MS 650. Fix it or sell it?

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Fix it or Sell an MS 650 that needs a new top end?


  • Total voters
    14
How about a new meteor kit from CCC that is a sponsor here? You can get the 660 kit. Mike
I searched around and found Chainsaw conservation components.com but didn’t find a 660 kit on their site or their eBay store. Did I go to the wrong site?

Baileys that’s on here wants 400 something for oem and that’s a bit too far out of my price range at a 54mm kit.
Found this one: https://www.diyspareparts.com/parts/stihl/diagrams/ms650-magnum/f8f5bd9e-5871-40be-b719/ , which is a European based company selling a 52mm piston and cylinder (oem) for 233 US dollars, with the remaining rings and etc. totaling in the 300’s.
Last, I found this: http://www.lilredbarn.net/product-p/shckn066-56bb.htm
Which is a 56mm kit for $120. Doesn’t include the gasket but they don’t cost that much. I know Mad Professor warned about the quality of the parts that aren’t oem (chi-com)but it just comes down to the need and the cost. I wish I could stay true but I just can’t reason spending enough money to buy a new saw on a replacement part for an old one. But I don’t want to waste money on substandard parts either. I think, for my needs, it’s best to sell it. Anyone interested?
 
Real Chi-com is cheaper than that. https://www.huztl.net/Big-Bore-56mm...2-020-1209-With-Pin-Ring-Circlip-p229848.html

THAT'S Chi-com. I've used them for stuff, and am running a piston and cylinder successfully on my MS290. If you are worried about quality, buy two or three. Consider it a "blank slate" to do grinding and massaging to get what you need. Buy OEM circlips, main bearings, seals etc. I have hours in my P&C cleaning it up and porting it.

The stuff that is aftermarket from Lil red and other places is like Meteor or Cross or other decent manufacturers. Not bad but not OEM.
 
Don't waste time with the junk from China. Either clean up your cylinder or put a want ad in the post for a used one. They're out there. Meteor makes a quality aftermarket piston at a good price. I sold a good used OEM top end for $125 recently, that's about the going rate. Be patient and do it right.
 
Don't waste time with the junk from China. Either clean up your cylinder or put a want ad in the post for a used one. They're out there. Meteor makes a quality aftermarket piston at a good price. I sold a good used OEM top end for $125 recently, that's about the going rate. Be patient and do it right.
What he said! I would rather use a used OEM p/c than spend my time trying a cheap Chinese kit.
 
If you're not sold on upgrading to 660, try cleaning up the cylinder first. Even terrible looking cylinders can turn out to be just mucked up by aluminum transfer from the piston. Once this is cleaned up (by methods illustrated in the archives of this forum), the cylinder may turn out OK. This happens most of the time. The cylinder lining is very hard. When it is trashed, it is usually due to a ring, circlip, or bearing coming apart or by a foreign body getting into the cylinder. If it cleans up, you can always sell it to offset expenses.
 
Real Chi-com is cheaper than that. https://www.huztl.net/Big-Bore-56mm...2-020-1209-With-Pin-Ring-Circlip-p229848.html

THAT'S Chi-com. I've used them for stuff, and am running a piston and cylinder successfully on my MS290. If you are worried about quality, buy two or three. Consider it a "blank slate" to do grinding and massaging to get what you need. Buy OEM circlips, main bearings, seals etc. I have hours in my P&C cleaning it up and porting it.

The stuff that is aftermarket from Lil red and other places is like Meteor or Cross or other decent manufacturers. Not bad but not OEM.
20 dollars is not a bad gamble.
 
Real Chi-com is cheaper than that. https://www.huztl.net/Big-Bore-56mm...2-020-1209-With-Pin-Ring-Circlip-p229848.html

THAT'S Chi-com. I've used them for stuff, and am running a piston and cylinder successfully on my MS290. If you are worried about quality, buy two or three. Consider it a "blank slate" to do grinding and massaging to get what you need. Buy OEM circlips, main bearings, seals etc. I have hours in my P&C cleaning it up and porting it.

The stuff that is aftermarket from Lil red and other places is like Meteor or Cross or other decent manufacturers. Not bad but not OEM.
try HL supply,they stock allot of meteor stuff and are
helpful to deal with
 
If your time is worth nothing...
I’m full time military and the wife and kids couldn’t come with me this time (at least for right now) so I’m trying to keep myself busy. I am taking in all the advice the wise people of this website can give me and plotting out the path that makes the most sense for my needs. To date, this is my plan: I’m going to take the twenty dollar gamble, keep my eyes peeled for a used oem replacement I can afford, take a stab at repairing the cylinder/piston, and also consider offers. After work, I got nothing but time. Might as well tinker a bit and try to make more money for the wife to spend.
 
I’m full time military and the wife and kids couldn’t come with me this time (at least for right now) so I’m trying to keep myself busy. I am taking in all the advice the wise people of this website can give me and plotting out the path that makes the most sense for my needs. To date, this is my plan: I’m going to take the twenty dollar gamble, keep my eyes peeled for a used oem replacement I can afford, take a stab at repairing the cylinder/piston, and also consider offers. After work, I got nothing but time. Might as well tinker a bit and try to make more money for the wife to spend.
Thank you for your service.

The explanation definitely helps, most people aren't gifted with that kind of time. Make sure to follow up with your findings.
 
Update:
Got the cheap replacement part and have it installed. Haven’t gotten it to start yet but I think I missed something putting it back together. Need to check the line on the back of the carb? The fuel line is attached but there is another one? Y’all got advice on what to look for next? Probably have time to work on that tonight. Here are some pics of the cylinder and piston. From what I have learned so far it looks like the cylinder is salvageable. Looks like it just has “aluminum transfer”. Going to take a stab at cleaning it up with guidance from ytube.
 

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Might have missed it but did you find out where it was leaking or why it scored in the first place?

Original owner is a very intelligent dumbass. Very smart on certain things but has difficulty tying his shoes. This was just a poorly kept/treated saw. Bad fuel mix, not letting it warm up before pinging the throttle, took the air filter off, being hard on it in the cut (excessive pushing/binding- making it bog down). So it’s hard to say which was the final straw. There are some photos of the piston and cylinder earlier in this post. Maybe they will help you make a guess.
 
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