Stihl ms250-hard to pull start rope

[Okie]

Does this sound right? Did you use Stihl seals or after market?

I used Stihl seals. Did not trust ebay type seals.
I don't remember the exact steps I took with the clamshell case halves, but it was similar to the following due to the way the clamshell fit into the housing.
Seems like I made couple studs or bolts to hold the 2 clams together for about 12 hours or so and let the Yamaha bond dry and hold them together securely while wiggling the clam shell into the housing removed my homemade bolts and install the clamshell as a glued unit. I did not want to be wiggling the halves re-installing with the glue fresh. Think may I might have used 1/4-20 all thread bolts or something similar to hold the halves together while the glue set.
You will get the idea once you see how she goes together.
I'm surprised that no one chimed in with the upgrade info.
If you can get Hartley T to chime in listen to what he says about Stihl saws.
Read but try to ignore his other stuff. (just kidding)
He is in post #21.

Sorry for not getting back sooner but I've had other priorities, deer hunting season is on here and I'm not around computer much.

Post up a link to my 250 post. I need to file it for future reference?
I'm not good at searching.

Was yours the plastic type?
If so You can play with them and if a small chip is in the race a ball bearing will slide intermittently and all bearing will bunch together if really broken up bad.

 

[HarleyT]

Things start getting bad when one blows a seal......

 

[Robin Rowley]

Well I was hoping to find a blown seal or bearing separator or something I could fix to make my saw easier to pull. Alas, everything seems copacetic. I removed the rope/starter/recoil mechanism and the only drag I can feel is when the magnet on the flywheel passes under the coil. I even took the flywheel off and removed about a cup of greasy gunk from under it. Left handed bent over rowing exercises with 50-60 lb dumbbell should help. 3-4 sets every other day for a few months should help

 

[dmb2613]

like I said you got to pull it .like you mean it

 

[sundance]

Does this sound right? Did you use Stihl seals or after market?

I used Stihl seals. Did not trust ebay type seals.
I don't remember the exact steps I took with the clamshell case halves, but it was similar to the following due to the way the clamshell fit into the housing.
Seems like I made couple studs or bolts to hold the 2 clams together for about 12 hours or so and let the Yamaha bond dry and hold them together securely while wiggling the clam shell into the housing removed my homemade bolts and install the clamshell as a glued unit. I did not want to be wiggling the halves re-installing with the glue fresh. Think may I might have used 1/4-20 all thread bolts or something similar to hold the halves together while the glue set.
You will get the idea once you see how she goes together.
I'm surprised that no one chimed in with the upgrade info.
If you can get Hartley T to chime in listen to what he says about Stihl saws.
Read but try to ignore his other stuff. (just kidding)
He is in post #21.

Sorry for not getting back sooner but I've had other priorities, deer hunting season is on here and I'm not around computer much.

Post up a link to my 250 post. I need to file it for future reference?
I'm not good at searching.

Was yours the plastic type?
If so You can play with them and if a small chip is in the race a ball bearing will slide intermittently and all bearing will bunch together if really broken up bad.

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/ms250-need-expert-advice.319343/#post-6533110This was the post I found.

 

[abdiver]

Last Stihl will ever buy As why would a GOOD company build a Saw that is so difficult to start? Why would the come out with a 251 easy start if there was not a problem with the ms250. On my third day the pull cord broke on my New ms 250. Dealer didn't want to give me a replacement rope. I had to insist as he wanted to charge me for it. I say the He_l with a dealer like that it was Great shop before the sons took it over. No Stihls for me ever anymore I will buy a Husky or Echo

 

[cookies]

my poulan will do that crap until it gets its first gulp of fuel into the cylinder, then it pulls over easily. My fathers tiny mac will do the same thing, couple pulls on choke and it pulls over with ease. After its been ran and you shut it off is it still a beoch to start? I think it has to do with oil buildup between the piston and bore creating a tighter seal than it should until gas gets on it liquifying it.

 

[sundance]

Last Stihl will ever buy As why would a GOOD company build a Saw that is so difficult to start? Why would the come out with a 251 easy start if there was not a problem with the ms250. On my third day the pull cord broke on my New ms 250. Dealer didn't want to give me a replacement rope. I had to insist as he wanted to charge me for it. I say the He_l with a dealer like that it was Great shop before the sons took it over. No Stihls for me ever anymore I will buy a Husky or Echo

I'm no more happy with my ms 250 than you. And it sounds like your dealer has gone bad.
That said, I don't condemn the whole line of equipment. I'm very happy with my 036 Pros, trimmers and blowers. And my dealer is excellent. I'll continue to buy mostly Stihl but will try to pay attention to reviews and comments on specific pieces before buying.
I'm a fan of Echo and have three of their smaller saws. Considering a CS400 or 490 (maybe 4910) to replace the MS 250.
Never owned or run a Husky so no comment on them.

 

[Okie294life]

So it was hard to pull with the plug out?

It would rule out hydrolock to if you turn it over upside down with the plug out, rip and no gas comes out. Even with the plug out gas can still accumulate in the crankcase

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Father Time , I see that you are 67 , the 250s are very hard to start if you dont give it an all out pull to start with. I bet you have had it pull the handle through your fingers. That will make you a little tinder pulling it. I am 65 and get one of the young bucks at work to start the 250s.

I'm 78 and I can still start my MS250...

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I don't know if the "easy-starter system" fits the ms250 but I just bought 2 ms251s with it for a couple of employees that had a hard time starting saws,( small women) .
You could certainly ask a dealer or if your handy put the easy- start on the saw yourself ,stihl redesigned the mechanism and its a bit more reliable now.

Those easy starts aren't very good on a hard pulling saw, I've removed several of them in the last few years and replaced them with conventional starters...

 

[Wood Doctor]

Those easy starts aren't very good on a hard pulling saw, I've removed several of them in the last few years and replaced them with conventional starters...

One thing about them is that it's hard to tell if the engine really has any compression without using a compression testing meter. Pulling on the cord doesn't yield much information on the compression.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Maybe it's the design of the starter pulley or something like that, maybe the pulley is too small...

 

[JayPopple]

I've got an old Stihl ms250 that has gradually gotten about impossible to start. I just broke the second pull rope out of it--it feels like it's got too much compression. Once started it runs and cuts great. I took the muffler off and looked at the piston, it doesn't appear to have much carbon built up on it. Anybody got any ideas what the problem could be??

Yes your recoil starter assembly is wore out. To test it spray the unit with silicone spray or a spray lubricant. If that solves your problem then the solution would be rebuild the recoil starter assembly or purchase a new assembly.

 

[JayPopple]

I've got an old Stihl ms250 that has gradually gotten about impossible to start. I just broke the second pull rope out of it--it feels like it's got too much compression. Once started it runs and cuts great. I took the muffler off and looked at the piston, it doesn't appear to have much carbon built up on it. Anybody got any ideas what the problem could be??

 

[JayPopple]

Farmer Steve--Saw pulls over smooth as silk with no plug in it.
HarleyT & irhunter--I started saw up and ran it out of gas and then let it cool down-no change in pull force required.
So....must not be hydro locking. I've decided to just man up and deal with the damn thing. And new pull ropes are cheap. It's pretty much just a backup saw to my Echo which starts easily, isn't finicky about how fresh my gas is and cuts fine. Thanks for all the help, guys!

If your saw is acting like it might be hydrolocked I suggest you remove the starter assembly spray the pulley assembly with a silicone spray reinstall on the saw and see if that cures the problem. If so the starter assembly is worn out and needs to be replaced or rebuilt.

 

[HarleyT]

If your saw is acting like it might be hydrolocked I suggest you remove the starter assembly spray the pulley assembly with a silicone spray reinstall on the saw and see if that cures the problem. If so the starter assembly is worn out and needs to be replaced or rebuilt.

Could also be excess carbon in the combustion chamber. Which means the top of the piston and top of the cylinder. It doesn't take much.

 

[JayPopple]

I've got an old Stihl ms250 that has gradually gotten about impossible to start. I just broke the second pull rope out of it--it feels like it's got too much compression. Once started it runs and cuts great. I took the muffler off and looked at the piston, it doesn't appear to have much carbon built up on it. Anybody got any ideas what the problem could be??

I would suggest your starter assembly is wore out. Try spraying the rope pulley with a silicone spray where it contacts the housing and the center pin. If that solves the issue then you need a new assembly or rebuild yours if it is cost effective.

 

[HarleyT]

What do you mean by "wore out"?
Not trying to fight, but am trying to picture what you mean.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

If it has fuel in the crankcase it will be hard to pull. If it does you can remove the spark plug and turn the saw over to drain it, after draining gas from the tank.