things that make me grumpy

[Rich Ard]

Neighbor dropped off a pressure washer that won't start up; engine has no compression.

Options for repair are:

(a) buy another non-working unit from Craigslist for $50 which appears to have a bad pump, but a good engine ($50)

(b) buy replacement parts from Briggs & Stratton for this engine (~$150)

(c) buy engine from Harbor Freight, made by Lifan ($109)

(d) replace pressure washer with near-identical unit ($260)

I'm going to steer him toward (a) or (c). It's a pisser that (b) is so high, and that there just really isn't a disincentive to buy a brand new thing and throw the broken one in the trash.

 

[Mbstr51]

Things that make me grumpy...... I have a Yamaha Dt1 on CL and received a new clutch cable in the mail so I thought id do the buyer a favor and install it. BAD idea as a gear in the sprocket cover is broken and I cant locate one, Three people called on her today!

 

[Drey6]

Things that make me grumpy.
Cutting my finger at work and forced to miss 3 days by the doctor, so now I'm even more broke than usual. O yeah and the stitches have to be clean (duh) so ill have keep it covered every time I work on the bike. I hate gloves. Grrrr.

 

[johngofast]

Definitely makes me grumpy when things can't be fixed for less $$ than a comparable replacement. Sad really.

 

[johngofast]

Go read Shop Class as Soulcraft if you haven't already.

 

[hillsy]

Neighbor dropped off a pressure washer that won't start up; engine has no compression.

Options for repair are:

(a) buy another non-working unit from Craigslist for $50 which appears to have a bad pump, but a good engine ($50)

(b) buy replacement parts from Briggs & Stratton for this engine (~$150)

(c) buy engine from Harbor Freight, made by Lifan ($109)

(d) replace pressure washer with near-identical unit ($260)

I'm going to steer him toward (a) or (c). It's a pisser that (b) is so high, and that there just really isn't a disincentive to buy a brand new thing and throw the broken one in the trash.

Be thankful the thing ain't yours.

 

[CarbsAndCylinders]

That's why repairmen have disappeared, because sadly, it's cheaper to replace than repair. Makes me grumpy too.

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

Just curious, why does the engine have no compression?

Another note about these pressure washers. "Bad pump" usually just means a little internal corrosion causing a check valve to stick. I have one here at the shop. It belongs to my landlord. It didn't work. I said to him, "I'll fix it for you and keep it working and store it for you in my shop to have use of it."

Just took things apart, cleaned & lubed, and it's working fine. Had to pull out the check valve again after a few months and clean it again. It seems that if you use them often, they keep working, but if they sit around, the pump housing starts to corrode and screws them up.

I love having a pressure washer at the shop. I use it frequently.

 

[Rich Ard]

Looks like it was run without oil, or oil wasn't getting to the piston. Needs a new piston/rings/cylinder.

I had an electric Craftsman given to me on the same terms a while ago, and figured it would be the same problem - turned out that the wobble bearing was destroyed, and parts were NLA...for a four year old unit!

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

I tried an electric pressure washer. It was pathetic.

 

[Sonreir]

Since when have any of us decided to make an economic decision to replace what we have with newer options? ;D

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

Since when have any of us decided to make an economic decision to replace what we have with newer options? ;D

Well said!
Not at all unusual for me to talk someone into spending $4,000 to fix up an $800 motorcycle. 8)

 

[Sonreir]

Well said!
Not at all unusual for me to talk someone into spending $4,000 to fix up an $800 motorcycle. 8)

I hear that. Not everything of value can be distilled into a equivalent dollar amount.

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

That's right. As for me, I am priceless!

 

[Rich Ard]

:-X

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

:-X

That's right. Just STFU! ;D

 

[Redbird]

The upside to option "B" is: Its half the price of a new unit, but once rebuilt it'll be virtually bulletproof again (with proper care and feeding).
Lifan motors are cheaper for a reason.

 

[Redbird]

Oh, and what makes me grumpy is my job being made more difficult by people who are too lazy or incompetent to do their own jobs.

 

[Rich Ard]

The upside to option "B" is: Its half the price of a new unit, but once rebuilt it'll be virtually bulletproof again (with proper care and feeding).
Lifan motors are cheaper for a reason.

Yeah, because people won't pay as much for them. I would be willing to bet that the two motors are made within ten miles of one another - and I can stop at a hardware store and grab a lawnmower with the exact same B&S engine on it for under two hundred bucks. Lifan is making some pretty good stuff these days.

 

[Redbird]

Briggs and Lifan the same motor? Then we're apparently discussing two different Briggs motors. I was thinking the old side valve motors.
And I'm not bashing Lifan altogether. A buddy of mine rode a Lifan powered Trail70 from southern Louisiana all the way to Sturgis. They are a knockoff of Honda. But they're still a knockoff.