Ryobi pressure washer with idle down not working how to repair 

Glad it helped. I've been meaning to make an updated video going into a lot more depth about the idle down systems but I haven't been able to find one cheap. I picked up an idle down unit but it was a Troy-Bilt w/ a briggs and it seems this Ryobi w/ the Honda GCV is a lot more popular unit.

I knew I could get to it easier than removing carburetor. Good call!

Glad it helped

Glad the video helped. That little piece is easy to loose.

Sad thing is I know better....but we all make mistakes when fixing stuff no matter our skill level. I got another one that was almost the same a week later and couldn't get the idle down to work, I think the passage in the pump was clogged so I left it disabled.

Good luck!

Clean the unloader valve

@@1337farm thanks, its been sitting while I worked on the truck, will give it a whirl this weekend!

Hopefully that helps. So remember on a pressure washer like this it's really designed to run almost always with the trigger depressed and water flowing through the pump. I belive the manual says don't let it idle for more then 1 minute or you risk damaging the pump-melting valves and damaging seals.

@@jamesbubnick ok ty your a great help

Unhooking it won’t cause any issues. In fact on those homeowner models some people zip tie the handles so that way they never let the pump run in bypass mode, building heat and potentially melting the valves. One trick I’ve learned is getting a motorcycle cable lubricator that way the penetrating oil is forced into the cable. I’m not a bit fan of the idle down feature. I don’t see how it could save much fuel and the potential trouble isn’t worth the hassle.

I got lucky...I'm a lot better at repairing these machines now. That was one of my early ones and I've learned quite a bit since then. Thanks for watching.

@@jamesbubnick I’m struggling getting a pressure washer to run. It fires, but dies right away. Maybe I didn’t clean the carb well enough, I’m not sure.

@@ort619 it could be the carb is dirty if it just pops off then dies. If it sounds like the motor is struggling under load it might be the unloader needs adjustment. An oem carb is less then $30, usually I can get them running maybe a bit if surging but they will run after a cleaning. When cleaning you realy have to take out the jet and emulsion tube otherwise you’ll never get them clean enough.

Good eyes! 11:22

Hey, So I don't have any videos or know of any posted where it goes into an explanation of adjusting the system. I've been meaning to make 2 other videos on this series of pressure washer. One of how to disable/remove this system then put on a non-idle style pump and the other video of how the system works, what to look for etc. I haven't picked up one of these in a while but when I do I'll post those videos. As for the actual useful ness of the feature...it's pretty useless. On these style pressure washers it's not recommended to let them sit idling/building pressure w/o pulling the trigger. The water going through the pump cools the pump head and when you're not pulling the trigger the water is cycling through the head, building heat, and eventually will melt the valves/damage the seals. Most manuals says not to let the unit run w/o squeezing the trigger more then 1-5 minutes. Yes w/ idle down the motor runs slower and less energy, less heat is put into the pump head but I'm not going to test how long an idle down pump lasts before the valves melt. ;). I've picked up quite a few pumps w/ melted valves. Lots of people don't realize you always need water flowing through the pump. Also make sure to never run the unit without water. I've picked up a few where they ran it out of gas at the end of the year but didn't have a hose hooked up to it and destroyed the seals. You can adjust the idle down, there should be a clamp that you can move on the plastic coated cable a little before the z-bend that it fits into the governor arm. Maybe yours loosed up? As long as your unit is running fine at pressure/at throttle I wouldn't mess w/ the idle down. Sometimes it's better left alone. On this model the idle down is activated off of the unloader. Once you let off the guns trigger the unloader goes into bypass mode and water cycles in the pump head. The entire unit is still pressurized but it hits the max pressure and stops building more. The idle down spring senses the pressure difference and moves the cable to idle the throttle. I had a few cat pumps off ridged pressure washers w/ idle down and those were activated by taking pressure right off a valve access cap. Hope this info helps. Sorry if it's a bit confusing.

Just keep pulling and eventually it will come out, the larger the pliers the easier it is to pull. Maybe hit it with some PB blaster. I'm not a fan of the idle down system, it only causes problems.

I'd clean the carb, if it's sharking and louder it could be a pump issue but I have a feeling the carb is dirty, not running right so that's giving you all your simptoms. OEM Honda carbs are pretty cheap on this motor if you need one...I want to say 22-25 bucks shipped.

@@jamesbubnick okay, great. Cleaning the carb was my first instinct as well after some basic maintenance so, hopefully that does the trick. If cleaning it doesn't fix the problem, I'll try replacing it like you mentioned. If that doesn't do it, then it's on to the idle down cable. If that doesn't do it, I'll throw it as far as I can down a steep hill. Appreciate the help!

@@STEVEOSSTUFF Haha...well I just got another one of these today for $50 bucks, the carb was almost spotless but it was still the culprit. When you clean it use plenty of brake and or carb cleaner throughout the passeges to make sure you get any debris. Steve from Steve's Small Engine Saloon has great videos on cleaning Honda Carbs. If you're not sure about cleaning it I'd just buy a new carb...but make sure it's a Honda not generic.

@@jamesbubnick alright, that's definitely good to know. I'll check out the other Steve's videos, then I'm hoping I have time to take a run at the carb in the next couple days. Once I do, I'll post back on here with an update 🤞thanks again for the heads up.

@@jamesbubnick can you link for a genuine Honda carb for this model? Thanks

Did you ever figure out a fix? Same problem.

For parts I really like to order from parts tree. You can search parts by model/serial number. If it’s the kill wire you can always make your own with a piece of wire and crimp on connectors. I’ve had to fix many kill wires that were broken.

your information is wrong. This is the correct orientation on this machine, u should delete this comment so as to not mislead someone.

​@bigboss-yv2nr I am looking at the blow up drawing of the carburetor installation on my machine and I am correct. Depending on whether one had the auto choke system or manual choke system there are two different arrangements. And my machine,s been running fine now for years.

Sorta...I was going to make a video showing that but forgot to. You'd have to move the spring from the idle down feature to the correct holes on the engine and then block off the hole from the pump where the cable comes out. Next time I get an idle down one that isn't working I'll try to make a video.

@@jamesbubnick thankfully I got the mechanism together and it works well for now. You’re video really helped. I dropped that little metal circle piece on the grass and the whole time I was looking for it, I was thinking about a bypass. I’ll definitely stay posted for the bypass video in case something happens again

You have to press it in as far as you can and then use a hammer and screwdriver to drive it in further. Make sure when you put in the clip that the o-rings and the thicker part of the brass cable end are past where the clip goes thru.

@@stevenoliger2763 silicone grease on the O rings is a boost and rubber hammer also good choice

What side of the spring does that disk go on?? Is it in the pump side or the cable side?

@@lucascole7589 from the pictures and videos I have watched it looks like it went on the cable side. In my case that entire brass colored cylinder is jammed in the pump so tightly and has been overheated, that I've never been able to get it out. While the idle down is kind of a trick little feature, I've seen it become the problem with enough other people's machines that I just got a new pump without the whole idle down thing, disconnected the cable at the governor arm and replaced with the original spring. Good luck with yours! Machine is running like a banshee now.

I lost the little metal disk that goes between the spring and idle down cable. Will it work if I don't put it back?

I'd check the linkages to the carb, next thing is check the governor. If you look up the GCV governor reset procedure it's pretty easy and yes the smallest amount off will completely mess up the motors running.

@@jamesbubnick The machine was running nice, i got it for 85 bucks and replaced the carb. Idle down was working, no problems. I was using it and it fell from about a 3 ft platform when it was running and ever since the idle down doesn't work at all, like i said, just full throttle all the time. I can move the governor with my hand control the throttle. I'll try what u said, thanks. Another thing i did was spray carb cleaner all over the governor, it was dirty. Those are the two things that happened before today when i started it up and it doesn't idle at all.

@@bigboss-yv2nr I gotcha, when it fell it could have bent one of the rods enough so it sticks, bent the governor control arm-they are pretty flimsy, knocked the adjustment on the aisle down feature, etc....if it's running like it normally did on high throttle I wouldn't worry about it. The idle down feature really isn't that useful since the general rule is on these consumer grade units you shouldn't let the pump run w/o the trigger being squeezed for more then a minute.

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I watched 7:08 at 25% and I couldn't see the spring pop out either but that is what happened. If you pull yours apart just make sure you get the spring back in.

I'm not a big fan of the idle down but you can disable it if that helps...I had another unit exact same and I couldn't get it to idle down correctly...

I'm a huge fan of this ginormous piece of shit! Dude this chunk of poop does such excellent work and starts on the first pull every time! and when I release the pressure trigger this thing idles down / purrs like a kitten / does not crap out.. I love my chip of shit 🤟

Then do it yourself. That's why he made the video.