Two-Stage Snow Blowers Are Unreliable Until You Learn Their Actual Weak Points
I bought a Red Devil 9664D about eight winters ago because it was cheap and the hardware store had it in stock. The auger housing cracked on its third winter, which is honestly average for this class of machine. You can spend hours on forums arguing about whether the Chinese casting process is substandard, but the real issue is usually that people ignore the first warning signs. The manual covers the basics, but it doesn't tell you much about what breaks first or how to prevent the common failures. The two-stage design in the 9664D uses a separate auger to gather snow and an impeller to throw it. That separation is where most problems start. The shear bolts between the auger and the drive shaft are meant to break before damage spreads. When they do, you replace them. But the next time you hit a frozen ridge or a chunk of ice, you need to know exactly where the spare bolts live and how to get them out without stripping the head. I keep a small box of replacements in my garage because going out to buy them at midnight after the machine locks up during a real storm is not fun.
Where to Find the Red Devil 9664D Snowblower Manual
The official manual is not always easy to track down. Red Devil as a brand has shifted ownership several times, and the PDF hosting situation is inconsistent. The best starting point is the parent company's parts catalog page, which typically links to the operator's manual. If that link is dead, third-party sites like ManualsLib or Scribd often have archived versions. I've seen people pay for downloads when a free version exists somewhere. The manual you need should cover the engine startup procedure, belt tension adjustment, skid shoe height settings, and the lubrication schedule for the chute rotation and deflector mechanisms. Don't skip the lubrication section. Most people I know skip it and then wonder why the chute won't rotate after January. The chute rotation gear on this model has a grease zerk that needs attention every twenty hours of operation. I use NLGI grade 2 lithium-based grease and pump it in until I see fresh grease weeping out the bottom seal. It takes about thirty seconds. People who ignore this end up forcing the chute crank handle until the gear teeth strip, which costs more than a tube of grease.
Practical Issues You Will Face With This Machine
The drive belt is the component that kills most 9664Ds. It runs between the engine pulley, the idler spring tensioner, and the two-stage transmission input. Over time, the idler spring loses tension and the belt glazes. When that happens, you get slipping under heavy snow loads. The snow just sits there while the auger bogs down. I learned to check belt tension by pressing midway between the pulleys. There should be roughly a half inch of deflection. More than that and the belt is wearing out. Another thing nobody mentions in the manual is the snow and ice packing issue in the auger housing. The 9664D's housing is stamped steel, not cast aluminum, and the interior surface gets rough after a season or two of abrasion. Wet heavy snow sticks to it. When I hit a stretch of wet lake-effect snow, the auger stops moving because the housing is packed solid. I carry a plastic ice scraper and a spray bottle with a water and isopropyl alcohol mixture. A quick spray inside the housing before each pass keeps things moving. It sounds excessive, but it is faster than stopping, climbing onto the machine, and chipping out frozen slush by hand. The skid shoes deserve more attention too. They control the clearance between the auger and the ground. If they are set too low, you dig into the pavement and wear out the bolts, the housing, and the auger paddles. If they are set too high, you leave snow behind. The factory setting calls for about a quarter-inch clearance on clean pavement and up to three-quarters of an inch on uneven surfaces. I adjust mine by loosening the lock nuts on the skid shoe bolts, setting the height, and retightening. A coin works as a quick feeler gauge if you do not have one on hand.
Get the Full Details
Belt Replacement Procedure
Replacing the auger belt on the 9664D is straightforward if you already know the trick. The idler spring is under significant tension, and if you let it fly, it will snap back and could cause injury. I always wear safety glasses for this job. First, disconnect the spark plug wire. Then remove the belt cover, which is held by four bolts. Loosen the idler bracket bolt just enough to relieve tension on the belt, then slip the old belt off the pulleys. Note the routing before you remove it completely because the diagram on the cover is often faded. Install the new belt, route it the same way, and retighten the idler bracket bolt to about fifteen foot-pounds of torque. Reassemble the cover and test the auger engagement slowly. The drive belt replacement follows a similar pattern but involves the transmission output pulley. You may need to loosen the transmission mounting bolts slightly to gain enough slack to work the belt off. Once done, retorque everything to spec and check that the transmission shifts smoothly through all speed ranges.
Engine Maintenance Specifics
The 9664D typically runs a Honda or Predator engine depending on the production year. Both are four-stroke, but the oil change interval matters. The manual says change the oil after the first five hours and then every one hundred hours. In practice, if you run the machine hard in cold weather, I would change it after the first five hours and then every fifty hours during the season. Old oil breaks down from fuel dilution and moisture condensation, and worn oil does not protect the camshaft as well. Spark plugs are another overlooked item. The gap should be checked with a wire feeler gauge, not estimated by eye. A misfiring plug causes hard starting and poor auger performance. I use a NGK BPMR7A or the equivalent recommended in the manual. If the plug looks fouled with carbon deposits, clean it with a wire brush or replace it. Running old plugs in a two-stage snowblower is a fast way to waste gas and frustration.
Storage Mistakes That Cost Money Later
Most people store their snowblower wrong. They leave the fuel in the carburetor over the summer and then wonder why it will not start the next November. A carburetor with stale gasoline is almost guaranteed to have varnish deposits clogging the main jet. I either run the engine dry by closing the fuel valve and letting it stall, or I add a fuel stabilizer and run it for ten minutes to circulate treated fuel through the system. Both methods work. The key is that the fuel cannot sit untouched for eight months. I also remove the spark plugs before long-term storage and pour about a teaspoon of two-stroke oil into each cylinder, then pull the starter cord a few times to coat the walls. This prevents rust on the piston and cylinder. It takes three minutes and saves a rebuild later.
When the Manual Cannot Help
The Red Devil 9664D Snowblower Manual covers normal operation and scheduled maintenance. It does not cover every failure mode. When the machine starts smoking blue, that is usually oil entering the combustion chamber from a worn piston ring or excessive crankcase oil level. Check the dipstick first. If the oil is fine and the smoking continues, the piston is wearing out. At that point, a rebuild kit is your option, but the cost approaches what a used machine would run. Sometimes replacing the engine is cheaper than rebuilding, especially if the frame and auger are still in good shape. Another scenario the manual glosses over is the hydraulic drive failure. The 9664D uses a variable-speed traction drive controlled by a cable from the handle lever. If the machine will not move regardless of the lever position, check the cable first. It can stretch or detach from the lever. If the cable is intact, the drive unit itself may be worn. These are not cheap to replace, and they are not always available as standalone parts from Red Devil dealers. I have found that sourcing the drive unit from a scrap machine on eBay is sometimes the only viable path when the original supplier no longer stocks them.
Bottom Line on Operating Costs
A Red Devil 9664D will serve you for about five to eight seasons if you maintain it. Parts are inexpensive but not always available. The manual is a useful reference for maintenance intervals and basic troubleshooting, but the real knowledge comes from actually working on the machine. Keep a basic socket set, a torque wrench, spare shear bolts, a new drive belt, and a copy of the manual in the garage before the first snowstorm hits. You will thank yourself later.
