Solo 681 Chainsaw Clutch

[DennisK]

My Solo chainsaw lost power and it was blowing a lot of smoke, so I tore it completely down and discovered that the gasket between the two halves of the case was broken and it was letting oil from the chain reserve into the crankcase. Another problem was that one of the springs in its clutch was broken:



I’m not having any luck in finding a replacement clutch for this machine. Would anyone know of a source for this part, or if I might be able to replace it with a clutch from a different chainsaw?

 

[huskihl]

May be able to simply get by with replacing the spring. If not, I would try a clutch from a Dolmar or Makita 7900. The two different makes are similar, but I’m not certain if the clutch will fit or not

 

[Dolkitafreak]

Like Kevin said, I’m 95% sure a 64xx-79xx clutch will work, I may have a solo clutch at home, I’ll check and let you know.

 

[DennisK]

May be able to simply get by with replacing the spring. If not, I would try a clutch from a Dolmar or Makita 7900. The two different makes are similar, but I’m not certain if the clutch will fit or not

Thanks for the response, huskihl - Yes, hunting down a replacement spring put me in a whole new world. I have no way to tell what the torsion value of the springs that Solo used but I guess I could find something which looks similar and replace all three just to keep things even - hoping that they were close enough to work. It would be an interesting project all in itself. I'll check your two saw brands out - thanks again

 

[DennisK]

Like Kevin said, I’m 95% sure a 64xx-79xx clutch will work, I may have a solo clutch at home, I’ll check and let you know.

Thanks, Dolkitafreak - I'll be checking Dolmar and Makita out - I just might get lucky. I'll post my results.

 

[Ford3000]

My Solo chainsaw lost power and it was blowing a lot of smoke, so I tore it completely down and discovered that the gasket between the two halves of the case was broken and it was letting oil from the chain reserve into the crankcase. Another problem was that one of the springs in its clutch was broken:

View attachment 327718

I’m not having any luck in finding a replacement clutch for this machine. Would anyone know of a source for this part, or if I might be able to replace it with a clutch from a different chainsaw?

@DennisK , I think the item below will suit you, not cheap though.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/324915434354

 

[DennisK]

Huskihl, Dolkitafreak & Ford3000 - thanks guys for coming through for me. What I did was search for a Makita 7900 clutch and found one on Ebay that looked exactly like my Solo clutch - even the number of winds on its springs, so I went ahead and ordered it ($43.25 total cost). Hopefully it will plug right in without any trouble. The cylinder and piston look immaculate and the bearings feel good, so now all I have to do is put everything back together. I have a few large dead oak trees that need to be cleared out and this Solo is the only saw I have that is big enough - tempting to go out and get a comparable Husky.

 

[Dolkitafreak]

Huskihl, Dolkitafreak & Ford3000 - thanks guys for coming through for me. What I did was search for a Makita 7900 clutch and found one on Ebay that looked exactly like my Solo clutch - even the number of winds on its springs, so I went ahead and ordered it ($43.25 total cost). Hopefully it will plug right in without any trouble. The cylinder and piston look immaculate and the bearings feel good, so now all I have to do is put everything back together. I have a few large dead oak trees that need to be cleared out and this Solo is the only saw I have that is big enough - tempting to go out and get a comparable Husky.

That clutch should be a direct fit. You’ve got one of the meanest saws pound for pound, I wouldn’t go looking to get rid of it; but if you are myself or lots of others here would love to buy it!

 

[Ford3000]

Huskihl, Dolkitafreak & Ford3000 - thanks guys for coming through for me. What I did was search for a Makita 7900 clutch and found one on Ebay that looked exactly like my Solo clutch - even the number of winds on its springs, so I went ahead and ordered it ($43.25 total cost). Hopefully it will plug right in without any trouble. The cylinder and piston look immaculate and the bearings feel good, so now all I have to do is put everything back together. I have a few large dead oak trees that need to be cleared out and this Solo is the only saw I have that is big enough - tempting to go out and get a comparable Husky.

Good to know the Makita / Dolmar / Solo clutch is interchangeable,
others will benefit from knowing this too.
Hope all works out.