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Need advice on Redmax blower

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install4you

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Greetings to all.

I’m requesting some advice about my Redmax EB7001 blower. My son bought this blower used in about 2008 & used it for about 3 years mowing part-time during grad school. I inherited it when he went to Africa as a missionary. I think the only thing I've fixed was replacing the carb with a cheap one from Amazon. Maybe a coil too.

This blower ran great until it started dropping off about 3 years ago. It got harder & harder to start & sometimes took a long time to warm up to full speed. About 2 years ago it quit all together. Two knee replacements in 2020, a shoulder joint in 2022, & all manner of circumstances have gotten in the way of following up on the blower. I've essentially done without. I'm getting my strength & stamina back & need to do something about a blower.

I'm a 70 YO home owner with about 1/3 acre lot & lot's of leaves in the fall. I want to clean my own yard & get back to the men's group from church that cleans up yards for people who can't. Any blower I have will be used a few times a month for most months, but might sit unused for 2-3 weeks at a time, maybe longer between fall leaves & spring clean up.

I took this blower to the only Redmax dealer near me (in central Alabama), they looked at it with a camera, & showed me that the cylinder is scored. I've been trying to find parts but they're very scarce. I'm confident in my ability to do the repair, but I don't have the detailed knowledge about what parts I need to piece together a short block (as I think it’s called). I'm not confident that online sellers know enough to be sure they are sending the correct parts.

Here's what I'm asking. 1. Does anyone think it's reasonable to repair this blower? My thoughts are that for under $200 I'll have a machine about equal to a $400-500 new machine. 2. Does anyone know of good sources for parts? That would include active vendors & individuals who might have appropriate parts sitting around unused. 3. Does anyone know enough about this specific repair & would be willing to advise me if I get stuck? 4. Any suggestions as to what blower to buy if I don’t fix this one? 5. Anyone in central Alabama have a decent machine to sell? 6. Is there a specific person or place anyone suggests I contact? (Lawnsite or elsewhere)

I would really appreciate any advice anyone has. I’m a frequent lurker on the forum & I’ve learned a lot from the members. BTW, I’d be glad to share (on the forum or individually) if anyone needs advice about hanging stuff on the wall (draperies, blinds, pics, mirrors, & such). My careers #2 & #5 add up to over 25 years' experience in that field.

Sincerely,

Eddie
 
#2 ·
How did you score the cylinder?
What oil do you use and ratio?
 
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Discussion starter · #5 ·
I'm probably not as careful as I should be about oil. I'm not sure about brands. I've used 50:1 because I'm pretty sure that's what's specified. No idea how it got scored, just that the dealer implied it had to be replaced. Can it be bored out?

$700.00 is at least double what I thought I could justify. I could go get whatever I want, but I can't justify spending that much.

I kinda wanted the (dubious) fun of the rebuild, but I don't want to do stupid. I could end up spending as much as a new blower would cost & fail to produce a working machine.

I'll take a look at lawn replacement parts.

Thanks for help so far.
 
#6 ·
My question about oil was getting at what caused it to fail age or a problem
If you rebuild it correctly and don't fix the cause you could be just burning it up again
 
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Discussion starter · #8 ·
Thanks for staying with me hort101. This blower probably had a lot of hours on it when it was bought used in 2008. My son likely took care of it the 3 years he had it.

I wish I could say I've taken great care of it but think of how an average home owner uses lawn equipment. I suspect the scoring came from failing rings (age, poor oil or gas, neglect, etc.). Weather I buy another or fix this one, I'll be sure to use good oil, mixed in the right ratio. I've found a place for non-ethanol gas @ 91 or 92 octane.

Do you recommend a particular oil?
 
#9 ·
Northern Tool:

Husqvarna Reconditioned CARB/EPA-Approved Backpack Blower — 50.2cc, 434 CFM, Model# 150BTA
Item# 21632
4.4 out of 5 stars. Read reviews for average rating value is 4.4 of 5. Read 290 Reviews Same page link.

Husqvarna Reconditioned CARB/EPA-Approved Backpack Blower — 50.2cc, 434 CFM, Model# 150BTA

Click or Tap image to Zoom
How can we improve these images?
$229.99
 
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#11 · (Edited)
MANY moons ago, I replaced an old RM8001 w/ a RM7500 = a huge step up in power.
Several years later I replaced the RM7500 w/ a Husky 580-Mark II = another sizable step-up in power.

At the time & back in the day, that 8001 was top-tier. It would not even hold a candle to today's top-tier blowers - not even close.
 
#12 ·
install4you said:
Thanks for staying with me hort101. This blower probably had a lot of hours on it when it was bought used in 2008. My son likely took care of it the 3 years he had it.

I wish I could say I've taken great care of it but think of how an average home owner uses lawn equipment. I suspect the scoring came from failing rings (age, poor oil or gas, neglect, etc.). Weather I buy another or fix this one, I'll be sure to use good oil, mixed in the right ratio. I've found a place for non-ethanol gas @ 91 or 92 octane.

Do you recommend a particular oil?
Click to expand...
I use echo red armor it's better at a few things then regular echo oil
It's not about using a special oil

I'm trying to get at what went wrong and might factor into wether or not it's even worth fixing 👍
 
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Discussion starter · #14 ·
Thanks hort101 for reminding me that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Some of my biggest goofs in life came from thinking I knew what I was doing.
I thought if I was replacing the short block, I'd be eliminating everything that could score a new cylinder. I can think of 2 basic reasons a cylinder gets scored. One is that foreign material gets in. The other is that something within the cylinder/crankcase area fails & produces a fragment that gets between the cylinder wall & piston. I had assumed either my carelessness had gotten something in the chamber or something came apart inside (wore out, not enough oil, etc.?), leaving a fragment to do it's worst.
A long time ago I asked a mechanic friend what was the hardest part of rebuilding an engine. Without hesitation he said getting it all back together clean.
What am I missing about figuring out what caused the scoring?
 
#15 ·
With a 2 stroke the lubrication is in the gas oil mix
If run too lean it will cause damage too

Can be from running too little oil improper carb adjustment or an air leak to name the most common causes
 
#16 ·
install4you said:
Greetings to all.

I’m requesting some advice about my Redmax EB7001 blower. My son bought this blower used in about 2008 & used it for about 3 years mowing part-time during grad school. I inherited it when he went to Africa as a missionary. I think the only thing I've fixed was replacing the carb with a cheap one from Amazon. Maybe a coil too.

This blower ran great until it started dropping off about 3 years ago. It got harder & harder to start & sometimes took a long time to warm up to full speed. About 2 years ago it quit all together. Two knee replacements in 2020, a shoulder joint in 2022, & all manner of circumstances have gotten in the way of following up on the blower. I've essentially done without. I'm getting my strength & stamina back & need to do something about a blower.

I'm a 70 YO home owner with about 1/3 acre lot & lot's of leaves in the fall. I want to clean my own yard & get back to the men's group from church that cleans up yards for people who can't. Any blower I have will be used a few times a month for most months, but might sit unused for 2-3 weeks at a time, maybe longer between fall leaves & spring clean up.

I took this blower to the only Redmax dealer near me (in central Alabama), they looked at it with a camera, & showed me that the cylinder is scored. I've been trying to find parts but they're very scarce. I'm confident in my ability to do the repair, but I don't have the detailed knowledge about what parts I need to piece together a short block (as I think it’s called). I'm not confident that online sellers know enough to be sure they are sending the correct parts.

Here's what I'm asking. 1. Does anyone think it's reasonable to repair this blower? My thoughts are that for under $200 I'll have a machine about equal to a $400-500 new machine. 2. Does anyone know of good sources for parts? That would include active vendors & individuals who might have appropriate parts sitting around unused. 3. Does anyone know enough about this specific repair & would be willing to advise me if I get stuck? 4. Any suggestions as to what blower to buy if I don’t fix this one? 5. Anyone in central Alabama have a decent machine to sell? 6. Is there a specific person or place anyone suggests I contact? (Lawnsite or elsewhere)

I would really appreciate any advice anyone has. I’m a frequent lurker on the forum & I’ve learned a lot from the members. BTW, I’d be glad to share (on the forum or individually) if anyone needs advice about hanging stuff on the wall (draperies, blinds, pics, mirrors, & such). My careers #2 & #5 add up to over 25 years' experience in that field.

Sincerely,

Eddie
Click to expand...

Short Block: RedMax 574168101 Short Block (EB7001) (rcpw.com)

There is a wait time, too bad you did not start the process in the Springtime of 2023.

I have seen scoring on a 2 cycle, from poor oil quality and from leaving in the stock screen in the exhaust. Took them out so any carbon could exit and not find it's way back into the Cylinder and score it.

The link I provided is a Genuine and NEW Red Max short block. Not crap.

If you have the time to wait for it, short block is a good option, so long as YOUR blower has no other issues with coils, carb, Fan, ect.

I still have that very same blower and LOVE it.

Good luck Eddie moving forward and "Keep Moving" :) 70 is a good age to do so.
 
Discussion starter · #17 ·
Thanks to The Green one. I'll look into the rcpw.com parts. That's exactly what I was looking for. Are you confident in this company that they will send exactly the right part based on the S/N of my blower? Is the long lead time because they have to order a minimum quantity to be manufactured for them? My searches indicated that RedMax discontinued that short block. So you're still using an EB7001? Commercial or residential? How many years?

If I searched correctly, LawnReplacementParts.com didn't have anything close.

My idea has been that a low end commercial blower will serve me better than the best consumer models. I guess I need to do a comparison of several models for specs, especially the CFM. Original specs for EB7001 say max 630 CFM with standard pipe, 855 CFM without pipe.

Bumpmaster, is there something about the Amsoil Saber oil that provides the needed lubrication at that mix? I think that approach would void the warranty on a new machine. On an older one or a rebuild does it sacrifice longevity for increased power?

Then again, that reconditioned machine in Hal's link looks pretty good, considering cost & availability for this fall. (That is until I looked up the RedMax CFM.) Hummmmmm...............

I've never wanted to be on Facebook so I don't have access to their market place. maybe my wife will look for me. I've struck out on Craigs List but I'll try again.

BTW-I watched a couple of Youtube videos on repairing a cylinder wall with JB weld. Anyone heard of that &/or tried it? A lot of comments on those videos said it worked great for them.

Continued thanks to all.
 
#18 ·
No, should not void warranty. Told my dealer the stuff he sells me does not work. So when I buy new hand helds I tell him no complementry gas tank full up for me I got better stuff. He knows if something goes bad it ain't the oil.
 
#20 ·
install4you said:
Thanks to The Green one. I'll look into the rcpw.com parts. That's exactly what I was looking for. Are you confident in this company that they will send exactly the right part based on the S/N of my blower? Is the long lead time because they have to order a minimum quantity to be manufactured for them? My searches indicated that RedMax discontinued that short block. So you're still using an EB7001? Commercial or residential? How many years?

If I searched correctly, LawnReplacementParts.com didn't have anything close.

My idea has been that a low end commercial blower will serve me better than the best consumer models. I guess I need to do a comparison of several models for specs, especially the CFM. Original specs for EB7001 say max 630 CFM with standard pipe, 855 CFM without pipe.

Bumpmaster, is there something about the Amsoil Saber oil that provides the needed lubrication at that mix? I think that approach would void the warranty on a new machine. On an older one or a rebuild does it sacrifice longevity for increased power?

Then again, that reconditioned machine in Hal's link looks pretty good, considering cost & availability for this fall. (That is until I looked up the RedMax CFM.) Hummmmmm...............

I've never wanted to be on Facebook so I don't have access to their market place. maybe my wife will look for me. I've struck out on Craigs List but I'll try again.

BTW-I watched a couple of Youtube videos on repairing a cylinder wall with JB weld. Anyone heard of that &/or tried it? A lot of comments on those videos said it worked great for them.

Continued thanks to all.
Click to expand...
About Us (rcpw.com)

I have my 7001 since 2004. Commercial use, to blow off fertilizer from paved surfaces, and leaves from my personal yard. It is the "Plain Jane" version and the throttle is divorced from the blow pipe, and on the frame.

Red max has been good to me over the years after Green Machine stopped. I am a Fan of Echo as well.

do NOT buy a Homeowner version of a Backpack Blower. JUNK.
 
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hort101
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