spudulike

I got mine in pots with compost, a good dousing straight away and in to the greenhouse. Will stay that way until well rooted and I have worked out where I want them. Seem good value if not looking for a very specific root stock for a very specific situation. Good for bees, birds and a nice crumble....custard...thanks!!

Wandered in to Tescos and the wife pointed out that Tescos had an offer on fruit trees so had a conference Pear and a Stella Cherry tree for £12. They also had apples and Victoria Plum in the branch we visited. The roots were in reasonable shape - bit of soil in cling film and bagged so have potted them on and hope we get fruit off them in a year or so. The trees are 4-5' tall so seem a bit of a bargain to me.

Just let us know how you get on as we all like to polish our egos and show how good we are

Yes on the impulse line the fuel is below the carb, the impulse line uses the positive and negative pressures in the crankcase to pump the fuel to the carb. The impulse line can split through old age or get pulled off if the bar gets clamped and needs a strong pull to get it out of the cut. This can dislodge the line and is worth checking out. Not heard of Aumel but Meteor (will post the link again below) are very good and Hyway are a decent alternative if Meteor aren't available. Puch maxi....that takes me back!! Heres the link: - METEOR Piston & Rings Fits STIHL 066, MS660 Chainsaw 54mm 1122 030 2005 WWW.EBAY.CO.UK Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for METEOR Piston & Rings Fits STIHL 066, MS660 Chainsaw 54mm 1122 030 2005 at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery...

The fella admitted to using fuel mix at least two months since mixing, perhaps longer so there's your route cause. The cylinder looks like it may well clean up. Chemically remove the transfer and then either lightly hone or rub with wet and dry and fit a new OEM, Meteor or Hyway piston.

It may be a worn piston as previously mentioned and when an engine gets hot, compression drops as piston to bore clearances open up. A partially blocked breather is very possible...as previously mentioned, how clean is your air filter? These mesh air filters can look OK but the open areas in the mesh can be blocked so cleaning with a oil based fluid and an air line may help. How is the spark plug colour? Many saw issues can be carb related so worth getting that stripped down and checked out - the gauze strainer getting clogged is an old favourite.

Probably best to get an image up as the hole may be 5mm or 500mm!

Similarly, I once got a 346XP in with......3 top ends, the owner had just kept fitting new top ends not knowing the big end cage had failed. Often difficult to see a cracked cage (unless you have done a few). That 661 is a good deal for someone - I wouldn't rule out eBay as long as it is a good honest description....if I had a 661 that needed work, I would consider it....obviously passing the saving on to the owner. Usually when the cage fails, you get tell tail signs of vertical gouging marks in the bore, dings in the top end and/or port ceilings. Fortunately I have repaired many saws in the way I have described. Most dealers will have more constraints than my business had but have had huge success with most saws - I have found the 660 top end is one of the most resilient for salvaging.

Yup, fortunately the top end is 100% Stihl and looks to be salvageable to me - the piston is toast but does look pretty clean - perhaps the seller changed it....possible. There is another recent thread on this site about a MS880 and we have discussed all about cleaning up the cylinder. What happens is the saw can overheat through old fuel/straight fuel, air leak, bad carb setting etc, the exhaust side always is the hottest side, the piston alloy melts and smears itself on the bore (known as "transfer") sealing the piston rings in to the piston thus losing compression. In your case, I would :- 1) Clean the bore, lightly hone or roughen using emery paper. 2) Fit a new piston from Meteor, Hyway or OEM. (eBay link below) 3) Pressure and vac test (if possible), if not, inspect the impulse line as it is the most likely culprit. 4) Service the carb and then tach the saw as I previously mentioned. The limit cap on the H speed may need pulling but the saw needs to run 12500rpm with your normal bar on the saw. If you do this, the saw will be good and have done this process many times before. You can stick with your aftermarket kit - choice is yours, was it a decent brand? Do you have any idea how the saw seized? Was the fuel mix fresh (mixed under 10 days before use) with a major brand quality oil. Whatever you do, do make sure it isn't over revving once done.

As Chris said, the only issue you have is a weak decompression valve popping out when you don't want it to. The resistance you are feeling is compression and probably isn't being helped if you lined the bore with oil from the rebuild. Personally........ 1) I would have tried to save the cylinder after ensuring it is the original part and not a £25 ebay POS. It is very possible the seller has swapped out the top end with a low cost option which if the case, is a real shame. Take a pic of the top and sides of the original and we will be able to tell. 2) I would have pressure and vac tested the saw after rebuilding it. 3) I would have serviced the carb...I am assuming the new one is a £25 special off eBay....I have found these to be a bit unstable on the idle, OK flat out but very sensitive on adjusting the H & L settings. 4) Finally I would have tach tuned the saw for around 12500rpm...........1000rpm below manufacturers. maximum. My skeptical mind is saying that the seller purchased a non runner, stuck a cheap top end on, did none of the good stuff listed 1-4 so missed the original fault that caused the issue and you purchased it and it went pop. You could get the saw going but the only aftermarket kits I would trust on a saw of this type is Meteor or Hyway. Anything else is a poor compromise unless OEM. A cheap top end will show it's heritage as soon as a 36" bar is stuck on this 660! METEOR Piston & Rings Fits STIHL 066, MS660 Chainsaw 54mm 1122 030 2005 WWW.EBAY.CO.UK Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for METEOR Piston & Rings Fits STIHL 066, MS660 Chainsaw 54mm 1122 030 2005 at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery...

If the JB Weld fails (it probably wont) try an epoxy putty called Milliput, this will stick like the proverbial and drys to be rock hard - make sure the receiving surfaces are degreased with brake cleaner. Don't replace the carb, just stick a new carb kit in it or clean and service it....most carbs have pretty much nothing wrong with them.

Meteor or Hyway, the rest are a bit suspect. You may get away with salvaging the OEM top end and fitting a Meteor or Hyway piston as a lower cost option.

Two strokes are one of the simplest engines out there, the piston and cylinder are pretty simple once the timing and durations have been designed in. Two major moving parts - not like the four stroke with valves, springs, cam shaft, cam chain/belt/gear, lubrication pump, etc etc. The strato doesn't really make the engine more complex, you still have a cylinder, a piston, an inlet manifold, a carb.....they just look different. Fuel injection in to the crankcase does allow much more efficient control of the fuel input that the typical cylinder based inlet port can't and controlling the timing and duration can be electronically controlled to give more torque and power - try an old machine with reeds where the carb feeds fuel direct to the crankcase - more torque in most cases...... It is how Bimota went some 30 years ago but failed....an interesting story!

Just seen the vid - two air ports and one fuel air port (middle one). The air ones are for the top of the transfer air charge. I am sure that is what the fella is saying can't be bothered to watch it TBH!

Two strokes, of traditional design, are pretty dirty as they use fuel vapour to eject the exhaust gasses from the combustion chamber through a scavenging process and some of this fuel vapour is pushed out of the muffler during this process. The strato type saws do as mentioned earlier, the piston and inlet design allows the engine to load the very top of the transfer port with a charge of fresh air which is what pushes the exhaust out so vastly reducing the amount of unburnt fuel vapour in the exhaust. That is how they work - the air is metered by carb, inlet manifold design and the timing of the piston and cylinder.

Go easy with the pressure washer, it may blast the render off giving you a bigger problem!! A bucket of warm soapy water and a scrubbing brush would be my weapon of choice. Get your lead fella to accompany you on the apology and clean up, that should make sure your lads are kept in line.

God knows.....he knows everything. Us mere mortals can only guess!!

It is very possible that the cylinder can be salvaged and a new aftermarket (Meteor or Hyway) or an OEM piston can be fitted. It is the sort of work that made me very popular but am pretty much retired now. A dealer may frown at this suggestion but have done hundreds of saws like it and the process works if done correctly.

Fuels like Aspen, Husqvarna XP Power 2T Alkalyte and Motomix will not go off like a standard 2T oil and petrol mix will. That is why it is good for the infrequent users. Personally, I mix fuel up in a small lemonade bottle so I can fill the saws tank and no more. That suits my "bit of firewood", "garden pruning" or testing a saw which is my usual saw use. Your option is to perhaps use a 1 Litre mixing bottle or use one of the previously mentioned Alkalyte fuels.

I think you have solved your issue yourself. Once the oil is mixed with fuel, the fuel starts degrading the oil and if left long enough, it does nothing. Two months is far too long, two weeks is OK, and two days far better. You should only mix fuel you will use on the day and never leave a saw on the shelf with fuel in it not knowing when you will use it next. Lots on this site stating that time and time again. FYI...the Autotune actually does a fine job of protecting the engine. I have seen some with major air leaks survive just because the AT unit has seen the saw running lean and has increased the fuel in the fuel air mix to accommodate the extra air being drawn in to the engine. Unfortunately, the AT won't monitor cylinder temperature so in your case with 2 month old fuel, it wouldn't have seen any issue until it went pop. I am afraid that the dealer is probably correct in his assessment. BTW - you are not the only one who is unaware not to mix fuel months before use!

Yes, if the plating has gone....Nooooo to strong acid or alkali.....you are looking at smoothing the edges of the damage a little so the piston just contacts the high & good part of the bore.

I would say the areas are where the plating has been ripped off the bore. It is easy enough to tell - inspect it with a magnifying glass and see if they recess in to the bore or protrude out from the bore. Recess = ripped off plating Protrusions = transfer It is often difficult to tell from online pics but I think the plating has partially gone. The good news is the damage is BELOW the exhaust port so if the plating has failed ( I have seen this before), you can often LIGHTLY smooth the surround of the areas around each area of damage (you may already be there) and then just fit the new piston and "see how it goes". The engine can't see your dilemma, it doesn't sense your reticence in its looks, it just works on if the bore can support the piston and seal when it needs it....the top of the stroke. The worst that could happen is more plating may come off and mess up the piston. The best is that the bore settles and gives a few more years service. Give the exhaust port a re-bevel, check the area with a magnifying glass, inspect the bore for any other lifting of the plating and crack on. I have had this sort of thing before and shared these same conclusions with the customer. A new cylinder kit is damn expensive - fitting the piston, getting it running and putting a few hours on it is a better idea IMO.

The biggest drawback is that the Four-Stroke sounded like a super wet fart and not like an 80s Pro Am bike race.

It would help to know if the wood won't split as it is rock hard or spongy. Some Elm I have had has been like concrete so may be a good call from that point of view. I guess we won't find out!

OK......that's great, congratulations to you and the best of reasons rather than some of the other ones. Hope it all goes well.