Very clearly explained. I wish that all videos of this type were presented this well! I’m considering purchasing the HF PW to clean my boat. I have a gasoline PW but it’s too much effort for a small job and I don’t need that level of pressure.
Thanks for the help, used mine about two weeks ago and it ran fine. Yesterday tried using it to clean the garage and it would not shut off, had to unplug it. Releasing the wand made the machine surge even louder.
i think that would indicate that the unloader valve is sticking and not moving to cut off the motor power. got to get it out and clean it up. check o rings, silicone grease it.
99% sure this was my problem on my Walmart Special. PW ran OK but when the trigger was released it kept trying to cycle on and off. Unfortunately, I could not get that plunger unit out. It was screwed in using a thin nylon nut and bent when turning. Great idea to use nylon! Either thread locker was applied or it was corroded. Into the trash it goes.
Sorry to hear that! The cleaner the manifold walls are the better. This also applies to all of the o-rings. You need a good seal for the back-pressure to push on the spring-loaded plunger that pushes into the switch lever, turning off the pump. Clean well, replace o-rings.
Bought mine probably 5 years ago. They've changed the internal design at least 2 times since then, so the slightly older machines don't look like this on the inside. Some other UA-camrs have models similar to yours, but still not exactly the same. Wonder if they're making a better design to fix known problems or just making them cheaper? Hard to complain about only paying $70.
I suspect all versions are impacted in the same way. Unless the internals are regularly cleaned, the impurities in the water will have a predictable and negative impact on the basic functionality of the unit.
Nice find. Do you think it would be beneficial to run a descaling solution, maybe even some vinegar through it every now and then, or would that be horrible for the o-rings? I use mine so much; I saw they were on sale for $70 last week, I really considered getting another one just as back up.
How did you loosen the 22-mm hex fitting/nut to open the microswitch end of the pressure cylinder? I can't seem to get a wrench on it securely enough to break it loose due to interference with the nylon switch housing. Thanks.
@@soopa2doopa268 Well I finally got it loose, and want to recount the experience here for the benefit of anyone else encountering the same problem: aluminum to aluminum corrosion, as though the nut and the body were actually welded together. I got the 22-mm wrench squarely on the nut and applied torque, but the corners of the nut started to round off and it still wouldn't budge. I tried impact with a sledge hammer and a punch, again with no success, even after a week of soaking in Liquid Wrench. I finally tried clamping the faces of the nut between the jaws of a large bench vise and turning the valve body with a very large crescent wrench, and that did it. After that, your video was very very helpful--good, clear camera work and commentary. I learned from watching that I had apparently lost the small spring that pushes the sliding white plastic piston in the cylinder, and will either have to find it on the floor with a magnet, or find a replacement. It looks in your video to be a fairly wimpy spring, not difficult to compress, would that be right? Thanks again.
Well done! Tapping on the parts and heating up the area can help loosen the parts, but it is very soft metal, even for aluminum. Using hex sockets can make it a bit easier, too. Yes, the spring was fairly wimpy, but generates enough force to cycle properly. (at least when the mechanism is clean)
@@soopa2doopa268 Thank you for that. I recovered the wimpy spring by trolling the floor with a magnet, and finally got the unit working. You're right about the aluminum material being very soft. Anyone considering working on one of these should be sure to use the exact (metric) sized tools, including the right allen wrench on the check valves.
Very clearly explained. I wish that all videos of this type were presented this well! I’m considering purchasing the HF PW to clean my boat. I have a gasoline PW but it’s too much effort for a small job and I don’t need that level of pressure.
Thanks, I'm glad to help. I like that these are so portable, probably the perfect size for your boat.
Great video! The pressure switch assembly is exactly the same in Clen G159 pressure washer sold in Europe so this helps with Clen users too 👌🏻
Great tip! Thanks for letting everyone know.
Thanks for the help, used mine about two weeks ago and it ran fine. Yesterday tried using it to clean the garage and it would not shut off, had to unplug it. Releasing the wand made the machine surge even louder.
i think that would indicate that the unloader valve is sticking and not moving to cut off the motor power. got to get it out and clean it up. check o rings, silicone grease it.
@@rodneykahn6927must have been bad contact in the switch. Nothing dirty, disassembled it and reassembled it and everything works fine now.
Thank you
Thanks.
99% sure this was my problem on my Walmart Special. PW ran OK but when the trigger was released it kept trying to cycle on and off. Unfortunately, I could not get that plunger unit out. It was screwed in using a thin nylon nut and bent when turning. Great idea to use nylon! Either thread locker was applied or it was corroded. Into the trash it goes.
Sorry to hear that! The cleaner the manifold walls are the better. This also applies to all of the o-rings. You need a good seal for the back-pressure to push on the spring-loaded plunger that pushes into the switch lever, turning off the pump. Clean well, replace o-rings.
Bought mine probably 5 years ago. They've changed the internal design at least 2 times since then, so the slightly older machines don't look like this on the inside. Some other UA-camrs have models similar to yours, but still not exactly the same. Wonder if they're making a better design to fix known problems or just making them cheaper? Hard to complain about only paying $70.
I suspect all versions are impacted in the same way. Unless the internals are regularly cleaned, the impurities in the water will have a predictable and negative impact on the basic functionality of the unit.
Thank you
You're welcome and I hope the video helped.
Nice find. Do you think it would be beneficial to run a descaling solution, maybe even some vinegar through it every now and then, or would that be horrible for the o-rings? I use mine so much; I saw they were on sale for $70 last week, I really considered getting another one just as back up.
Sure, that's a good idea. Perhaps elevating it and draining it manually will help, too. Anything to get the water out of the manifold/base.
Mine is brand new out of the box and does this. It's never worked.
How did you loosen the 22-mm hex fitting/nut to open the microswitch end of the pressure cylinder? I can't seem to get a wrench on it securely enough to break it loose due to interference with the nylon switch housing. Thanks.
As I recall, I did use a short wrench and was able to work around the nylon housing.
@@soopa2doopa268 Well I finally got it loose, and want to recount the experience here for the benefit of anyone else encountering the same problem: aluminum to aluminum corrosion, as though the nut and the body were actually welded together. I got the 22-mm wrench squarely on the nut and applied torque, but the corners of the nut started to round off and it still wouldn't budge. I tried impact with a sledge hammer and a punch, again with no success, even after a week of soaking in Liquid Wrench. I finally tried clamping the faces of the nut between the jaws of a large bench vise and turning the valve body with a very large crescent wrench, and that did it. After that, your video was very very helpful--good, clear camera work and commentary. I learned from watching that I had apparently lost the small spring that pushes the sliding white plastic piston in the cylinder, and will either have to find it on the floor with a magnet, or find a replacement. It looks in your video to be a fairly wimpy spring, not difficult to compress, would that be right? Thanks again.
Well done! Tapping on the parts and heating up the area can help loosen the parts, but it is very soft metal, even for aluminum. Using hex sockets can make it a bit easier, too. Yes, the spring was fairly wimpy, but generates enough force to cycle properly. (at least when the mechanism is clean)
@@soopa2doopa268 Thank you for that. I recovered the wimpy spring by trolling the floor with a magnet, and finally got the unit working. You're right about the aluminum material being very soft. Anyone considering working on one of these should be sure to use the exact (metric) sized tools, including the right allen wrench on the check valves.
I just watched this, mine just stays on it won't build up pressure.... , I'll be taking it apart tomorrow.
Best of luck! Cleaning and o-rings.
Yes like me mechanic 👨🔧 fix it…
So u took out the plastic piece cause i didn't see it after u stop clicking
Not sure which piece you are describing.
@@soopa2doopa268 I got it working thanks tho
so you just cleaned it that's it
Cleaned it and changed an o-ring
I jus got it and its doin this🤦🏾♂️
Oh, no. I think if they sit for any length of time, the spring mechanism will stick.
Damn just bought it yesterday and same problem
I bought one today and same problem. Did you guys try cleaning it? Idk if it’s worth the effort with something brand new..