STHIL MS290 CHAINSAW TIME FOR A TOP-END REBUILD?????

natasatan420 · Dec 18, 2015

Ms 290 won't start, feels like low compression when I try to start.piston looks pretty bad. I got spark and fuel. Time to rebuild the Top-end???????

Coyote machine · Dec 18, 2015

Bad is an understatement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe time to toss it.

OR: Stihl | Chainsawr
Here you might foind what is needed for that saw, if worth rebuilding.....

davesl708 · Dec 18, 2015

Looks like low oil mix. A rebuild should be pretty trouble free. Cheaper than replacement.

How old is the saw? I have a MS290. guess I better take a look at my piston/cylinder.

s219 · Dec 18, 2015

That is scored up pretty bad, looks like it was run on straight gas or maybe not enough oil.

The 290 isn't a great saw, so I wouldn't invest a lot into it unless it can be fixed on the cheap.

dfkrug · Dec 18, 2015

natasatan420 said:
Time to rebuild the Top-end???????

You can get a Meteor piston for $40 at Baileys, in your home town. They might be the biggest
purveyor of chainsaw-related stuff on the whole left coast.

Sometimes you can save the jug, if it is not gouged, but yours looks really bad. I would go for
an aftermarket piston/jug kit. You can get the whole cylinder kit for under $40 if you shop around.

yomax4 · Dec 18, 2015

Wow.. Nasty. Looks bad enough that there may be aluminum shavings crap in the crank bearings too. look closely..

Coyote machine · Dec 18, 2015

yomax4 said:
Wow.. Nasty. Looks bad enough that there may be aluminum shavings crap in the crank bearings too. look closely..

Better yet, look closely as you toss it on the scrap heap. That saw is toast.

dfkrug · Dec 18, 2015

Coyote machine said:
Better yet, look closely as you toss it on the scrap heap.

Really? That saw is easy to fix (as long as you do NOT take it to a Stihl dealer) and all the parts are
available, cheap. Easy to check the crank bearings, or put new ones in. I have had a couple of them.

A rebuilder will pay good money for that saw, as-is.

Coyote machine · Dec 18, 2015

I respectfully disagree with that saw being worth good money as is. What do you think the rebuilder would toss for that saw, as is?
To me it's not worth it unless one devalues one's own time. Time is not as most refer to it: money. It is only time ~ and we have nothing else but it to spend. Money can buy lots of stuff, but not love, and not more time.
My time is worth more than rebuilding a whipped saw. I'd rather buy something already working and not beat up.
To each their own. To me time is my most valuable asset, bar none.

dfkrug · Dec 19, 2015

Coyote machine said:
I respectfully disagree with that saw being worth good money as is. What do
you think the rebuilder would toss for that saw, as is?

I realize that most people do not have the ability and/or inclination to fix this saw. We live in a throw-away society,
so broken items are usually tossed in the scrap heap, as you say.

But let's not project. A rebuilder or DIY guy would pay $40-50 for the saw, buy $50 worth of parts, and sell it for
$300. Some of these guys are amazingly fast, and may put only an hour or 2 into the saw. That unit sells for
about $400-450 new. It is a Stihl, and they always sell for good money in any condition, in my experience.

As for myself, I do it for the enjoyment. Some folks do crossword puzzles; I like to rebuild/modify engines.