Difficulty starting (almost new) 661

[trains]

Hey Howard Justice, how did you get on with this saw ?
What was the problem ? did you get it sorted ?

 

[Howard Justice]

Okay, so had some time today …. Pulled out the 661 and did as some of you advise …Tru fuel straight into spark plug hole ….after several hard pulls cranked up ran for a bit sputtered and quit… now Putting the 20 inch bar back on saw… A bit unwieldy with those long bars. Saw has prolly only had 4 -6 tanks max thru it. My skill level is not such that I’m comfortable pulling the carb off a saw like this… We have used starter spray on a cantankerous 362… considering picking up a can tomorrow. Any other recommendations are certainly welcome… 661 sets in storage for long periods of time between disasters that call for a large saw… That is likely part of the problem.… And again all we use for our saws is true fuel. This saw was donated for our work at hurricane Michael… very large pecan trees were blocking the driveways and roads….primarily used the 461 w 32. Just unbelievable how many people offered great advice here… Thanks again!

 

[Howard Justice]

Okay, so had some time today …. Pulled out the 661 and did as some of you advise …Tru fuel straight into spark plug hole ….after several hard pulls cranked up ran for a bit sputtered and quit… now Putting the 20 inch bar back on saw… A bit unwieldy with those long bars. Saw has prolly only had 4 -6 tanks max thru it. My skill level is not such that I’m comfortable pulling the carb off a saw like this… We have used starter spray on a cantankerous 362… considering picking up a can tomorrow. Any other recommendations are certainly welcome… 661 sets in storage for long periods of time between disasters that call for a large saw… That is likely part of the problem.… And again all we use for our saws is true fuel. This saw was donated for our work at hurricane Michael… very large pecan trees were blocking the driveways and roads….primarily used the 461 w 32. Just unbelievable how many people offered great advice here… Thanks again!View attachment 968043

What is the next step to be able to see into the carburetor… I do not want to break anything… Thank you

 

[Dennisthemenace]

What is the next step to be able to see into the carburetor… I do not want to break anything… Thank you

That round thing will pull off allowing you to put a little fuel down the carb. No need to reassemble, just pull the starter, see what happens

 

[SteveSr]

… We have used starter spray on a cantankerous 362… considering picking up a can tomorrow.

NEVER EVER use starting fluid on a 2-stroke engine as, unlike mix gas, it contains NO lubricant. Using starter fluid on a 2-stroke is a great way to damage a saw.

 

[Howard Justice]

Thank you.

 

[Howard Justice]

Hey Howard Justice, how did you get on with this saw ?
What was the problem ? did you get it sorted ?

See post at bottom of thread… making progress….

 

[SteveSr]

What is the next step to be able to see into the carburetor… I do not want to break anything… Thank you

Before you tear everything apart, have you dumped the existing fuel in the saw and tried with some from a freshly opened can? If it is the fuel you may have to pull and prime (with mix gas) to get the old fuel out of the system.

Since storing your saws with Tru-Fuel in them isn't working you might want to resort to what our trail club does for equipment storage... Drain the tank and run the carburetor dry. We use Non-E pump gas and I have stored saws for YEARS. After such storage they always start right up when fresh gas hits the carburetor.

Since these troublesome saws are M-tronic you may want to upgrade them to the improved orange fuel filter and, I believe, white carb solenoid. There are more posts on this forum on this topic.

 

[Howard Justice]

Good comments. Thank you. I emptied fuel and ran saw till quit before storing…. Prolly need to pull all of my saws out periodically and run them for while.

 

[Howard Justice]

I have found a metering needle stuck a few times on different saws that been stored a long time (not used frequently) almost always I take carb filter off and add some fuel into the carb, same as down the plug hole but works better for me. I only use Aspen and it seems to happen with this as well as pump fuel. Strangely it never used to happen pre unleaded years ago so could it be something to do with the oil used back then? Or maybe I'm looking back with rose tinted glasses!

Dumb questions… how do I remove the filter mount from carb so can add fuel as you suggested. Thanks!

 

[SweetMK]

My MS660 had been setting several years,,
Rather than dumping gas in the sparkplug hole,, I used a piece of 1/8" or 3/16" ID gas line about a foot long.
(Clear is better, you can see what you are doing.)
Stick the fuel line in a can of gas,, pinch the end of the hose over,, hopefully, you will extract about an inch or 2 of gas in the hose.

Put the open end of the hose into the carb opening,, just as you have it, with the air filter removed. Un-pinch the end of the hose,,
The fuel will dump out of the hose, right into the carb opening.
NOW,, try to start it,,
I just choked mine like it normally should be done, and the engine fired right up,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, then it died.
I repeated that 3 times, and the MS660 kept running!! WOOT.

 

[Howard Justice]

My MS660 had been setting several years,,
Rather than dumping gas in the sparkplug hole,, I used a piece of 1/8" or 3/16" ID gas line about a foot long.
(Clear is better, you can see what you are doing.)
Stick the fuel line in a can of gas,, pinch the end of the hose over,, hopefully, you will extract about an inch or 2 of gas in the hose.

Put the open end of the hose into the carb opening,, just as you have it, with the air filter removed. Un-pinch the end of the hose,,
The fuel will dump out of the hose, right into the carb opening.
NOW,, try to start it,,
I just choked mine like it normally should be done, and the engine fired right up,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, then it died.
I repeated that 3 times, and the MS660 kept running!! WOOT.

Thank you! Will try that tomorrow!

 

[softdown]

Ethanol clogs up carb jets when stored for longer periods. Ethanol is poison for carburetored motors.

 

[SweetMK]

Ethanol clogs up carb jets when stored for longer periods. Ethanol is poison for carburetored motors.

The OP says the saw only ever had pre-mix fuel, so it has never seen ethanol.

I think he has the same issue my saw had,, it just needs a little encouragement to get the fuel back into the fuel lines.
The engines like the Mantis tiller, or the BR600 blower have the big advantage of the primer bulb.
That bulb pumps fuel out of the tank, through the carb, and back to the tank.

With the use of the primer bulb, the engine starts like it ran yesterday.
The MS661 just needs a little help moving fuel, since the primer bulb is not there,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,