April 19, 2023

DIY pressure washer repair

Your gas pressure washer gives you the power to blast away dirt, stains and grime from all kinds of surfaces. If your pressure washer isn't getting the job done—maybe the engine won't start or it's not spraying correctly—Sears Parts Direct has the troubleshooting advice to help you diagnose the problem. Check out the symptoms below, and once you figure out what's wrong, our step-by-step repair guides can show you how to replace the parts to get your gas pressure washer working again.

Find out how to prepare your pressure washer for storage, how to choose the correct spray nozzle and get answers to common questions on our articles and videos page. To find the owner’s manual or a complete list of replacement parts for your pressure washer, search for your model number.

gas pressure washer

Symptoms for gas pressure washers

Choose a symptom to see related pressure washer repairs.

Main causes: faulty unloader valve, bad pressure regulator…

Main causes: stale fuel, gummed up carburetor, engine needs tune up, throttle and choke controls need adjustment, bad re…

Main causes: dirty air filter, stale fuel, clogged or dirty carburetor, bad unloader valve…

Main causes: broken recoil spring, damaged recoil starter…

Main causes: overfilling engine with oil, improper fuel/air mixture, choke system problems, dirty carburetor, engine nee…

Main causes: pump running for more than 5 minutes when the spray wand isn't being used, faulty pressure relief valve, ba…

Main causes: insufficient water supply, clogged water inlet screen, clogged pressure hose, faulty pump check valves, stu…

Main causes: using a high-pressure spray tip when applying detergent, clogged siphon tube, chemical injection system fai…

Main causes: damaged recoil starter, oil inside cylinder, locked up engine piston…

Things to do: tune up the engine, inject pump saver into the water pump when storing the pressure washer for the winter…

Repair guides for gas pressure washers

These step-by-step repair guides will help you safely fix what’s broken on your pressure washer.

How to install a pressure washer chemical injection kit

How to install a pressure washer chemical injection kit

The chemical injection valve draws detergent into the pump. If it’s not drawing detergent, use a repair kit to replace t…

Repair difficulty
Time required
 15 minutes or less
How to install a pressure washer O-ring kit

How to install a pressure washer O-ring kit

O-rings seal fittings on the pressure washer pump. Damaged seals allow water to leak from the pump. Follow these steps t…

Repair difficulty
Time required
 45 minutes or less
How to replace a pressure washer pump

How to replace a pressure washer pump

The pump can be damaged by air in the inlet water supply or by chemicals that remain in the pump body after using the ch…

Repair difficulty
Time required
 15 minutes or less
How to install a pressure washer check valve kit

How to install a pressure washer check valve kit

Air in the inlet water supply can damage the check valves. If the pump won’t build up pressure due to damaged check valv…

Repair difficulty
Time required
 120 minutes or less
How to replace a pressure washer unloader valve

How to replace a pressure washer unloader valve

The unloader valve recirculates water to protect the pump from damage. If the unloader valve is defective, replace it us…

Repair difficulty
Time required
 15 minutes or less

Articles and videos for gas pressure washers

Use the advice and tips in these articles and videos to get the most out of your pressure washer.

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Top 10 electric lawn and garden tools for 2023

Learn about the top 10 must-have electric lawn & garden tools for 2023…

How to enjoy all the online benefits we offer on our Sears PartsDirect website

How to enjoy all the online benefits we offer on our Sears PartsDirect website

Learn about all the convenient features on our Sears PartsDirect website that make your parts purchases easier.…

Tapping into a new feature in the Search Bar on Sears PartsDirect

Tapping into a new feature in the Search Bar on Sears PartsDirect

Learn about a new feature added to the Search Bar on Sears PartsDirect…

Getting the most from a pressure washer

Getting the most from a pressure washer

Learn how to get the best results when using a pressure washer.…

Choosing the correct spray tip for a pressure washer

Choosing the correct spray tip for a pressure washer

Spray tips vary in pressure and angle of spray. This guide matches the spray tip to the cleaning job.…

7 steps for winterizing and storing a pressure washer

7 steps for winterizing and storing a pressure washer

Follow this advice to winterize your pressure washer.…

Solving pressure washer problems

Solving pressure washer problems

Learn how to solve simple pressure washer problems.…

Pressure washer common questions

Pressure washer common questions

See what you can learn from the questions that people most often ask our experts about their pressure washers.…