Honda GCV190 won't run with air filter on

Hey all,
I just bought a new pressure washer (Simpson 3125-s) with a Honda GCV190 engine. It's a huge long story, but I'll condense. I assembled per instructions, hooked it to a water supply, and when I pulled the choke wire as directed to start it, it came all the way out...eg, not connected to anything. I took it apart and found the plastic lever where the choke wire goes into was broken off. After I fixed that and I was reassembling it, I realized that a tension sleeve in the air filter housing and two gaskets were missing. I got a replacement sleeve and I made gaskets from the proper gasket material, and put it back together and it still wouldn't start. I checked for fuel and spark...both good. I took the air filter off and sprayed some starting fluid into the carb (with the choke off) and away it went...with good water pressure from the wand. When I put the air filter back on, the engine shut off! I was able replicate this phenomenon a couple of times. With the air filter off, I pulled the choke on and it shut off (as I expected). 
BTW, I would have returned this nightmare of manufacturing by now, but the retailer's customer service made it worth my while to deal with this.
Anyway, it seems to run fine with the air filter off, but it shuts off immediately when I put the filter back on. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Pete