I Want to Like My MS250 Again

[jonshonda]

Bought the saw a few years ago based on the great reviews as being a homeowner saw and cost. It has been great runner/starter, but with the 18" bar and stock chain I feel like it is very underpowered (I have no other chainsaw experience, and am not comparing it to other models). I cut mostly red oak/maple, and have really been considering buying a bigger saw, but I don't honestly use it enough to justify spending a lot of money on something like a MS261.

I have been reading up on some of the Stihl low profile or Picco setups, and wondering what would be the best overall combo for my use. I am ok with frequent sharpening, and from what I have read thinking a 16" bar with the right chain would wake this thing up.

Please provide part numbers of the chain, bar, and sprocket I would need so I can walk into my dealer and tell him what I would like to order.

Also, do chainsaws always leak bar oil? I had a pretty bad leak last year, and the dealer replaced the cap under warranty. But it still is leaking (from where I don't know), and am ok with it if I know that is what saws do.

 

[sundance]

Welcome to AS. This is the drum and sprocket kit for a 3/8" LP setup. May need to blow up for the part number. I bought the bar and chain from Bailey's as I recall so can't help with Stihl part numbers.
I've never installed so can't speak to performance.
My MS250 borders on impossible to start so until/unless I can solve that I won't be swapping parts.
sundance

 

[HuskyP]

hey there! I suspect sharpening issues. How do you file you chain and how often? Next, I think of a carb adjustment issue. Well tuned and sharp saws run hard. New bar and chain won’t wake the saw up. Good mix, good tune, and a sharp chain will! Hope that helps!

 

[HuskyP]

for difficult to start saws, I check the spark plug first. Often it’s dirty or wrongly spaced. Next I check fuel and carb, then air filter. I think very basic: spark, fuel, air. If those are all 100%, it should start every time. Also, I’m new to this site but old in the game. Hope this helps.

 

[mike515]

I'm going to throw a bunch of stuff out there and I hope you don't take offense because I don't know how much experience you have.

Look at the muffler and find the little screen covering the exit hole. It will be held on with 1 or 2 allen wrench screws. Take the screen off and run the saw. The screen gets clogged after time and the saw won't run correctly.

Are you sure the saw isn't just dull or filed down far enough that you aren't getting a good chip so it feels like it isn't cutting very fast?

Make sure the fuel filter is attached to the end of the line inside the fuel tank. It's a filter but also a weight that keeps the line at the bottom as you hold the saw in different positions. If the filter is off, the line can move out of the fuel and make the saw want to die.

Make sure your air filter isn't completely clogged.

Make sure your bar is straight and doesn't have any burs built up on the edges. Burs are normal wear and tear and need to be filed off occasionally. A bent bar or burs will impede how the saw moves through the wood and might make someone feel like it isn't cutting very efficiently (and therefore is "under-powered").

It wouldn't hurt to take a look at the spark plug but that usually isn't the problem in my experience.

If all of that stuff doesn't solve your problem, take it to a shop and ask them to adjust the carb and check the carb intake boot for you. If you dropped the saw or twisted it too much trying to get it out of a pinch between logs, you can crack the intake boot (or just have it come off). That will affect the air-fuel mixture which will affect how the saw runs.

As far as the oil goes.....take the side cover, the chain and the bar off. Clean the side of the saw and then start the saw. You should see oil coming out of a small recessed area and run down the side of the saw. You may need to give it a little gas to get it to run. That is normal. Next, look on the bar at the spot that would be touching where the oil is coming out. You will find a tiny hole. (Actually...2 holes...1 on each side so it doesn't matter which way you have the bar on the saw). That hole needs to be cleaned out and you need to get a paint scrapper or some other tool that you can run down the inside of the entire bar and get all the packed down junk out of there. When your bar is all clogged up like that, the oil still is being pumped out of the saw but it can't get into the bar so it just runs out of the saw and looks like it's leaking. When it's going into the bar properly, it lubricates the chain and get slung off in a way that you mostly don't notice.

Good luck.

 

[Philbert]

Same thread started in another forum. Easier for folks to follow one, so that they don't have to repeat stuff. Or repeat stuff.

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/i-want-to-like-my-stihl-ms250-again.348594/
Philbert