Hey guys,
I’m brand new to this site. I have been in tree business for almost 10 years now and have scaled back over the last few years. I have a pair of 044s that I have used non stop day in and day out during the season. Besides keeping them clean, replacing the basics I have never had to do a significant teardown in all these years, Well in a matter of a couple weeks both started acting up and I am looking for some guidance on both here is where I am at. I have read a ton and have learned a lot. I specifically have been reading about the 066 as well, I will get to that soon.
Saw 1 – STIHL 044 without decompression. Early 90s model, bone stock. Started a constant squeal over on the pull start side. I believe it’s the pull starter itself. I’m going to swap the one off the other saw for now and see what happens. When taking it of I noticed I’m missing a fin as well. I am not too worried about it and plan to keep running it. From what I read it shouldn’t be an issue. I’m pretty sure it was when my brother was trying to pull the clutch without a piston stop and broke it off. Any other idea of what this possibly be besides a crank bearing? It does not sound like a crank bearing, but I am not really sure at this point. I set it aside and used the second one until I had the time. Which leads me to the second.
Saw 2 - 044 with decompression. Purchased at the same time as the other one. This has been my primary saw all these years and has been used for felling year around and bucks up between 150-160 chords of wood at the end of the season. Just recently it started revving up on its own. Out of no where it revs to about half throttle. I am guessing it’s an air leak and have order a new case gasket set, and intake for it while its down. Picked up a carb rebuild kit just in case. I have yet to disassemble it so I know ordering parts prior is pretty stupid, but I figure they will be used down the road. I will never get rid of these saws, as they have paid for themselves a 100 fold easily. Also, one muffler mount bolt keeps backing out. I have used red thread locker and after a few tanks she backs out. I’m guessing the only fix is to re-tap the hole and make sure it’s clean, otherwise I figure it will be a heli-coil till it needs a new top end.
Like I said, I have never really had to do anything major on either of these saws since I have used them and am a mechanical newb with further disassembly past the clutch. Some days I will hit 10 + tanks of fuel through a unit, and some felling days it could only be a few. I have technical manuals now for both and can usually figure out from schematic what to disassemble first and how to reassemble. Any video on you tube of a dis-assembly of an 044 or similar model????
My question to you guys is what else should I look for while its apart? I really do not want to change anything as they have been the most reliable saws I have ever owned, or seen, and have outlasted many of my coworkers 460 441s and so on.
Lastly, while both saws went down in a matter of 10 days, I went out and purchased an 066 after an employee ran over my barely used ms660 with about 20,000 lbs, and blew a couple tires out on my trailer at the same time. Needless to say there was not one bit on the saw I could have kept in the moment of fury. I bought the 066 saw for what I thought was a fair price. I have been reading up on them and I believe this is a red eye model with decompression, and has the poly flywheel. Could be wrong, but from what I read the decompression models were updated to the poly wheel over the aluminum wheels. Therefore the ignition should be updated correct from the limiting ignitions? The saw was owned by a fellow who came from a logging family up in MT. He had a couple of 460s and was keeping his MS660. There is a good amount of time on this saw, and he just replaced the cylinder with a NWP big bore kit and has tuned it a little, and mentioned it was still pretty rich. He mentioned he had replaced cylinders on multiple saws throughout the years, and from what I could take, he knew his **** and this was not an experimental fix on the saw. When I bought it, it idled nice and smooth and spools up quick but starts bogging out on the top end and will dive in RPM. If you feather the throttle a bit you can keep it up top, but when you hold it wide open she slowly dives down and bogs out. I have tried quite a few times to get it tuned close so even at full throttle it would stay in a four stroking tune. I have not been able to get it to stroke properly, let alone four stroke on the top end in a cut. The basic tuning that so many follow does not even seem to come close on this saw. It idles nice and smooth but seems to be running pig rich on top. At one point I had the filter off and swore I could feel atomized fuel coming out the butterfly it was running that rich. That’s how rich it felt.
So what do you guys suggest? I’m assuming the big bore kits change the common setting a bit, and the fact I’m up at 6000 ft in elevation will also. We cut at 8k-10500 often. I do appreciate any advice you may have as I threw a lot out there. I think I can get one fixed and the other trouble shot fairly quick. It’s the 066 that is throwing me for a loop on the tuning. I need to get one running properly before the weekend to get some work done at a friends cabin before the snow flies.
Put in a big order to Baileys for parts as well. Never knew about that site, and after comparing costs on ascenders, harnesses, ropes, and all of that jazz, man I could have saved me quite a bit over these years, more than enough to take the lady on a vacation!
Thanks again and I really do appreciate all the brains on here who have contributed to quite a reading and learning experience over the last few days.
I’m brand new to this site. I have been in tree business for almost 10 years now and have scaled back over the last few years. I have a pair of 044s that I have used non stop day in and day out during the season. Besides keeping them clean, replacing the basics I have never had to do a significant teardown in all these years, Well in a matter of a couple weeks both started acting up and I am looking for some guidance on both here is where I am at. I have read a ton and have learned a lot. I specifically have been reading about the 066 as well, I will get to that soon.
Saw 1 – STIHL 044 without decompression. Early 90s model, bone stock. Started a constant squeal over on the pull start side. I believe it’s the pull starter itself. I’m going to swap the one off the other saw for now and see what happens. When taking it of I noticed I’m missing a fin as well. I am not too worried about it and plan to keep running it. From what I read it shouldn’t be an issue. I’m pretty sure it was when my brother was trying to pull the clutch without a piston stop and broke it off. Any other idea of what this possibly be besides a crank bearing? It does not sound like a crank bearing, but I am not really sure at this point. I set it aside and used the second one until I had the time. Which leads me to the second.
Saw 2 - 044 with decompression. Purchased at the same time as the other one. This has been my primary saw all these years and has been used for felling year around and bucks up between 150-160 chords of wood at the end of the season. Just recently it started revving up on its own. Out of no where it revs to about half throttle. I am guessing it’s an air leak and have order a new case gasket set, and intake for it while its down. Picked up a carb rebuild kit just in case. I have yet to disassemble it so I know ordering parts prior is pretty stupid, but I figure they will be used down the road. I will never get rid of these saws, as they have paid for themselves a 100 fold easily. Also, one muffler mount bolt keeps backing out. I have used red thread locker and after a few tanks she backs out. I’m guessing the only fix is to re-tap the hole and make sure it’s clean, otherwise I figure it will be a heli-coil till it needs a new top end.
Like I said, I have never really had to do anything major on either of these saws since I have used them and am a mechanical newb with further disassembly past the clutch. Some days I will hit 10 + tanks of fuel through a unit, and some felling days it could only be a few. I have technical manuals now for both and can usually figure out from schematic what to disassemble first and how to reassemble. Any video on you tube of a dis-assembly of an 044 or similar model????
My question to you guys is what else should I look for while its apart? I really do not want to change anything as they have been the most reliable saws I have ever owned, or seen, and have outlasted many of my coworkers 460 441s and so on.
Lastly, while both saws went down in a matter of 10 days, I went out and purchased an 066 after an employee ran over my barely used ms660 with about 20,000 lbs, and blew a couple tires out on my trailer at the same time. Needless to say there was not one bit on the saw I could have kept in the moment of fury. I bought the 066 saw for what I thought was a fair price. I have been reading up on them and I believe this is a red eye model with decompression, and has the poly flywheel. Could be wrong, but from what I read the decompression models were updated to the poly wheel over the aluminum wheels. Therefore the ignition should be updated correct from the limiting ignitions? The saw was owned by a fellow who came from a logging family up in MT. He had a couple of 460s and was keeping his MS660. There is a good amount of time on this saw, and he just replaced the cylinder with a NWP big bore kit and has tuned it a little, and mentioned it was still pretty rich. He mentioned he had replaced cylinders on multiple saws throughout the years, and from what I could take, he knew his **** and this was not an experimental fix on the saw. When I bought it, it idled nice and smooth and spools up quick but starts bogging out on the top end and will dive in RPM. If you feather the throttle a bit you can keep it up top, but when you hold it wide open she slowly dives down and bogs out. I have tried quite a few times to get it tuned close so even at full throttle it would stay in a four stroking tune. I have not been able to get it to stroke properly, let alone four stroke on the top end in a cut. The basic tuning that so many follow does not even seem to come close on this saw. It idles nice and smooth but seems to be running pig rich on top. At one point I had the filter off and swore I could feel atomized fuel coming out the butterfly it was running that rich. That’s how rich it felt.
So what do you guys suggest? I’m assuming the big bore kits change the common setting a bit, and the fact I’m up at 6000 ft in elevation will also. We cut at 8k-10500 often. I do appreciate any advice you may have as I threw a lot out there. I think I can get one fixed and the other trouble shot fairly quick. It’s the 066 that is throwing me for a loop on the tuning. I need to get one running properly before the weekend to get some work done at a friends cabin before the snow flies.
Put in a big order to Baileys for parts as well. Never knew about that site, and after comparing costs on ascenders, harnesses, ropes, and all of that jazz, man I could have saved me quite a bit over these years, more than enough to take the lady on a vacation!
Thanks again and I really do appreciate all the brains on here who have contributed to quite a reading and learning experience over the last few days.
