Man, that stupid rotating nozzle on my pressure washer quit spinning last weekend. I was cleaning the deck, water started spraying everywhere except where I aimed it. Totally annoying, made the job take twice as long. Figured it was time for some maintenance instead of just buying a new one.

Getting Down and Dirty

First thing I did was pull that nozzle off the wand. Easy enough, just twisted it counter-clockwise. Had some grit stuck in the threads. Washed it off under the tap. Then, needed to pop it open to see the guts. Saw a little notch near the top – poked a tiny flathead screwdriver in there and pried real careful like. Heard a click and the plastic cap came off.

Inside was the business end: the swirly turbine bit, a little green spring, a washer, and the plastic housing with the spinny part. Everything was coated in this nasty, chalky white gunk and a bit of grit. Yuck.

Giving it a Proper Bath

• Dunked all the bits (except the spring) into a plastic tub filled with straight white vinegar. Vinegar eats that white crap like magic.
• Let it soak for like 2 hours while I messed around with the lawn mower.
• Scrubbed everything clean after soaking. Used an old toothbrush to dig into all the little grooves and holes on the turbine. Could actually see all the water pathways clearly now! Brushed off the plastic housing too. That green spring I just rinsed gently under the tap.

Checked the washer under bright light. It wasn't cracked, but felt kinda stiff. Figured it was cheap insurance to flip it over. Put the old side facing down now.

Putting Humpty Dumpty Back Together

Time for reassembly. Hands got a bit greasy:

1. Dropped the washer into the body, rough side facing the nozzle hole.
2. Placed the turbine piece in carefully, those tiny fins facing the right way.
3. Set that spring on top.
4. Popped the cap back on until it clicked shut – had to press real firm.
5. Screwed the whole nozzle back onto the wand. Snugged it up tight.

The Acid Test

Grabbed the trigger on the washer, fired it up. Held my breath... Boom! Perfect spin! That water swirling out like a tiny hurricane, spraying hard and focused right where it should. Felt good not throwing it away. Took maybe 30 minutes of actual work. Vinegar for the win. Gotta remember to give it a clean like this every few months to stop the gunk building up again.