Stihl 066 Chainsaw After Cleaning

Stihl 066 Chainsaw Trouble

Last weekend I got to work on my Stihl 066 Chainsaw.  I was nervous about what I’d find once I cleaned away all the saw dust.  While the saw looks in great shape it shows signs of wear.

The plastic has scratches and the shroud near the muffler is burned.  There’s also damage to the magnesium body of the saw.

Here’s where I am after a few hours of cleaning last weekend.

Stihl 066 Chainsaw before cleaning
This is the saw with the shrouds removed and ready for cleaning.  It’s amazing how sticky fine sawdust is.
Stihl 066 Chainsaw After Cleaning
After a few hours cleaning with an air compressor, gasoline, stiff bristled brush and slotted screwdriver this is where I am.

I took DonyBoy73’s advice and put the Sithl 066 Chainsaw shrouds in one box and engine parts in another.  I put smaller parts and screws in zip lock baggies with labels because I don’t know how long the saw is going to be apart.

Stihl 066 Chainsaw
Sithl 066 shrouds cleaned and boxed for safe keeping.
Stihl 066 Engine Parts
I put the smaller parts and screws in clearly labeled baggies in a bin separate from the shrouds.
Stihl 066 Carburetor After Cleaning
There’s a lot of stuff going on inside that orange box. It felt good to get the dust out.

There was one small issue and one major issue with the Stihl 066 Chainsaw.

The small issue was broken magnesium near the oil fill hole.  I took a file and smoothed out the rough edges.  That’s all the attention the repair required.

Still 066 Chainsaw Shroud Broken
The oil fill hole has a bumper that was broken.   You can see the bright silver on the left side of it.  The edges were sharp and coarse. I took a file and sandpaper and smoothed things out.

The second issue gave me cause for concern.  The frame of the saw underneath the chain tensioner was cut by the drive links of the chain.

I was very concerned about this damage because I don’t want to use a Stihl 066 chainsaw that may throw a chain.  I visited my power equipment dealer and they told me not to worry.  There’s plenty of metal left to keep the chain tensioner working without falling off.

Stihl 066 Chain Tensioner Damage
The lower part of the chain tensioner was filed off by chain drive links. My dealer thinks the damage is from more than one incident.
Stihl 066 Chain tensioner damage
A better view of the front of the chain tensioner. You can see where the drive links ate away the magnesium.
Stihl 066 Chain Tensioner Damage
The magnesium below the bar studs was completely worn away.  There’s a metal plate that goes over the bar studs and a chain catcher that goes just to the right of the round plastic thing.  The saw didn’t have the chain catcher when I bought it.

I’ll fill in where the magnesium was worn away with JB weld.  After talking to the dealer I’m not worried about structural strength.

There should be a chain catcher on the screw to the right of the plastic circle.  It wasn’t on the chainsaw when I bought it.  I purchased a new chain catcher and will install it before I use the saw.

Finally, I purchased new studs to hold the bar on.  They were worn from use, or misuse, and should be replaced.

If I had seen the damage near the chain tension screw I’m not sure I would have have bought the saw.

Once I use the saw I’m sure I’ll realize the damage to the chain catcher isn’t a big deal.  I plan on wearing my chaps and being extra careful the first few times I use the Stihl 066 chainsaw.

 

What do you think?