Stihl 661 Problem

He said that he is going to try and get Stihl to replace the entire power head and try and get me a temporary replacement saw. The warranty is wearing out and I have only used the saw on three jobs.
 
The Stihl dealer I started out using (since moving out of the big city) never had so much as a piece of firewood on the premises. When I finally got tired of their mediocre service, I found another one in a nearby city that is also an Echo dealer. I bought a little Echo CS-271T on my first visit and the first thing he did was FILL it with bar oil and gas... not just a little squirt of each, like the other guys would do... fired it up and started sawing up a 5" limb from a pile just outside the shop's back door. I talked to him about two Stihl saws I want to purchase, but that he didn't have in stock. He said he could have them there in four days or less, whenever I'm ready to order them. The other guys said it would take at least three weeks.

Needless to say, I have a new dealer.
 
JeffGu said:
The Stihl dealer I started out using (since moving out of the big city) never had so much as a piece of firewood on the premises. When I finally got tired of their mediocre service, I found another one in a nearby city that is also an Echo dealer. I bought a little Echo CS-271T on my first visit and the first thing he did was FILL it with bar oil and gas... not just a little squirt of each, like the other guys would do... fired it up and started sawing up a 5" limb from a pile just outside the shop's back door. I talked to him about two Stihl saws I want to purchase, but that he didn't have in stock. He said he could have them there in four days or less, whenever I'm ready to order them. The other guys said it would take at least three weeks.

Needless to say, I have a new dealer.
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That is what I would expect from a dealer. Fill it up, fire it up, cut something, make adjustments, and then finally hand it over.
 
Well, this is a new dealer to me. The last place I used to frequent had an employee who stole my 200t and only after arguing with them for some time sold me a 201 for a reduced price. I am torn between blameing stihl for the $1400 paperweight or the dealer for their failed attempts to fix it.
 
Trust me, these saws are great. Lemons happen when things are new, there has been some out of the box issues with 661s. It's tough dealing with the dealerships sometimes, but give the guy a chance to get you a new saw. You'll love it when you get one that works as it should.
 
Hopefully they will make it right. Mine was fixed with the updated coil/controller and a new wiring harness. The fuel solenoids are sometimes a problem as well. Mine about drove me crazy before getting it right. Good luck with your saw.
 
Hey thanks blsnelling, currently I have a "demo" saw that seems to be working fine. The dealer sent my saw back to Stihl and I have not had an update yet on what is/was wrong with it. The demo saw has been working great, I wish that I could keep it. Thanks for your hopeful story. :)
 
Treezybreez said:
Just wanted to see if others were having the same problems I have been having with my bran new saw? It runs great from a cold start but after it warms up it won't start. I've only used it on two jobs before taking it back to the dealer. He said that they forgot to calibrate it before they sold it to me, so he ran it on choke for a while and handed it back to me. Saw is doing the same thing it did before; acting like it is overheating or flooding. Supper frustrating since bran new saws are supposed to run perfect. :muyenojado:
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I just took my 661 into the shop it had blown the piston
It was right at the six month time and Stihl under warenty
 
Treezybreez said:
Just wanted to see if others were having the same problems I have been having with my bran new saw? It runs great from a cold start but after it warms up it won't start. I've only used it on two jobs before taking it back to the dealer. He said that they forgot to calibrate it before they sold it to me, so he ran it on choke for a while and handed it back to me. Saw is doing the same thing it did before; acting like it is overheating or flooding. Supper frustrating since bran new saws are supposed to run perfect. :muyenojado:
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This is still happening! My chainsaw was shutting down and staying off after warmup, plus, like Tree Assassin here, it almost immediately blew a piston. The worst part? Stihl didn't honour my warranty! I've been after then now for over a year to replace the saw. Is this kind of negligence towards customers and warranties even close to being legal?!

Here's the letter I eventually wrote Stihl Head Offices about my 661, and posted on the chainsawyer.com website.
 
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Chainsawyer said:
This is still happening! My chainsaw was shutting down and staying off after warmup, plus, like Tree Assassin here, it almost immediately blew a piston. The worst part? Stihl didn't honour my warranty! I've been after then now for over a year to replace the saw. Is this kind of negligence towards customers and warranties even close to being legal?!

Here's the letter I eventually wrote Stihl Head Offices about my 661, and posted on the chainsawyer.com website.
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Wow, I feel your pain. I wonder if you are able to contact a Stihl rep closer to the top? They could loose a lot of business over their poor quality control and failure to honor warranties.
 
I thought that I had given an update on my saw situation, but I guess I didn't. The dealer told me that they sent my saw directly to Stihl and Stihl claimed that it was a falty computer that caused the piston to overheat and melt. They replaced the power head and computer module and I haven't had a problem since. I hope that I don't have to go through all the trouble again.
 
Thanks so much for posting your resolution!!!! I'm having the very same problem. I started using my Brand New 661 on slabbing a cedar of all things and after it warmed up it would shut off or wouldn't start back up until it cooled down. It was VERY frustrating. But, knowing what they did to resolve your situation gives me hope for them resolving mine as well. The place where I bought it is contacting the rep and I am going to give this string of posts to them to show them that my saw is doing the same thing. I thought I bought the best and I expect the best service both in product and customer service.
 
Hi David D,

Please post an update on your saw situation after it gets resolved. I hope that these posts are helpful.

Here is a glimpse of hope.
 

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Hello Gentlemen, my father's MS 661 RCM is having the same issue. We have used the saw extensively during the winter, it ran amazing. Now that the weather has been getting above 80 F+, it is nearly impossible to re-start. After letting it cool down, it will fire-up with no issues. I will probably be calling the dealer from which we bought it from, however it's been over a year. I am unsure how long the warranty lasts.
 
Had a lot of trouble with mine a few months ago. Wouldn't idle after it warmed up and when it died wouldn't hardly crank. Once it cranked it run great until I let it try to idle then it would immediately die. Turned out to be the low idle solenoid on the carb. Cost about $39 and was pretty easy to replace. Two trips to a stihl shop 45 minutes away, $39 and about 30 minutes of my time replacing it. I guess stihl thinks that's better that spending 10 seconds turning a screwdriver to adjust it by hand which I've done for almost 30 years. Thanks stihl.
 
Benjo75 said:
Had a lot of trouble with mine a few months ago. Wouldn't idle after it warmed up and when it died wouldn't hardly crank. Once it cranked it run great until I let it try to idle then it would immediately die. Turned out to be the low idle solenoid on the carb. Cost about $39 and was pretty easy to replace. Two trips to a stihl shop 45 minutes away, $39 and about 30 minutes of my time replacing it. I guess stihl thinks that's better that spending 10 seconds turning a screwdriver to adjust it by hand which I've done for almost 30 years. Thanks stihl.
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It’s so much better than hand tuning. Saws are always tuned for conditions and there’s no need to whip out the tuning screw driver.


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