Older Stihl 066 chainsaw

[ozwinner]

Ok wood rippers, I need you thoughts on the Stihl 066 chainsaw, its an older model.
I have had plenty of Stihls in the past and found them outstanding, but I dont think Ive owned this model before?

Thoughts please.

Al :)

[Bluegum]

yes be keen to hear about them as well. My old MS190 has given up the ghost and is in need of repair/replacement.

[E. maculata]

The only Stihl I would ever pick up over my Huskies, was my old 066 magnum. The best stihl ever made, full stop, end of story.
BTW I reckon I may have used a few saws here'n there over the years:rolleyes:

[outback]

What E. said

[Doughboy]

Umm the 066 is a nice saw but if you are doing some full on saw work then the 090 is the way to go!!!!

Pete

[Doughboy]

I should have said imho....

Pete

[E. maculata]

Umm the 066 is a nice saw but if you are doing some full on saw work then the 090 is the way to go!!!!

Pete

Sorry Doughboy, unless fully fixed in a chainsaw mill, I'll disagree loudly
090
137cc yep,
torque to burn yep
chain brake..
Unbalanced yep
Heavy as sin totally
in todays terms quite a slow chain speed yep
Vibrates like...:o yep again
kicks back and rips your shoulder on the the way past yer head..YES:mad:
Lug it around the bush felling trees never ever (& i'm not exactly a ten stone sorta Bloke;) )
However besides slabbing they are very good for enticing large earthworms to the surface for catchin' catfish,
you start one' place it on damp ground, hold it there with your foot and watch 'em pop up.

[Doughboy]

E mac I totally agree with you on all the afore mentioned negatives but I loves the old girl.

I spent 10 years in the bush with my old man and he only ever used the 090 so that is what I learnt on, and for dropping some serious trees it is one beast of a saw. We are both 110 kg blokes so the weight thing really pales. One of the best things I ever learnt was to sharpen the saw correctly, it took me hours to get it right but as a 14 year old I was happy. Getting the angles all good on rakers etc is a real art.

Stihl the 066 is one useful and usable saw.

Again mho.

Pete

[E. maculata]

I understand, I have the same soft spot for a big ole oleomac:o for much the same reasons as you luv 090's.

[Doughboy]

Touche

[Bushmiller]

Al

I can't speak with authority on the Stihl range in general except my impression is that the smaller saws are not worthy of the Stihl reputation.

However, the larger saws have considerable standing in the wood cutting world. The 066 I have had a little experience with although I do not own this model.

We fitted a friend's 066 magnum with a 42" bar for use in conjunction with my old rail mill. The saw never stalled in dry hardwood. Ripping is particularly hard work and I was impressed. At the time I doubt that there was a better saw around of that size, although some others might equal it.

Regards
Paul

[outback]

A few of the stihl's had a problem with slow chain speed. Usually the smaller types I thought. Dunno really, these days I'd only have a husky.

[journeyman Mick]

Al,
they're absolute no good, and if you give me the name and contact details of the vendor I'll get in touch with him to give him a serve for trying to sell you the thing. ;) :D

Mick

[Ianab]

066.. great chainsaw. Plenty of power and still light enough to pick up :)

090 - yup I got one of them too. Scares women and small children, frightens horses etc. It's bolted to my sawmill so the weight doesn't worry me. Sure makes the woodchips fly though :D

Cheers

Ian

[Iain]

090...blunt chain, so what!!!!
Just the sheer brute force powers it through anything in its path.

[ozwinner]

I had a spare arvo yesterday. http://www.ubeaut.biz/woohoo.gif
And Ive got a spare day today as the bricks are still being cooked..http://www.ubeaut.biz/jpshakehead.gif

So I tryed to start it up, no go.

Plenty of spark, but no fuel getting through, this thing hasnt been stated for ages from the looks of it.

Anyway I took off the carbie to see if the pump was ok, yep seems fine to me.

Next step, I went and got some Start Ya Bastard from the spares shop and will give it a try today with a little squirt.

The dangley thing in the fuel tank, its just a pick up with a weight isnt it?

Al :)

[Cliff Rogers]

....The dangley thing in the fuel tank, its just a pick up with a weight isnt it?

Al :)

Could also be a filter.

I had a Honda motor with heaps of spark that wouldn't start, turned out to be a crook plug so grad a spare one of them too.

[Ianab]

Yup.. there is a fuel filter built into the pickup.

Other things to check are fuel lines that have perished and cracked, and old fuel left in the carby turned into sticky jelly. Also diaphrams and seals in the carb can perish as well.

You may end up having to strip down the carb, clean it out and rebuild it, Stihl dealer should be able to sell you a kit with all the gaskets and do-hickys you need.

Cheers

Ian

[ozwinner]

Ok I had a better look at the model number tag.
It is on the side and almost worn away from years of laying it over to fill the fuel tank.

Now I think it says 085 S, or 089 S?

Anyway, with a squirt of Start Ya Bastard it fires up beatifully, but wont stay running without the squirt, seems an expensive way to keep it going. :rolleyes:

How does the fuel get to the carb?
Should the fuel tank pressureise to force the fuel into the carb?

Al :confused:

[Iain]

I've seen those little rubber pump things suck air without leaking fuel, the one you pump with your thumb under the carby to get the fuel to it for start up.
Or the little pick up with a weight is a solid mass as the felt has solidified.

[ozwinner]

I've seen those little rubber pump things suck air without leaking fuel, the one you pump with your thumb under the carby to get the fuel to it for start up.
Or the little pick up with a weight is a solid mass as the felt has solidified.

I checked the foam in the pickup, it seemed fine.
There is no primer pump on this thing, nor have I ever seen one on a Stihl chainsaw, and Ive had a few over the years.

The other thing I might do is just trade it in on a newer model some time down the track.

Al :)

[Ianab]

Yup, the carb generates a vacumn to suck up the fuel, if a fuel line has perished it may just suck air, so check that. Blocked fuel filter is pretty likely too, probably fit a new one on general principle.

Otherwise I think you are going to have to perform surgery on the Carby. :rolleyes:
It's probably a standard Tillotson carb and overhaul kits are available online if your local dealer cant supply or wants too many $$ for it

Got a pic of the saw? Someone will be able to ID it from a photo.
Stihl models like that are 084 and 088, both are 120cc BEASTS. Other wise it could be an 08S, smaller 56cc saw from the 1960s. Uses a Tillotson carb as well, so is probably fixable too.


Go easy on the starter spay - there's no lube oil in there :o But it has proven your problem is carby related, somethings blocked or leaking.

Cheers

Ian

[ozwinner]

Cheera Ian.
I will get a piccy of it tomorrow.

I still dont get the carby sucking thing, owwh I know they are supposed to create a vacuum, but how do you get it to suck from a dry start?

Al :)

[Ianab]

Hi Al

With a big saw, just pulling it over creates enough vacumn to prime the carb, well after a few pulls anyway. It only has to suck the gas 6" into the carby. The little 30-50cc saws dont create much suck, so they usually have a little primer bulb on the side of the carby.

Well thats the theory anyway, if you have air leaks or gummed up internals, then you get what you have now.

Cheers

Ian

[Cliff Rogers]

I have a 1963 Stihl 08S.

From dead cold after it has been sitting for a while it needs about 4 snorts of 'Hair Spray' (what it smells like) to get it to start & stay started.

It has no primer pump & the choke won't stay on so the trick is to give it a good blast of Aerostart, grab the throttle back handed with your left hand so you can hold the choke on with your left thumb, put your left foot on it & give it a pull with your right hand, it roars to life for about 5 seconds. Do it all again til it stays alive. :D
Picture of it now & some of the work done with it here.
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/attachment.php?attachmentid=26150&d=1152444106

[woodsprite]

Just my thoughts - take the plug out, put your thumb over the plug hole and give it a few pulls - if your thumb is getting a bit wet you have fuel coming through from the tank OK (make sure you are using fresh fuel!).

If the fuel flow seems OK as above, try making very slight adjustments of the carbie idle tuning screw - maybe a 1/4 turn one way for about 1 1/2 full turns in 1/4 turn increments - if this does not produce a running engine, set the screw back to where it was when you started, and go the other way. I am pretty sure that the spray stuff will keep the saw running long enough for carbie adjustments to kick in.

If you have not used the saw for a bit but it was running last time you used it, don't assume it will necessarily run again now - doesn't always happen that way sadly!

T'other thing is that a plug that sparks when out of the donk , may not necessarily spark when it is wet and under compression. Spent a couple of hours on my mower recently with a similar problem - old plug but lovely and clean and gave a strong spark out of the engine, but the engine would not run. Put in a brand new plug and away she went first pull!

Good luck - hope the hands don't hurt too mcuh from al lthat yanking on the starter handle!

Jeff

[ozwinner]

I have a 1963 Stihl 08S.




The picture you put up Cliff is a dead ringer for mine, except mine has a chain brake.

Al :cool:

[Ianab]

Probably an 08SE then, that looks like the deluxe model, 60cc AND a chain brake :D

I did a Google search and found they are still for sale new in South America, that suggests they are probably a good model.

Cheers

Ian

[ozwinner]

Tryed a new plug and no spray, it didnt start.
I didnt think of the dry engine with the spray until Ianab said about it.:eek:

Took off the fuel hose from the tank to the carbie and there is a hint of fuel in it where as before there wasnt.

Looks like a carby rebuild it is.

I also did a google and found one for sale in South Africa, they wanted close on AU$800. :eek:

Al :)