#$%^ Chinese 660 Stihl clone saw.

[dls]

Bought a 660 stihl clone kit from Hutzl. Went together in 2 1/2 hours. Chain brake does not fit right and handle leans so far forward that it seems to be in the tripped position when not. I had to cut out the bottom of the brake handle to clear the muffler so the brake would work. Cut a few pieces of wood and it ran AWESOME, then I noticed the button gone on the compression release. Shut it down and went to the Stihl dealer to order a genuine Stihl. 2 weeks later it shows up and I put it on. All good. Take it out and cut 4 more pieces of 20" diameter firewood and runs awesome again, then locks up at full throttle while in the cut. I haul it 12 miles home, tear it down and find the connecting rod bearing on the crankshaft is gone. I can lift the rod up and down. The piston had hit the top of the cylinder. All else looked good. rpms had been set at 12,000 and 11,500 under load. P.O.S. saw. At this point I think I will order everything Stihl for the chain brake, crank assembly, and gasket set to put this Chinese piece of crap back together.

 

[dls]

I want to add that I oil all the bearings, cylinder and rings when I assemble an engine. Always have.

 

[cuinrearview]

You're going to find some guys here that SWEAR that they're not absolute POS. They'll probably even tell you that YOU assembled it wrong...

Sorry you got duped man. I try and tell as many people as I can, but that cheap price just keeps 'em drinking the koolaid.

 

[gary courtney]

12 k and under load 11.5 k ?

 

[ammoaddict]

Bought a 660 stihl clone kit from Hutzl. Went together in 2 1/2 hours. Chain brake does not fit right and handle leans so far forward that it seems to be in the tripped position when not. I had to cut out the bottom of the brake handle to clear the muffler so the brake would work. Cut a few pieces of wood and it ran AWESOME, then I noticed the button gone on the compression release. Shut it down and went to the Stihl dealer to order a genuine Stihl. 2 weeks later it shows up and I put it on. All good. Take it out and cut 4 more pieces of 20" diameter firewood and runs awesome again, then locks up at full throttle while in the cut. I haul it 12 miles home, tear it down and find the connecting rod bearing on the crankshaft is gone. I can lift the rod up and down. The piston had hit the top of the cylinder. All else looked good. rpms had been set at 12,000 and 11,500 under load. P.O.S. saw. At this point I think I will order everything Stihl for the chain brake, crank assembly, and gasket set to put this Chinese piece of crap back together.

What was the squish measurement?

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

[dmb2613]

Not a big fan of them, but I bet the crank was off center

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

From what I can figure out- (never owned one, never run one) 97% of these are crap and 95% of the owners of these crappy ones are usually that pissed or that embarrassed that they do not write about it.
That leaves 3% that are good to go from the factory (even a blind squirrel can find a nut- right?) and the owners of these are members of every chainsaw based social media platform out there, well versed at tread starting and replying, have the time to comment and sing the praises of their own one in a hundred reverse engineered saw.

I work on the theory- if it looks too good to be true- it probably is.

 

[cuinrearview]

@noodlewalker is the guy that you want to talk to. He's built hundreds and never had a dud.

 

[Deleted member 117362]

@noodlewalker is the guy that you want to talk to. He's built hundreds and never had a dud.

Oh! Come on you have built and owned many of them. Tell us what you really think!

 

[cuinrearview]

Oh! Come on you have built and owned many of them. Tell us what you really think!

Just a taste was enough for me.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

I have purchased several Huztl saws with no problems over the last few years. Yes I have had to replace buttons and make some modifications that would not be likely if I had bought a Genuine Stihl from a dealer. The cost to me to go to a Stihl dealer is prohibitive. Then to get a minor part shipped will cost me at least ten times the cost of the original part. Then to top it off the new models of saws are complete junk to me because they are difficult to replace carburetors in the field as well as routine maintenance in the field. To make it worse I do not want any hinderence for tuning such as limiting inserts. So until some supply company sells basic saws that meet my needs Huztl is the only that I know of. I always buy two of every thing knowing that a failure is possible with great success. There is no way a rod could start to fail with out the OP well aware of a problem. Thanks

 

[cuinrearview]

Lol I guess if buying two of everything to get one good part is your definition of success...

 

[Deleted member 117362]

I have purchased several Huztl saws with no problems over the last few years. Yes I have had to replace buttons and make some modifications that would not be likely if I had bought a Genuine Stihl from a dealer. The cost to me to go to a Stihl dealer is prohibitive. Then to get a minor part shipped will cost me at least ten times the cost of the original part. Then to top it off the new models of saws are complete junk to me because they are difficult to replace carburetors in the field as well as routine maintenance in the field. To make it worse I do not want any hinderence for tuning such as limiting inserts. So until some supply company sells basic saws that meet my needs Huztl is the only that I know of. I always buy two of every thing knowing that a failure is possible with great success. There is no way a rod could start to fail with out the OP well aware of a problem. Thanks

So why don't you own some good quality older Stihl or Husky saws, limiting caps can be removed, splined drivers available. New saws need no adjustment and those carbs are really not that hard to change on Husqvarna saws. I do not care for peeling cylinder plating, porous case castings that crack at inner spike mount, bad fit on air filters, flashing left molded parts, bad throttle cables, just hit or miss quality. To each his own and it's your money, not ours. Never carried a spare carb for my saw. Probably most do?

 

[Freudianfloyd]

I built mine when I didnt know anything about saws, and just took my time. The main bearings were gritty so I spent probably an hour flushing them and oiling them and they improved quite a bit. The cylinder needed a lit of cleanup and spent probably an entire day cleaning it up.

I also second the crank being off center. I had that happen but luckily caught it before I assembled it.

I know these kits are very hit or miss, and I have not had the urge to buy a second one, but I have had great luck with mine, and have used it several times, albeit not in a pro environment.

The part I like best about the saws, is that I have learned an exponential amount about saws from building that kit. Since that kit, rebuilding a saw doesn't bother me a bit, and I have rebuilt several or fixed/diagnosed several that I never would've attempted to do before that saw kit.

And when needed, I have a 36" saw. My feet are currently resting on my 42" across log coffee table I cut up myself.

 

[jltrent]

I would cut my loses while I was behind....I have had two of the POS AM saws and you get what you pay for. SOme of the pasts are usable,but from my experience the crankcase, bearings, crank, cylinder and piston are inferior. You can get by with the plastic parts as China plastic is decent.

 

[Jhenderson]

You get what you pay for. You bought stolen technology and second rate manufacturing from the Chinese and you’re surprised?

 

[motorhead99999]

I have built a couple of the 660 clones now and had the brake handle issue on one but I clean everything a parts washer really good for a while before I assemble because cases are usually covered in aluminum shavings

 

[ammoaddict]

It's unfair to call these kit POS, however a few parts in them are complete POS. the decomp being one of them. I had my share of problems with mine and probably won't buy another, but I did make a good running saw out of it by using some aftermarket parts from different manufacturers.
If you live in an area where you can find old saws to rebuild then that's the way to go. They are non-existent around here so these kits offer a good learning experience for not a ton of money. There are several threads on them that warn you of problems others have had and how to avoid them.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

[noodlewalker]

@noodlewalker is the guy that you want to talk to. He's built hundreds and never had a dud.

Sh1t happens, things fail... I never said I have never had a dud. I said I have built enough to know what to look for and fix it during the build.. that being said, it sounds like the ceiling clearance was too low and more than likely was hitting the top the entire time. Most likely caused the failure. Op, I'll be here if you want or need anything.

 

[Marshy]