This is a dumb one...any of you guys bought a pressure washer recently??? The reason I ask is I had the pleasure of using mine today, for several hours. Mine was new in 2000. It has lasted a long time, but I had to put those 6 little poppet valve disc things {for lack of a better name} in it once. It's a Honda powered North Star.
My main question is have they ever fixed or changed the issue of having to let it spray or it will burn the pump up in short order???? This one has to be spraying or it burns up those little valves. Surely in our modern times this has been rectified, tell me it is true!!!!
If you were going to buy a new one today which one would you buy, cost aside????? Thanks in advance for any info.

Where I use to work, had one and it would shut itself off after about 15 or 20 seconds of not spraying.

I have a 4,000 psi commercial unit with a 17HP Honda motor and an Italian made pump. I have replaced the pump after about 10 years of use and am now on year two of the new one. It has a pressure relief valve that pops and bleeds off excess pressure supposedly before any damage will occur but I never let it run more than 30 seconds without spraying it. I don't recall the pressure relief valve ever popping, but I am pretty good about never letting it run very long without being in use.

The only thing I know would automatically turn mine off is if the oil level drops to an unsafe amount - has not ever happened because I always check the level prior to starting it.

I have an old one and all I know is that I will never start it up unless the water supply is hooked up and turned on. I have been told the pump will burn up unless the water is running through it prior to start up.

Thanks for all the replies fellas...I always make sure the water is hooked up, but mine is a pull start and it wont pull if the water is flowing to it. It tries to make pressure and you cant hardly pull the cord. It has to start first and then turn on the water. I have a little valve right at the pump so I can do it as soon as it starts. I don't know if the pump on mine will burn up if you run it without water...never did that, but it will definitely burn up if you run it with water and are not spraying it.
I don't think I would want it to cut off on it's own for no use in 20 seconds...that would save the pump, but the only way I would have that is if it was electric start and I had a remote in my pocket.

I know I'm guilty of expecting too much out some of the equipment I have paid for over the years. Generally the old adage of "You get what you pay for" applies to most powered equipment. I picked up a nicely cared for pressure washer I bought from a guy that tried to use it to keep his tractor/trailer rig clean, the machine tried to keep up but in the end was working the guy too much, he needed a bigger machine. He bought it from Costco for around 200 bucks, its Honda powered (which is its saving grace). I bought it to clean the black **** off the sidewalk and other small jobs. The guy told me the only thing to remember while operating was that the supply water has to be turned on full blast even when starting and the trigger control has to be on, this is a little tricky but with practice gets easier...or you can hand the wand over to someone and go about starting the machine, which can lead to some very interesting water fights or misunderstandings. I read on a couple of blogs that some people had trouble with these units and I figured it was mainly due to not having enough supply line water pressure, thats where my initial problems arose. Once I got that sorted I've never had a problem, its a great little pressure washer. I did check with a pressure washer outlet in town and was basically told that if the pump goes sour he can't really help me, he did say he could sell me a "real" pressure washer.

I have a really old one -- it was a hand me down, no gasoline engines in California. I got gas grill, propane tanks, lawn mower, edger, pressure washer when my old boss moved from GA to CA.

The pressure washer starts on the first pull every time:

1] Hook up supply hose and turn on water.

2] Squeeze pressure wand handle until a steady stream of water comes out of the nozzle WITHOUT ANY AIR BUBBLES !

3] Let go wand handle so water flow stops coming out of the nozzle, pull engine starter rope. Adjust choke lever to keep cold engine running, after 30 seconds engine runs smoothly.

NOTE: If I don't do steps 2 and 3, that engine DOES NOT start -- no matter what I do. Prayer, wifely intervention, call neighbor, nothing works / starts until spray line is filled with water!

4] You are ready to start washing.

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S&WHF 366

That's interesting, mine will start whether it has water or not. If the water is turned on initially, like I said, it wont go because it is trying to make pressure and you cant crank the thing. I have done it by holding the spray lever in so a little stream is coming out of the wand, then when it starts let it make pressure and spray. But you have to be ready to go ahead with the program and get to spraying right away or it will burn up those little vlave things.
All that said, it has never failed to start on the first "half" a pull.

I bought a Yamaha 3000 PSI/ 2.8 GPM pressure washer with a cat pump earlier in the year. I love it, do not have to continually be spraying since the unit will idle down and has a pressure relief valve. It also automatically idle down when the pump does not have water turned on to it. You do have to change the pump oil, motor oil, and use a pump seal saver in the winter. I always dry crank it to remove water from the pump after use in order to keep water out of the pump as I have hard water.

The CAT Pumps can be rebuilt when the time comes, but you have to remove the pump and send it in. I looked at a lot but decided on the Yamaha because I have had good luck with their power equipment in the past. It does an awesome job.

I'll have to check Yamaha out...didn't know they made a pressure washer!!!! I like and have had very good luck with Yamaha stuff.

double post.

Yeah, I bought from a local dealer I bought my R6 from back in the day. They had one so regardless of tax I bought it from them and they matched Amazon. Plus I did not have to put it together and it came with a 3 year warranty.

Pretty cool if you ask me. Plus I loved looking at the 4 wheelers and the new Bolt Motorcycle. Yamaha makes some really neat stuff.

Yep, I have had three different Yamaha outboards...they are truly the best outboard out there. I have a Honda inverter generator...I have an off grid cabin in the mountains and I hunt there, so I needed the quietest generator possible. It has a remote start too and I really like it, I would have bought a Yamaha but I was told that their generators were not as quiet as the new Hondas. I also have a Yamaha 700 Grizzly four wheeler...absolutely love that thing!!! If Yamaha made a pickup truck I would own one.

I went to the outdoor power store today and learned a few things...first off I was surprised to learn that Honda does not make a pressure washer...they power a lot of them, but there is no such thing as a Honda pressure washer. Second, I learned that the original problem I asked about has not been fixed...apparently there is no such thing as a pressure washer you can run and not have the water spraying without it burning up the pump. If the motor is running and water is flowing into the pump from your hose you had better be pulling the trigger.
Seems strange that they cant rectify that, but I guess it is what it is.

I do not understand what you are saying? I have a Yamaha Pressure washer and it dumps the water via a blow off valve if you do not run the sprayer. On top of that it has an adjustable tip that changes the spray pattern from 800 psi to 25 degrees on to 40 degrees for wider more powerful spray. I could run the thing all the time and I do without spraying the wand and it will cycle a blow off where it bleeds the water off via this relief valve. I could even film it doing it, I can not speak for other pressure washers but mine does not have to be spraying all the time to not kill the pump. The only deal is you have to change the pump oil every 20 hours. I could even film it doing it, although it is loud when ran in idle down mode or 800 psi the motor is not loud at all.

I cant help you on pressure washer runtime maintenance, but I can suggest something that will reduce driveway cleaning time by about 95%.

If you've been using just a spray nozzle, this gadget is like a miracle come true.

EZClean 15 in. Gas Surface Cleaner-AEZ31023 - The Home Depot

I think what he is trying to say is that water must be flowing through the poum or it will burn up. Flowing be way of pressure relief valve or by spraying is flowing. Mine is an old Honda powered Troy bilt I got grom Lowes well over 10 years ago and it still works just dandy. The weak link to all of these is the pump and not the engine. This is a shame because thee are a lot of perfectly good engines lying around with blown pumps.
To me owning a GASOLINE powered pressure washer is as essential a part of being a gentleman as owning a chain saw, a 1911 and knowing how to tie a bow tie and make the perfect omlette for the lady the next morning.
Bond, James Bond

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Flowing is flowing, but it may not save your pump....mine too has a pressure relief as all of them must have to operate safely. If I stop spraying it will activate and "blow off" excess pressure, but that has not stopped it from burning up.
In the photos below you will see a small plastic bodied valve and in the other photo you can see where it goes. What happens is the little thin plastic body that encapsulates the spring and disc valve melts and becomes misshapen from the heat build up. Then the disc valve can no longer function and you no longer have pressure.
Do not believe that just because the pressure relief is activating you are not causing damage...I don't know for certain about the Yamaha's, but they appear to be manufactured the same as all the others. All you have to do to find out is start her up, get up to operating temperature and then set that wand down and smoke you a cigarette...I bet it will not make the same pressure until you change out the valves.
The good thing about this is that those stupid little valves don't cost much. They can be difficult to remove once melted in place though.
The difference between being "James Bond" and being James Bonds daddy....you don't just make omelettes for the ladies...you also know how to spell it. You don't just have a chainsaw...you also drop 3 foot diameter trees...between two 600K houses....you don't just own a 1911....you kill wild boar with it.....you don't just know how to tie a bow tie....you know how to tie her wrist up and....well I better stop

It is a CAT pump, do not know about those washers but it does have to be rebuilt and can be eventually. It also comes with a 3 year warranty so I am good for a while. You have to change the pump oil ever so often, but I do not know how that effects the pump.

There are only like 3 main pumps for currently produced pressure washers.

In my last post I wrote "in the photos below..." and then forgot to post them....sorry about that fellas. Here they are:

First photo shows he actual valve assembly, the plastic body is what will melt. Second photo shows where they go in the pump. Actually it is an easy repair and the valves don't really cost much.