Just needs a spark plug they said...

The cylinder's chrome plating is so good on Echo engines (and some other high quality 2-cycles) that it may have survived. A blower's piston will seize very quickly when raw gas is used due to the fact that the engine is always under a full load.
That's my hope, since the rest of the machine looks brand new. This thing can't have 10 hours on it. :confused:
 
Not many. I've seen machines from the 1960s/1970s with the original spark plug in them. With that said I've replaced 4 spark plugs in the last 2 months on 2-stroke equipment that were fouled out. All of those people were running way too rich of an oil mix (32:1) and my guess was they weren't getting the engines good and hot to burn the carbon off (short run times). The mufflers and exhaust ports were also full of carbon. More oil is not necessarily better.
Short run times and lower rpm is what saved those over oiled motors. Too much oil leans out the fuel mixture and if they were run hard the lean fuel mixture would have burnt off the top edge of the piston on the exhaust side if not holing the center of the piston. Snowmobile motor experiences speaking there.
 
How many blowers/trimmers actually get to the point of needing (actually needing, not per maintenance schedule) a spark plug?

Just like mowers, add gas and go.
I bought my Lawn Boy sometime in the late 90‘s and I don’t recall ever changing the plug, although I did replace the coil twice. It still starts on the first pull.
 
I had an issue with my echo 210 starting a while ago. I use the crap out of it, and I went to check the piston, and it was spotless. No wear at all.

With maintenacne, these Echos last forever
I have an Echo that has to be at least 14 years old with a lot of hours on it and starts right up and runs great. It's amazing the lubrication on 2-stroke works as well as it does. I have done zero maintenance in the past 14 years.
 
That's my hope, since the rest of the machine looks brand new. This thing can't have 10 hours on it. :confused:
It always amazes me when people buy fancy or expensive things and not know how to use them or take care of them! You'd think someone buying an Echo backpack blower would have some experience with 2 cycle equipment.
 
It always amazes me when people buy fancy or expensive things and not know how to use them or take care of them! You'd think someone buying an Echo backpack blower would have some experience with 2 cycle equipment.
I would say a lot of it has to do with not paying attention. I see it all the time, people get distracted, busy, etc, and then something happens. I had a family friend who changed the oil in his 1-year old garden tractor. He drained the oil, screwed on a new filter, got distracted by his kids, and a few days later went to mow his lawn. He never put oil back in the machine and made it about a lap around his yard before it locked up solid. Just an honest mistake that cost him an engine.

I should have update pictures on the blower this week, just have been crazy busy and no time to work on personal projects.
 
I have an Echo that has to be at least 14 years old with a lot of hours on it and starts right up and runs great. It's amazing the lubrication on 2-stroke works as well as it does. I have done zero maintenance in the past 14 years.
When I moved into my "new" house three years ago, I up and got some power tools I always wanted (chainsaw, weedwacker). Friend convinced me to just buy the tru-fuel. It offended my sensibilities to pay extra for that which I could just mix up myself, but he convinced me that I should just try it out for a bit, if I went through that much fuel that it was costing me that much, then do it my way.

He was right, I've gone through maybe a gallon in 3 years. And it just starts up. In a year or so I'll have wished to have gone electric instead but I think this stuff I have now might outlast anything electric I might buy today (low run time).
 
Just me but if you can't replace a spark plug in a homeowner sized blower you should be operating one. Am I too harsh?
Not sure, although this comes to mind:
1671458811506.jpg


Now that's harsh...
 
When I moved into my "new" house three years ago, I up and got some power tools I always wanted (chainsaw, weedwacker). Friend convinced me to just buy the tru-fuel. It offended my sensibilities to pay extra for that which I could just mix up myself, but he convinced me that I should just try it out for a bit, if I went through that much fuel that it was costing me that much, then do it my way.

He was right, I've gone through maybe a gallon in 3 years. And it just starts up. In a year or so I'll have wished to have gone electric instead but I think this stuff I have now might outlast anything electric I might buy today (low run time).
If you have a Tractor Supply near you, try the VP Racing 50:1 canned fuel. It's a step above the Trufuel in my experience, and often can be found cheaper. I've had customers with bad batches of Trufuel recently where the equipment won't rev up correctly.
 
If you have a Tractor Supply near you, try the VP Racing 50:1 canned fuel. It's a step above the Trufuel in my experience, and often can be found cheaper. I've had customers with bad batches of Trufuel recently where the equipment won't rev up correctly.
Not really, but it's not that far to swing in some time. Thanks for the tip.
 
I was referring to the clueless people who ruin brand new 2 strokes by putting straight gas
I actually don't see this too often luckily, the clueless people are usually apprehensive about running a new piece of equipment so they might read the manual, or in many cases they put way too much oil in. It's usually the distracted/over confident people who end up running straight fuel in the thing thinking they used mixed gas but switched their cans. A common one I see is people think the mix ratio is 50/50 gas to fuel instead of 50:1.
 
I actually don't see this too often luckily, the clueless people are usually apprehensive about running a new piece of equipment so they might read the manual, or in many cases they put way too much oil in. It's usually the distracted/over confident people who end up running straight fuel in the thing thinking they used mixed gas but switched their cans. A common one I see is people think the mix ratio is 50/50 gas to fuel instead of 50:1.
I did equipment repair years ago. I guess it's probably different when people buy it themselves vs company provided. They might care a little more if ruining it cost them money
 
I actually don't see this too often luckily, the clueless people are usually apprehensive about running a new piece of equipment so they might read the manual, or in many cases they put way too much oil in. It's usually the distracted/over confident people who end up running straight fuel in the thing thinking they used mixed gas but switched their cans. A common one I see is people think the mix ratio is 50/50 gas to fuel instead of 50:1.

I try to avoid goof-ups now by only keeping mixed gas in the garage.

With that said, for me I ALWAYS look for color when I'm pouring gas in. I don't know of any 2-stroke oil that isn't colored, and even at 50:1 it's still readily visible.

I grew up with blue oil, and I'm use to mixed gas being blue. With that said, since my "highest-value" 50:1 item is my Echo trimmer, and Echo red armor(or Echo canned fuel) is what I use in everything that takes 50:1.

Since the trimmer, blower, etc all have translucent gas tanks, I just make absolutely sure the gas I see in the tank is red before I start them up.

The mowers are 32:1 and I use blue oil in them(specifically Lawn Boy branded oil) and I always top them up before filling. Even if I know for sure I'm using the can that has mixed gas in it, I make sure I see blue when I'm pouring.

Growing up, we always had at least one LB 2-stroke mower around, so always had mixed gas. The old Craftsman trimmer got the same gas as the mower. The lawn tractor was powered by an 18 HP B&S so we kept straight gas for it. I don't recall ever having a mix-up, and I've gone most of my life with a mix of 2 and 4 stroke around. Now even though I keep two different mixes around(32:1 and 50:1), I'd not worry too much about the mower running a tank of modern synthetic 50:1(some do it for everything) and I'd think one tank of 32:1 in the 50:1 equipment would do less harm than running straight gas.
 
Had a chance to pull the cylinder off tonight. Cylinder and piston are definitely toast.

View attachment 132984
So... you're not going to try a piston soak first? Berryman's in a can? No Seafoam to the rescue here? just gonna condemn on looks alone?

Should buff right out, I bet.

Methinks you now have a nice wall display now. This mounted next to one that isn't like this one. Caption it "This is your engine on 40:1. This is your engine on 4 cycle. Can you spot the difference?"
 
So... you're not going to try a piston soak first? Berryman's in a can? No Seafoam to the rescue here? just gonna condemn on looks alone?

Should buff right out, I bet.

Methinks you now have a nice wall display now. This mounted next to one that isn't like this one. Caption it "This is your engine on 40:1. This is your engine on 4 cycle. Can you spot the difference?"
This piston is definitely going on my desk at work. I was thinking a little Marvel Mystery would fix up that scoring. :LOL: The cylinder I can just barely feel the scoring, but the piston is cooked. The cylinder was very difficult to pull off.
 
We have saws and such where I work. Some are 4 stroke with an oil sump and others are 2 stroke. The 2 stroke stuff gets Stihl ultra oil at least.

The guys are always blowing up the 2 stroke stuff. I have started only having premix in my cans so no matter what they grab it's got oil mixed in it . Nobody has complained about the 4 strokes smoking yet.
 
We have saws and such where I work. Some are 4 stroke with an oil sump and others are 2 stroke. The 2 stroke stuff gets Stihl ultra oil at least.

The guys are always blowing up the 2 stroke stuff. I have started only having premix in my cans so no matter what they grab it's got oil mixed in it . Nobody has complained about the 4 strokes smoking yet.
I never really understood how people used the wrong fuel besides being careless. Maybe it's because I'm mechanically minded and make sure what I'm pouring in is from the right can and has some color to it knowing the possible results of a mistake? 🤷‍♂️
 
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