Foam gun problem

[spindoc]

Hello all. I've been using the AG foam gun for about a year. The last few times I've used it, it doesn't seem to want to mix the soap in. I've moved the slider over to the next hole over which helped, but then it started just spraying water in that position too. Now I'm down to the very last (i.e far right) hole, which worked last time - but I wonder if it'll work next time.

I can't tell that anything's clogged, though I haven't dissembled it. I've continued using Optimum Car Wash, filled about 1 inch from the bottom of the reservoir - I've tried more and less without effect.

Do these things just give out after a while, or is there some maintenance that's required, or what? Thanks.

[Meghan]

No soap at all is coming out???

[killrwheels@autogeek]

is the screw in the top and tightened ?? Its above the small brass thing that adjusts for soap/water ratio.

[spindoc]

Originally Posted by Meghan

No soap at all is coming out???

Right, just water. Occasionally if I turn it from the horizontal (rinse) position to the vertical (soap) position on the far right hole, I'll briefly get a little soap out - but it's watery, nothing like the foam that used to come out. And for the other four soap/water ratio holes, I can't even get that at all - only water. (By the way, I did try using it today and that's the best it could do.)

Originally Posted by killrwheels@autogeek

is the screw in the top and tightened ?? Its above the small brass thing that adjusts for soap/water ratio.

Yes it is. In fact, it's so tight that I can't loosen it by hand. Maybe I should get a pliers and try loosening it?

[integritydetail]

Sound like the pickup tube is clogged or loose. Take the tank off, pull off the tube and look at the point of attachment in the bottom of the lid. If it's clogged, clean it out. The tube may have just come loose a little and is sucking air instead of picking up the soap. Should be pretty easy to diagnose, there no moving parts.

[heatgain]

Are you using a mixture of soap AND water in the jug? Sounds like you're just using soap. Use a mixture, mostly water, fill the jug to the top, and use the foamer. If there's no decrease in water in the jug after using the foamer for a bit, then you're clogged on either end of the pickup tube or where the tube inserts into the top.

[spindoc]

Thanks for the helpful replies. The mixture holes were clogged, maybe because I was using full-strength soap. For some reason I thought the foam gun mechanism was more complex, but it's really quite simple. Thanks again.