290 problems!!!
- Thread starter koda
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PES+
Addicted to ArboristSite
OK....we can meet up when I come over the 18th week....or did you already send the saw to fish?
PES+
Addicted to ArboristSite
I am going to Augusta and Brewer for some business things so I will be in the neighborhood
I can have a look see but I don't get involved with dealer disputes directly so it is FWIW
We may be able to give you some information to help your situation though
I can have a look see but I don't get involved with dealer disputes directly so it is FWIW
We may be able to give you some information to help your situation though
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Ole Farmerbuck
Addicted to ArboristSite
+1 I guess all of mu stuff is going to blow up too then.Gas that is only 2 months old will not eat up a saw like that, o/w all my saws would be toast in early fall every year after the summer burn season (we cannot cut here in fire season, so the gas sits for about two months every summer around here). I have used gas with stabil and premix in it that was 6 months old, no problemo. Now, was it ethanol mixed gas, or straight gasoline? Ethanol mixed (E10) can be more problematic. MTBE was a problem when I lived in CA too. Stank like hell that stuff did. Nasty.
But I don't think it was your gas. Unless you bought it from some mom and pop place that has old leaky gas tanks, and they do not sell much so it sits in their tanks in the ground for a month before you get it. I swear the 290 we have here has probably been run on 6 month old gas more than once. And the county 290 saws run all kinds of gas, old and new. And if you are mixing it heavy, like I do (I mix gas to oil at about 45:1) then the mix is not the issue either. Unless you are using old crankcase oil as premix?
Seems more likely something else was the problem. It is too easy to say 'old gas' and pass the buck.
Thats what happen to my first 290. Push it to the next level of Stihl. Mine was replaced.
Fish
Tree Freak
Call Northeast Stihl, and ask for the area rep for your area. At 203-929-8488, he should look into it,
In case anyone was wondering, I reached a resolution with Stihl. They gave me a credit towards to purchase of a new saw of 151.00. Dealer gave me another 10% off of list and a few accessories at his cost. I went with a 361 with a 18 inch bar and it is fun to use! I am happy with this and I get to keep the 290 to boot. So maybe I will rebuild or just sell for parts but regardless it is an end that I am happy with and I should have stuck with this dealer in the first place. Well he has my business from now on! I have a 36 inch rock maple out back that blew down that is just crying to touch the 361. Thanks for all the input!
Zodiac45
Paleostoveologist & Sawwhisperer
Well done Koda,
The 261 is a much nicer saw (IMO) than the 290-390 series. Should serve you well and the 18" is perfect for it.
The 261 is a much nicer saw (IMO) than the 290-390 series. Should serve you well and the 18" is perfect for it.
RiverRat2
Serio Tree Freak
That is cool that You did get a credit from Stihl toward the new 361 Plus another 10 % off from the dealer is cool too!!!!!
It would be interesting to see why it failed,,,, seeings as how the brush cutter and 026 are running fine on the same mix,,,,
,,I dont buy the the newer saw more exacting tolerance BS,,, that is total BS
something failed in the saw period,,,,, JMHO
RiverRat2
Serio Tree Freak
Well done Koda,
The 261 is a much nicer saw (IMO) than the 290-390 series. Should serve you well and the 18" is perfect for it.
261?????? :monkey:
RiverRat2
Serio Tree Freak
windthrown
361 Junkie
Congrats on joining the 361 club, and you have a true boat-anchor of a 290 there. I guess you can stay on that club too!
Fastcast
Addicted to ArboristSite
Glad to hear things worked out for you! Crazy thing is, this is the same nonsense I would hear anytime I would stop in the Stihl dealer that I "used" to deal with. Every saw, trimmer, blower etc that had a problem was from "idiots" running bad gas, or too rich or too lean. Never was there a Stihl product that may not have been put together right. I swear they must get this story at Stihl dealer training school. 
He would go on and on about the new stuff being so much more particular about bad gas and running too rich. I'm standing there thinking, if it's so damn particular and easy to trash, it can't possibly be built as good as the old ones.
Needless to say I changed dealers and switched to Dolmar products and couldn't be happier. That BS dealer is just a faded memory to me now but it kind of turned me against Stihl. In a sense it's not all bad. It made me go look elsewhere and I discovered a days work behind a Dolmar is a real dream.
He would go on and on about the new stuff being so much more particular about bad gas and running too rich.
I'm standing there thinking, if it's so damn particular and easy to trash, it can't possibly be built as good as the old ones.Needless to say I changed dealers and switched to Dolmar products and couldn't be happier. That BS dealer is just a faded memory to me now but it kind of turned me against Stihl. In a sense it's not all bad. It made me go look elsewhere and I discovered a days work behind a Dolmar is a real dream.
So you got the equivalent of $210 credit towards the new saw, and you get to sell the old one on eBay for $150 or so? Sounds like you got your $360 back. A very good deal if you wanted to buy the 361 anyway.
2000ssm6
Stihl User
Yup, and if he could find a cheap used 390 p&c, that would make the 290 a awesome backup saw.
