I'm here to counter the digs on the MS290 series....... They are not that difficult to take down, millions of them out there, once you know a couple little tricks to fuel/impulse lines, rubber AV buffers, these are not bad saws at all. I snagged one for free (dull chain), did a full rebuild of all rubber parts - hoses, AV stuff, etc. All OEM parts still available and cheap. Is it the lightest or most powerful? No. But it hits hard for its class with a muff mod and 18" bar and I think is under appreciated around here.
MS290 MS310 MS390 Love
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I had a ms311 for hot min and thought highly of it.
59Billy
ArboristSite Operative
It was a 290 that started me drinking the Stihl kool-aid. Now I have an MS660 and an 026, but the 290 still earns its keep. If it doesn't start, it's out of gas!
TBH, if I had to do it over, I'd have bought a 361, but for $329, I've already gotten my money's worth out of the 290, and I expect to get another decade or two out of it.
TBH, if I had to do it over, I'd have bought a 361, but for $329, I've already gotten my money's worth out of the 290, and I expect to get another decade or two out of it.
RED-85-Z51
Addicted to ArboristSite
If it were not quite so heavy for the power id have one probably. But the 260 just feels better in the hands.
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Enderslbz
ArboristSite Lurker
I bought a new 290 in 2000, just sold it last year for $250. I use my stuff but take good care of it, it ran and looked as good as new still. Lived in a hard plastic Stihl case it's whole life and the only thing I ever did was preventative maintenance consisting of a couple fuel filters, spark plugs and an air filter. It spent most of its life with a 20" bar and 3/8 chain on it. Can't complain one bit.
I bought a 290 for parts off evilbay years ago and put it together with the 390 topend. I wasnt overly impressed, but it ran well, and always started. I ended up giving it to my uncle, he uses it frequently
Derrick Sawyer
ArboristSite Guru
Yeah they are ok chainsaws, better than the older version 029s and the 290s all metal clamshell prob better than newer 291s but due to weight i run old beatup rebuilt 044s instead. The homeowner Stihl i really like is the 025 / 250, just nice and light and with short bar is a pretty handy chainsaw for sure even in stock form! And you can find them for like $150 bucks
The rubber AV bushings need replaced now and then, and make sure they are "locked" into the grooves with the plastic plugs. The impulse line is a PITA to remove from the body of the saw, be prepared to replace it if you have to remove the rear handle. Everything else was really quite simple - carb replacement, fuel lines, taking mine all the way down to the motor was not any big deal. I was surprised as there is a LOT of feedback on here that these are a royal PITA to work on. The first time I disassembled it I took my time, used a yt video. But after taking it down twice (second time was to replace a cracked impulse line) it really is a 10-15 minute affair.
They are heavy and big bodied but that makes them easier for me to stick a boot in the handle to pull start, would I carry it 5 miles up hill both ways? hell no, but I am also not going to walk 5 miles let alone 500 feet without a wheelbarrow/tractor/car/truck. Does a 400 dollar saw cut like a 8-900 dollar saw, it will if you put 4-500 more dollars into it or 2-300 if you do the work yourself. I think the people who repair saws dislike them because it takes a hour + to replace the cylinder/piston and it uses sealant vs a pro saw taking 20 minutes and a gasket(harder to muff up). The oil pumps and lines only take 10 minutes to replace, are pro saws that easy/quick?. My only complaint so far is the oil pump needs to have a higher out put capability/adjustment and the fuel tank is a little under sized.
FWIW, I timed myself the second time I took it down, it was just at 15 minutes and that was being fairly careful. Granted the first time I did it, I took about an hour because I was being extremely careful etc
then your waiting 24-36 hrs for sealant to cure before being able to really run it to test your work, time is money!
I put a pop up piston in a 390 with a muffler mod for a coworker, it runs very strong.
You guys may get a kick out of this. A tree service owner dropped off an MS 290 parts saw that he paid $20 for at a dealer's shop. He also had an MS290 that failed to run and gave that to me to help fix using the parts saw. I did that and billed him $60, less than half what the dealer wanted. He took that repaired saw and tested it out. No problems.
Then I used his $60 to buy the parts needed to upgrade the MS290 parts saw to an MS390 and replaced the parts I had removed. My total cost was $90 and that saw now runs fine with a new bar and chain. Now the same tree service owner wants to buy the upgraded saw as well and says he will give me $300 for it. And the beat goes on...
Then I used his $60 to buy the parts needed to upgrade the MS290 parts saw to an MS390 and replaced the parts I had removed. My total cost was $90 and that saw now runs fine with a new bar and chain. Now the same tree service owner wants to buy the upgraded saw as well and says he will give me $300 for it. And the beat goes on...
I love the old Plymouth ad reference!
windthrown
361 Junkie
I have owned a lot of these 1127 series Stihl saws. You need to add the 029 and 039 to this list to make it complete though. The 029 was a complete DOG. Nothing I did could get that one running well. Underpowered boat anchor no matter what. The 290 was way better, but needs the original more open muffler to make it run right. It is still somewhat anemic though. And vibe prone. The 290 and 039/390 had high vibration. The 310 was the sweet spot of this line. Lowest vibration of the lot and they ran well. I had maybe a half dozen of them and over a dozen of the 1127 line of saws in all. But even with all the tweeks that I know to mod these guys, I could never get a 310 to run as strong as a stock 361. All timed cuts run and tested with the same B&C in the same wood. So I moved on to the pro line of saws. The 026, the 360 and 361, the 044 and 440, 066 and 660. If I run across cheaper 1127 saws I will buy them. The last 310 I bought was $125 at a pawn shop. That was a steal. But for the most part here they are way overpriced on the used market. I can typically get a good 026/260 for less than the price of a 290. Most listings for 290s here on CL are $300.
Two things you should do on any 1127 saw. One is open up the muffler to the original stock size. Then re-tune your carb to fatten up the mixture. You will get a noticeable power improvement with that and restore the saw to its stock design w/o over-stressing anything. The other is to replace the spur drive/clutch drum with an stock 036 rim drive and drum. Not the beefier 360 drum, the early model smaller needle bearing one. That fits the 1127 saws perfectly and makes them more like a pro saw. You can then swap rims and your chains will run and wear a lot better.
Two things you should do on any 1127 saw. One is open up the muffler to the original stock size. Then re-tune your carb to fatten up the mixture. You will get a noticeable power improvement with that and restore the saw to its stock design w/o over-stressing anything. The other is to replace the spur drive/clutch drum with an stock 036 rim drive and drum. Not the beefier 360 drum, the early model smaller needle bearing one. That fits the 1127 saws perfectly and makes them more like a pro saw. You can then swap rims and your chains will run and wear a lot better.
BuckthornBonnie
ArboristSite Guru
Well said. I do the same thing with 1127s. Funny that I replace the 1125 drum/bearing with the 360 setup on 034-360 builds yet use the older drum/bearing on most 1127s I build up. Many 1127s that come through have worn sprockets so it works out perfectly.
windthrown
361 Junkie
Yes, that is the way that I did it as well. I swapped in the drums and rims from the early model 036 saws to upgrade the 1127 saws, and upgraded the early 036 saws to the beefier later 360 bearing, drum and rim set. It was a double upgrade. No waste that way. It is amazing how much better rim drives are.
I have done a full rebuild on an 039. It’s like anything, a little practise goes a long way.
Once you have rebuilt a few of them, it will be second nature.
Though, there is no denying they are a poorly designed saw for disassembly and reassembly,
The 020 and the 076 are two other saws that were poorly thought out. It seems from the saws I have done total rebuilds on which date from the 50’s to 2010s the pro saws from the 80’s -2000’s were the finest saws to work on.
The 07 from the late 50’s I have done was fairly good, the 08 was ok, though their clutch cover design is woeful, their 076’s too were fairly ok, but a few aspects just made the process more involved than necessary. That takes you to the 80’s. 026, 034 & supers, 036’s and up absolutely wonderful. Then the 90’s with the 260, 360 and up etc, excellent too. I haven’t worked on any newer models from around 2010+ but from what I have heard and seen, they go down hill once again. 261 is known for being much more involved. I presume that’s the same for other similar aged models 362 ect.
Though again, any saw, once you have done it a few times, is second nature.
On a personal level I must admit, I won’t touch another clammy (unless it’s to help someone out) especially the 029 / 039 series.
Once you have rebuilt a few of them, it will be second nature.
Though, there is no denying they are a poorly designed saw for disassembly and reassembly,
The 020 and the 076 are two other saws that were poorly thought out. It seems from the saws I have done total rebuilds on which date from the 50’s to 2010s the pro saws from the 80’s -2000’s were the finest saws to work on.
The 07 from the late 50’s I have done was fairly good, the 08 was ok, though their clutch cover design is woeful, their 076’s too were fairly ok, but a few aspects just made the process more involved than necessary. That takes you to the 80’s. 026, 034 & supers, 036’s and up absolutely wonderful. Then the 90’s with the 260, 360 and up etc, excellent too. I haven’t worked on any newer models from around 2010+ but from what I have heard and seen, they go down hill once again. 261 is known for being much more involved. I presume that’s the same for other similar aged models 362 ect.
Though again, any saw, once you have done it a few times, is second nature.
On a personal level I must admit, I won’t touch another clammy (unless it’s to help someone out) especially the 029 / 039 series.
Hey spoonman you have obviously never done a 441.
