water and destroyed.

As for the vertical units, the bolts that hold the pump to the engine also hold the pump and engine to the deck/frame. The frame is sandwiched between the two. This isn't a big deal but you have to make sure the crankshaft key and pump are aligned during re-assembly. This can be somewhat of a pain. I usually get them close and slide the crankshaft into the pump, then rotate it to the proper position. It is harder to make it perfect before you slide them together and not needed. The pumps are easy to turn by hand, especially when you have hold of the engine and pump. You might have someone help hold the pump up in position while you align everything and tighten the bolts. It isn't that hard.

I didn't see any metal particles or other signs of major wear in the oil that had been contaminated by water but wonder how much damage was done. I left the oil in a pan overnight before putting it in a jug and it hadn't separated one bit. It was really interesting but I guess that is one thing about detergent oils. They keep the water in suspension.

The hedge trimmer was a plug in electric one. It seemed to be working just fine until it started popping/sparking and went out in a blaze of glory. This did come out of the trash after all so the previous owner had to have known something was wrong.

As for the pressure washers, I already have one and know that Costco/Sams Club have 3000psi units for around $250 in the spring. You hate to spend more than half the price of a new one on older ones that you have no idea what else could be wrong with, especially when you already have a working unit. I just wanted to have an extra and fix them for fun. I have swapped pumps from blown engines in the past but don't have any of these at the moment. It is usually the pump and not the engine that gives it up.