Karcher 159cc Engine Won't Start

[boxofrox]

Mods - forgive me for posting this here. I did not know where else to put it?

I have a Karcher power washer that will not start. I have confirmed spark. It will not fire even if starting fluid is squirted into the cylinder.

I checked compression and I have 55psi. That sounds low to me, but it is it enough that it should at least pop? Any thoughts would be most appreciated.

 

[Born2Mow]

Gas, Fire, Compression. Those are the Big 3. You found one of those. Go find the other 2.

 

[boxofrox]

Well I have 3. I have gas and fire. I just don't know if I have enough compression. I can't find a spec for this engine as to what is normal.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

since most small engines have an automatic compression relief you won't get an accurate reading, however, I've tested some Briggs and Stratton quantum engines (190cc) that showed about 58-60 psi that ran. took about 2 or 3 pulls to start though.
It could be your flywheel key sheared and is throwing off ignition timing.

 

[boxofrox]

Thanks Scrubcadet10. I forgot about the compression release.

I will try some more before I dig into things deeper.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Pull the flywheel nut / bolt off & check the timing key is intact .
The 2 halves of the slot must meet to make a perfect square .

 

[boxofrox]

I finally got back to this. I pulled the flywheel and the key looks fine to my eyes.

I have a strong spark. I checked compression again and it is 55psi. How do I defeat the compression release so I can see what the actual compression is?

 

[Scrubcadet10]

that is generally done by widening the valve clearance so the ACR bump does not open the valve.

 

[boxofrox]

I got it. In the beginning I had squirted some WD40 into the spark plug hole to see if it would fire. It didn't, but I went down a rabbit hole after that..

This morning I sprayed starting fluid into the air cleaner and it fired right up. When I disassembled the carburetor I found that the main jet was completely clogged with dirt. The whole bowl looked like it was coated with very fine sand.

Cleaned everything, buttoned it up - and it starts on the first pull every time and runs great.

Thanks guys for the help with this.