Stihl ms 660 clutch replace

[Ted-I]

hello all,
i found this site the other day and the next thing i know i'm coming home with a stihl ms 660 and $450 CAN missing out of my pocket!
anyway, got home realized i needed to pull the clutch (chain running after throttle released) which by the way i managed to do (took me all day) thanks to all the help i got from this site.
now (first i'll sleep ) i will attempt to put it all back together and have a few questions.
#1 how can i tell if i need a whole new clutch or just springs?
#2 now that i have it out does it just make sense to put in a whole new one?
#3 when i re-install is there anything i need to know or do i just follow my steps backward from the uninstall (don't get
how i will engage the brake)?
#4 what's happening to me, i never realized i love chainsaws so much?
#5 lastly, did i get ripped off at $450?
thanks in advance

 

[HarleyT]

Does the sprocket drum spin freely?

 

[Rockjock]

clutch is 100.00 springs a couple of bucks each. Unless the holes where the springs mount are worn through springs are all you need. Make sure the inside of the drum is schmutz free.

 

[Amp4027]

Are you sure the idle speed isnt just too high? or that it isn't being straightgassed/improper fuel-to-oil mix or has a cracked fuel line? - Had that on a ms200t that had been sitting for over half a decade. How old is the saw?

If you can take a pic of the clutch drum, we can help out a bit more. Usually if its got a bad spring, you will hear the clutch shoe pinging against the clutch drum as the engine turns and it will be very noticeable. Most telltale sign is the chain will rotate a bit each time you pull the starter rope before you turn it on (with a shorter bar at least), but that's only if you got a severely worn or broken spring.

Video & pics would speak wonders.

 

[Ted-I]

ah yes good morn,
well i guess if it's the idle i won't know til i put it back together!
i'll try to get a pic uploaded so y'all can see..............

 

[Amp4027]

Clutch & springs looks fine to me but I am no sawguru - is there a noticeable groove that your fingernail can catch on in the sprocket drum?

Seems there was a update to the saw clutch design, and the springs are not backwards compatible.
"The new tension spring can only be used with the
new clutch 1122 160 2002 and new clutch shoes
with guide strips 1122 162 0801.
The previous tension spring can only be used with
the previous clutch 1122 160 2005 and clutch shoes
without guide strips 1122 162 0800
The previous tension spring will continue to be
available for the previous clutch.
Previous and new tension springs cannot be
combined. Tension springs must always be
replaced in sets. "
Old style is 5-coil.
Newer is 6-coil.

What numbers are on the clutch?

Also, check your fuel line for any cracks. I'd replace it first to be on the safe side just based on your clutch being pre-2008.

 

[Ted-I]

1122/00B are the numbers on the clutch.
there seems to be wear but no groove that my fingernail catch's on.
any tips on the steps to take to check fuel line for cracks?

 

[Amp4027]

1122/00B

So that means its prolly the original 1122 162 0800B, so your springs are matched correctly.

I'm not too fond of that groove on the shoe, but it should be alright I'd think....

Really, with its age I think it'd be time for a new fuel line&filter, but to test it you have to get pressure in there so fuel will leak out of any cracks. So try half a tank of gas in there (or enough that the fuel filter is covered), and make a seal with your thumb and forefinger where the fuel cap goes or a piece of foam like a pool noodle and blow into the tank to get positive pressure in it for a good 30 seconds while moving around the fuel line attached to the carb or plugged.

 

[Ted-I]

i think i would like to replace it at this point, any suggestions such as video on how to do this ?

 

[HarleyT]

The fuel line? Just pry it up from where it snaps into the tank.

 

[HarleyT]

Here's a pic from online.

 

[Ted-I]

forgive my ignorance , but the most i've ever done to a chainsaw is sharpen the chain and run it.
gotta take the carb off first it seems?

 

[cemiii]

I assume you've read the recent thread "Back again with MS-461" and determined chain spin is not similarly related to a faulty needle cage.

 

[Ted-I]

now i'm confused...........
faulty needle cage?
what are you suggesting?

 

[cemiii]

Hey, I'm probably less experienced than you. On my MS461 I was experiencing the inability to tune out continual chain spin, no matter what. It turned out to be a faulty bearing set in the clutch drum that I found by accident. On a 461 it's known as the needle cage. I don't even know if a 660 has one but suspect it does.
Since you have already apparently removed yours already, I think you would have noted if it was not in working order. But that was my problem. The faulty bearings were causing the drum (chain driver) to spin even when the clutch was not engaged. Unfortunately, I had already ordered the clutch parts you are looking at. I was only suggesting you eliminate one more remote possibility before purchasing stuff you might not need.

As a novice, one thing that helped me a lot was getting a parts list (with blowup schematics and part names and numbers) and a shop manual for my saw. You are pretty experienced already though to have removed the clutch with or without a piston stop. I wouldn't know how to do that.

 

[HarleyT]

Does the sprocket drum spin freely?

That is what I was asking about....

 

[Wood Doctor]

I've seen cases where the chain cut right through the rim sprocket and chopped into the needled cage, almost taking out the drive shaft as well. That was its next step. The owner just kept tightening the chain in order to stay on schedule and get a cutting job done. Gasp!

Poor saw must have sounded like a cement mixer.

 

[Ted-I]

had to take care of some weekend errands but now i'm back.......
part names arrrrrrrrrh ! i need to learn these!
is the sprocket drum the thing i had to pull off with a piston stop or is it the cover that came off that first?
both as far as i know were spinning freely before i dismantled them.

 

[HarleyT]

sprocket drum and rim....

 

[Rockjock]

Needle cage

to change out the springs is not too hard.

the tool I use is like this.