So today I was washing and my machine started acting up. At first I felt some vibration in the hose/gun and some surging. Then i started having a loss of pressure and flow.
It got to the point where I couldn’t even clean anymore.
No leaks. No air getting in.
Is the pump shot??
I threw my spare on but it’s a 3.5gpm/4k
I was using a 4gpm.
Will my tips on my gun and surface cleaner still work well tonorrow?
Was using 4.0 for softwash and 02 on my surfaces cleaner.
Is the machine a belt drive?
If it’s belt drive, check the belts and make sure they just don’t need tightened or replaced.
If you are referring to Jrod tips, they will work but there might be a loss of height and pressure. The surface cleaner will work but not as well. Just be sure to pre well and post treat. That should help make up the difference. I don’t think it will be a huge loss.
Check unloader
Yes it is a belt drive. Cat pump with gx390.
I’ll check the unloader and belts first, and hope that’s it.
Thank you! That calms my mind some. I’m fine with going a little slower or busting out the 10ft a-frame if I have to talk peaks for a bit till i fix this.
I was using the j rod softwash tips, and pressure tips at 1200psi on my 4gpm.
2502 on my surface cleaner.
fyi, you should consider going 25025 tips when using your 4gpm, 4000 psi is not needed and can potentially cause damage.
I’m quoting this because I think it’s being overlooked and may be exactly what the issue is. If not unloader, those symptoms scream stuck check valve.
Agreed. It seems like every “engine surging” post I read finally gets fixed when the poster replaces their unloader
Eventually, after replacing enough of them, you can hear and feel it going bad and get it swapped out before it becomes an issue.
Thank you all for replying!
So my back up 3.5gpm worked well today.
The surface cleaner still hovered, and I could softwash, albeit less pressure and r
I have the unloader taken apart.
I’m not sure what I’m looking for.
Everything looks fine, no cracks…
Ok I found this slight crack here on the sleeve where the o ring sits above the needle.
Could this be the cause of loss of half the flow and pressure? Seems unlikely to me as to how small it is but I’m no pro at this
Get you a new unloader and try it, there’s no need to try and fix it, those unloaders are like 50 bucks. If it doesnt fix your problem then at least you have a spare for when it does mess up
You don’t take it apart to see if it works. Run the machine. See if the unloader spring is moving or if it’s bypassing water
