The Stihl MS661 C-M recall

[tree monkey]

it must be the end of the world

 

[windthrown]

it must be the end of the world

Yes, as we know it... first the AS site konks out. Then the 661 konks out... what will be next?

 

[Mastermind]

OMG.......

My back hurts bad too. Are these things related?

 

[windthrown]

OMG.......

My back hurts bad too. Are these things related?

What? My back went out on me yesterday too!

I dunno... maybe it has to do with the new purple MM t-shirts!

 

[windthrown]

I wish I knew what the issue was.......if it's performance related, I could be spinning my wheels studying the responses I get from different port heights on this one I have.

Yes, and no one is going to give you a straight answer about it. Or even know if there is a problem, or what it is. Anyone have the 661IPL? Presumably any changes in the re-released 661 would show up there, or in a tech note.

 

[windthrown]

Was in my Stihl shop a few days ago and they still have their pretty 661 sitting on the shelf for sale, taunting me.

Wow. I thought that the west coast Stihl distributor did not get any 661s... More discord for the 661 'recall' heap.


The 661 total recall. Real, or imagined?
When accelerating the tears of emotion must flow horizontally into the ear (translated from a German web site)

 

[windthrown]

The latest blather on the German site is that the dealers there are telling them that the problems with the 661 will mainly occur from the first tank of gas on. Also someone posted earlier there this week that the problems are with the 661 pistons, and that there is a flaw in a specific SN batch of saws. Apparently if you pull the muffler after running a tank of gas through the saw, the piston damage will be obvious. The issue is said to be that the piston metal is too thin in places.

This is what I can gather using Bing and Google translators anyway, from phrases like:

With exhaust off and bit run can be very unprofessional...

So, is it the cylinder, the crank, or the piston? Tune in to find out in the next episode of, As the Saw Turns.

 

[Derrick Sawyer]

Not sure if anyone is still following this post, but the situation would certainly make Andreas Stihl roll in his grave....to have this happen to such a highly anticipated flagship saw that is following a nearly 25 yr old design. Not sure if anyone here has read the book by Waldemar Schafer titled Stihl, From an ideal to a world brand, but i goes into the history of stihl, at one time making diesel engines, washing machines, tractors and of course saws and chains, from being bombed in WWII to almost going under many times,even growing food on the property to feed everyone, but Andreas was so quality minded he even started making difficult magnesium casting themselves and not outsourcing, so not sure if the problem with the 661 was from transfer from Mahle to Gilardoni or just mass production, but this did happen, as the book outlines, during the creation of the Contra, to rival gearless Solo Rex, and the gearless McCulloch and Homelite, also with new diaphragm fuel pump, but the Contra initially had teething problems with broken crank, connecting rod, and crankcase...Stihl quickly replaced with die-cast and not sand cast, and the problems were fixed and forgotten,but for a short while Andreas was ready to fire everybody....

My dealer Penn Holo in Schwenksville, PA has been there 40 years, a large menonite family founded and runs the place, incredible outfit that doesn't sell mowers and tractors like others.....they don't know exactly what happened but they haven't had problems with the m-tronic on any other models. They also sell Husqvarna and Echo, make there own chains, tons of bars of many brands, sell saws they traded in and fixed, so its like candyland in there....ask for a part that other dealers don't have or haven't even heard of, and they pull out a drawer and have it, for instance the Stihl 036 pro upgrade kit for .325 to 3/8 with clutch drum, larger needle bearing

 

[chadihman]

Recalls and updated parts isn't quite the same thing, but yes the ford 6.0 psd is laden with a lot of very common issues. It's not if the egr cooler will go its more of when. And please god let is start one more time is said way to often when you have a high pressure oil leak ,....Cummins lots of power and good for many miles but also not without it's issues.4000 $ when the injectors fail in the post injector pump motors. And you have to deal with the worst tarnnies ever along with that joke of a soda can of a truck they bolt around the motor, the AM axles are crap blowing cariers and front wheel bearings every 50k And no lockout hubs , Then we have the chevy durimax .... Fantastic riding truck, no real front axle . Absolutely no power , Alison trans is fantastic. Brakes mediocre for a 1 ton truck and a sub par frame . We need a cummins motor , Alison trans , ford rears and frame and brakes , and a Chevy body and interior and then wow we got a great truck ,that should only cost 100 k lol. They are all crap for the 50 -70 k we spend on them . Kind of like chainsaws . Pick your own flavor they are all good or bad in their own ways none better than the others as far as being without issues . They are all machines , if you expect them to be perfect you will eventually be diapointed

Something wrong with your duramax if it has no power. Most power in stock form and can run really well with some mods.

 

[porsche965]

My Dealer received two dozen 661C in. I have one. Sold the last one three weeks ago. Up to date not one has been returned. I would guess that 80% were put into Loggers hands from the 661C Open House they held.

Hope to get a few more tank through mine and pull the muffler to see condition. Only two tanks so far in this one.

Sweet saw.

 

[Derrick Sawyer]

Dang how'd ya'll get saws in Ohio, nowhere in site in PA. Sweet saw as in torque of an old Husky 394xp or Stihl 056 magnum with better anti-vibe and lighter weight or sweet like looks cool and its brand new.

 

[blsnelling]

My Dealer received two dozen 661C in. I have one. Sold the last one three weeks ago. Up to date not one has been returned. I would guess that 80% were put into Loggers hands from the 661C Open House they held.

Hope to get a few more tank through mine and pull the muffler to see condition. Only two tanks so far in this one.

Sweet saw.

Wouldn't those had to have come from Bryan Equipment? I need connections like you've got

 

[windthrown]

My dealer Penn Holo in Schwenksville, PA has been there 40 years, a large menonite family founded and runs the place, incredible outfit that doesn't sell mowers and tractors like others.....they don't know exactly what happened but they haven't had problems with the m-tronic on any other models. They also sell Husqvarna and Echo, make there own chains, tons of bars of many brands, sell saws they traded in and fixed, so its like candyland in there....ask for a part that other dealers don't have or haven't even heard of, and they pull out a drawer and have it, for instance the Stihl 036 pro upgrade kit for .325 to 3/8 with clutch drum, larger needle bearing

That is cool about a shop that has the 036 upgrade kit in stock. I asked the last dealer about them that I went to ask about the 661. They did not know what I was talking about, so I had to have them pull up the IPL for a 360 to get the part numbers. They gave me a price of $40 plus $10 shipping changes. I told 'em to stuff that, as I can get them for less than $40 w/free shipping online. Would have bought one if they had it there. But no...

 

[windthrown]

Not much has been said about the 661 lately on the German sites. Speculation is still heavy on the P&C being the problem, but there is still talk about the crank. More have come forward with grenaded 661 saws in Germany, striking down the idea that all the bad ones were shipped overseas. One fellow had three 661s croak on him. He said they all ran fine until he put them in wood at WOT. Then they ate it. Like here, some places in Germany have no issues with the saws, some dealers and buyers there claim that they can get 661 saws, some places have had issues with the saws, and some have returned bad saws and/or all 661 stock that have all been shipped back to the factory in Germany. Its the same in the UK. Some reports in the UK of 661s running all day with 36 inch bars with no issues. Dealers I have talked to here are still in the dark about them.

 

[Stihl working hard]

Not much has been said about the 661 lately on the German sites. Speculation is still heavy on the P&C being the problem, but there is still talk about the crank. More have come forward with grenaded 661 saws in Germany, striking down the idea that all the bad ones were shipped overseas. One fellow had three 661s croak on him. He said they all ran fine until he put them in wood at WOT. Then they ate it. Like here, some places in Germany have no issues with the saws, some dealers and buyers there claim that they can get 661 saws, some places have had issues with the saws, and some have returned bad saws and/or all 661 stock that have all been shipped back to the factory in Germany. Its the same in the UK. Some reports in the UK of 661s running all day with 36 inch bars with no issues. Dealers I have talked to here are still in the dark about them.

I hope they get it sorted out soon iam hanging out for my 661 the old 660 ain't what she used to be but at least I have NEVER had a issue with it as long as the661 ends up as good as the 660 the wait should be worth it

 

[windthrown]

I read on a UK forum that the 661 is being re-designed by the engineers. Same post says that the 661 production has been stopped and the 660 stock is almost gone. Supposedly 650 sales are high now in the UK. As are 395 sales. Note that I had reads before on the German sites that Stihl re-started 660 production in January.

 

[windthrown]

A Stihl dealer in the UK verified/corrected and updated the above info and says that the 661 is now targeted to be out in the August, 2014 timeframe. He also verified that the 660 is in production again in Germany and that more 660 units will be shipped to the UK (and presumably the US) starting next week. He also said that the 650 production was stopped 5 months ago in Germany So it looks like the current 661s are going to be a short run of early production model designs.

 

[windthrown]

Some more users in the UK and Germany and France have posted that their 661s have been crapping out on them over time. Most are getting replacement 660s and their 661s are being shipped back to the Fatherland. Many also report that their 661s are still running strong. So 661 failures remain a mixed bag.

 

[Rockjock]

A Stihl dealer in the UK verified/corrected and updated the above info and says that the 661 is now targeted to be out in the August, 2014 timeframe. He also verified that the 660 is in production again in Germany and that more 660 units will be shipped to the UK (and presumably the US) starting next week. He also said that the 650 production was stopped 5 months ago in Germany So it looks like the current 661s are going to be a short run of early production model designs.

What sites have you been finding this info on?

 

[windthrown]

Cannot list other forums on this one... AS does not allow it. One is the largest in the UK, starts with arb and ends in talk. Another in German is motorsagen... ...portal.

Some guys in Germany posted that they have been playing with a demo prototype 661 saw in Bavaria that evidently runs like no other saw anyone has handled. Limited to a one-off of course, and likely the property of Stihl. They did not say if the demo saw was pre or post production. Like the clear model Husky 346 saw that I wanted to buy at the dealer here but could not. That saw was sent back to the factory.