Stihl M-Tronic Version 3.0

[ABarrick]

I have no idea...they work or they don't, I'm sticking to it.

I'll agree with this. I've had numerous mtronic saws. Two 661s that worked great, 241 was tuned spot on 99%of the time. 441 #1 was perfect, 441#2 was a miserable saw. It would fight you in the cut it was hunting for a tune so bad. 441 #3 (warranty replacement for #2) was sold as new before it ticked me off. Most recent 261 runs good but seemed very lean til I advanced the timing. My brother in laws 362 is just like the 261, runs well but sounds like the H needle needs turned out a 1/4 turn (if it had one) I've yet to see any real consistency with how 2 or 3 of the same model runs.
Can't say I'm in love with mtronic but, I'm dumb enough to keep trying them.

 

[rogue60]

[QUO="RI Chevy, post: 661851, member: 1254"]Hmmm. OK. So you either get a good one or one that has issues?[/QUOTE]

I always start my warm M Tronic saws in Run, not Start position, I don't care what the instructions say.

I think that is why some of them get flooded.

The problem here has nothing to do with the operator of the saws that play up like the no start hot chit am talking the 661 here.
Think about it how many thousands of hrs have the guys that say blah blah (saw wont start hot going to chop it up with an axe!) had running a saw? and you are more or less saying they don't know how to start a saw hot or cold.
it's deeper than that trust me unless you have one that plays up you can pretend all ya want a problem doesn't exist or true it could be as simple as the bar paint over heating the saw maybe? lol
This is fact some 661 play up and don't start hot even though it was fine the day before and nothing has changed as far as starting it goes.
Just had to clear up its not operator error all the time its true you get a good one or a bad one lucky seems bad ones seem few.
But its simple realy even Stihl know of the problems (and its not just hot starting) hence version 3.0 addressing the known problems with the 661 even though not a problem does exist according to the internets WTF? Lol
Let's hope they get it right this time? I'm way behind I don't even know what update/fix we are up to anymore?. .
This is not a dig at you Mike just my take on it regards to problems that don't even exist.. cheers

 

[KiwiBro (deleted)]

Hmmm. OK. So you either get a good one or one that has issues?

The problem here has nothing to do with the operator of the saws that play up like the no start hot chit am talking the 661 here.
Think about it how many thousands of hrs have the guys that say blah blah (saw wont start hot going to chop it up with an axe!) had running a saw? and you are more or less saying they don't know how to start a saw hot or cold.
it's deeper than that trust me unless you have one that plays up you can pretend all ya want a problem doesn't exist or true it could be as simple as the bar paint over heating the saw maybe? lol
This is fact some 661 play up and don't start hot even though it was fine the day before and nothing has changed as far as starting it goes.
Just had to clear up its not operator error all the time its true you get a good one or a bad one lucky seems bad ones seem few.
But its simple realy even Stihl know of the problems (and its not just hot starting) hence version 3.0 addressing the known problems with the 661 even though not a problem does exist according to the internets WTF? Lol
Let's hope they get it right this time? I'm way behind I don't even know what update/fix we are up to anymore?. .
This is not a dig at you Mike just my take on it regards to problems that don't even exist.. cheers

Yeah mate. Husky has done well with the felling crews here who couldn't risk losing anymore money waiting for Stihl to sort their 661's. I have always maintained it is nothing but a massive failure most likely on many levels, for Stihl to have so many problems with what is supposed to be their flagship forestry saw down here. How those first 661's were even released and then re-released is beyond me. They were like playing Russian roulette. If you got a good one you wouldn't believe the hassles others who got a bad one were having. Maybe I'm overstating the hit Stihl has taken to their reputation down here. Maybe I'm not.

 

[RI Chevy]

Hmmm. Very interesting posts.

 

[rogue60]

OTE="KiwiBro, post: 662115, member: 914"]Yeah mate. Husky has done well with the felling crews here who couldn't risk losing anymore money waiting for Stihl to sort their 661's. I have always maintained it is nothing but a massive failure most likely on many levels, for Stihl to have so many problems with what is supposed to be their flagship forestry saw down here. How those first 661's were even released and then re-released is beyond me. They were like playing Russian roulette. If you got a good one you wouldn't believe the hassles others who got a bad one were having. Maybe I'm overstating the hit Stihl has taken to their reputation down here. Maybe I'm not.[/QUOTE]


Its a shame realy to go from a saw that reliable and dependable to a meh will it even run the same as it did yesterday type of saw?.
And not a thing you can do if a 661 is not running right here it even gets better when you say to the local Stihl dealer can you plug it in and tell me whats wrong with it? And all you get back is what do you mean we don't know anything about that plugging a saw into what? We can call Stihl about it if ya like, (me) meh don't worry about it..
The old pushed to the side guy that designed development the ever reliable runs the same day in day out 066/660 no matter if its a full moon or not.
The real Question why don't Stihl get him back out of his comfy retirement to fix this chit lol..

 

[KiwiBro (deleted)]

That's part of the failure, in my not so humble opinion. They allowed dealers here to sell saw models that those very dealers were not adequately trained or equipped to service or fault diagnose. I know of a few cases where different dealers were pulling their hair out trying to blindly swap 661 parts to get saws running, while the saw owners were breathing down their necks getting progressively more frustrated at every failed repair attempt. Perhaps the pro-faller market is such a small one down here Stihl don't see it as such a failure, as long as homeowners are still buying the smaller saws and brushcutters / leaf blowers, etc.

A dealer who knows their stuff may have handled the failures differently. But it's not unreasonable to expect the dealer selling you a 661 actually knows their stuff, has the right diagnostic tools, has read the service bulletins and pro-actively seeks to avoid selling saws that might become a problem, etc. Perhaps they need to clone Bennie.

 

[Jason Gouw]

I have a 661 with the older version of Mtronic (not v3.0). It seems to run consistently - always starts in 1-2 pulls cold, 1 pull hot. I also have an 038 Magnum. The 038 I can definitely attribute to a classic carbureted car that's easy to work on, easy to adjust, easy to get the job done. The Mtronic stuff is sweet and has just been working but I imagine it will require greater down-time if anything goes wrong, similar to new cars today with all of the electronics.

I think the reason why manufacturers are going with more electronics and complex design is to meet the ever growing environmental regulations (a good thing actually, though annoying at times) while delivering customer demands for more power and better fuel efficiency. All three of these points are quite opposites. Being able to deliver the best of all worlds require that higher degree of technology with the tradeoff of having to service more complicated tech if and when it fails..

 

[ManiacalMark]

I know I'm pulling up an old thread but, from what I was told 461 isn't going anywhere. 441 won't be available anymore once the 462 is officially released.

 

[MustangMike]

Welcome to the site, but what is the source of your information?

 

[ManiacalMark]

Local dealer, he tried not to say much but what he said (with a smirk) is scare tactics sells saws and stihl knows it.

 

[MustangMike]

We will see. They did not name it the 442.

 

[dustinwilt68]

I think they will likely run the 461 concurrent for a year and then drop it, new EPA standards go into effect here in the US in 2021

 

[ferris]

Here in germany they replace the 441 and the 461 with the 462.
I think the same thing will Happen in the us

 

[ManiacalMark]

I just hate that everything now is gonna be all computers.

 

[dustinwilt68]

You can always stock up on the older versions, that's what I did with 2171/372s.

 

[Brewz]

441 has been gone here in Australia for ages.
I believe 461 will now be discontinued now that the 462 is on sale.

 

[Mastermind]

I just hate that everything now is gonna be all computers.

I remember hating to see points go away.......now I realize how silly that was. It's gonna be just fine.

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

Dunno why they even made a 441 in the first place.

 

[MustangMike]

First quad port 70cc Stihl Saw, First M Tronic Stihl Saw, New air filter tech, first 70cc Stihl saw with spring AV … it may have just been a stepping stone, but it included several major developments, and lots of folks that have them still love them.

I had a non M Tronic version and was very happy with it. Stock, it ran about the same as my stock 10 mm 044.

I believe the 441 replaced the 440 mostly to be emissions compliant, same reason the 461 replaced the 460. The biggest differences were the 461 had quad ports and a newly designed HD-50 carb.

 

[Mastermind]

441?