Ms290 problems

[Zackman1801]

Well tonight i was finishing up with the firewood and about half way through my saw started to act weird, it would bog down a bit and then throttle up again. then after a bit of doing that it started to shoot sparks from the muffler and would not start....so my question is what exactly happened? was there just extra carbon buildup on the spark arrestor? or did something bigger happen. the saw wont start now so i dont know what to make of it.

 

[andrethegiant70]

Well, you're probably buggered, but have a look for sure. Sparks generally mean metal crashing into metal. Can you feel compression when you pull the rope? Is there a lot of, or a lot less resistance than previously? Pop the muffler off the saw and have a look. Report back what you see.

I'm going to guess the saw got too hot (for one of a possible variety of reasons) and you scored your piston. But there's no substitute for poking around and doing some investigating, I DO hope I'm wrong. Provided you are a bit mechanical, all is not lost, these saws are repairable by an intrepid soul with a few easily obtainable tools. If the saw is under warranty, you've got no worries at all.

 

[Zackman1801]

no warantee, i bought it used, although it was from a dealer. the saw dosent appear that old but mabey he would help me out. i dont know how the saw got that hot because i make sure i mix the fuel correctly each time. thats one of the things im pickyest about, that and making sure the chain is super sharp. i guess ill go down stairs and have a look around, im not going to be a happy camper if it is roasted, that will probably be the end of a good saw. im in no financial situation to have it fixed for a long while. i only bought it 2 weeks ago, its probably only seen less than 10 hours of work from me. and when i got it it had been throughly looked over and had all of the fuel lines replaced. ehhhhh im not too happy right now.

 

[andrethegiant70]

Like I said, you should have a look inside the muffler before you throw yourself down on the nearest letter opener. There are lots of threads on here regarding replacing the piston on this very saw yourself, if you have to. If all you need is a piston (which is fairly likely) you can buy an aftermarket Meteor piston and get it done in an afternoon.

Don't fret, poop happens.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

Sparks out the muffler may simply mean that the saw suddenly went lean and began burning off carbon from the port and muffler case. Good chance there is no damage at all, could be an impulse line failure, seal blow out, intake boot failure, or something simple like that. I try not to assume the worst when the symptom can mean either catastrophic failure, or a simple repair.

 

[Zackman1801]

well after looking over the saw, im ready to throw it into a pit and light it on fire. i popped off the dust cover and pulled the boot off the plug, and as i was returning the boot to the plug the wire broke in two. Then as i was removing the bolts from the muffle one decided to snap in half.....so the saw is in pieces in my basement and the muffler is still on the plug is still on and i how have a nut and half a screw stuck in the only socket i have small enough to get the muffler off.......now im really not happy.:censored:

 

[Lakeside53]

Put some penetrating fluid on the muffler nuts for a hour or two... I've broken a few


The ignition wire is a PITA to replace, and... you need to be very careful or you'l strip the coil screws out. Are you sure the the spring clip just didn't pull out?

 

[cjcocn]

"Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it merely saps today of its strength."

Sounds like it is time to leave it alone for the night. It will still be just as broken tomorrow, but you'll feel a little bit better.

Like the other guys have said, have a look inside before you get ready to toss it. Soak the broken bolt in a good penetrating oil, use a nail to pop the broken part out of your socket, then have a look at the coil/plug wire tomorrow. IIRC, it may be possible to just change the plug wire so even that may not turn out to be too big of a deal.

Look on the bright side, once you go through this saw (and if it is worth fixing to you) you will have a saw that you are comfortable with as you would have addressed all of its issues.

Good luck and PM sent.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

Put some penetrating fluid on the muffler nuts for a hour or two... I've broken a few


The ignition wire is a PITA to replace, and... you need to be very careful or you'l strip the coil screws out. Are you sure the the spring clip just didn't pull out?

Should be able to tap the nut out from the back of the socket...if it is stuck, my guess if you used a 5/16 socket, and not 8mm, I think thats what size they are...

As for the plug, I agree, probably just the little spring thing. pick it out of the boot, clean it, push the clip back into the wire, and use a dab of WD-40 and carefully coax the clip back into the boot. Sucks when they come apart.

Penatrating lube and vicegrips should get the stud out of the cylidner...it happens. The bolts are pretty tiny and the nuts seize.

 

[Lakeside53]

err..Red.... the bolt is NOT secured to the cylinder... it has a head that sits behind a slotted flange. The nuts are just rusted on.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

err..Red.... the bolt is NOT secured to the cylinder... it has a head that sits behind a slotted flange. The nuts are just rusted on.

Thanks for the correction there Andy, I brainfarted, was thinking the bolts went into the head. Ever had one spin in the slot?

 

[Fish]

No.

 

[Zackman1801]

im pretty sure, but i just got the plug off and did a compession test and it seems to be good, although the plug was completely dry, shouldent there have been something on it? i also looked down into the cylinder but i cant tell what scoring (or the lack there of) looks like.

 

[Lakeside53]

No.

yes, Fish is right. NO. It has a 1/2 inch plus square on the end.

 

[andrethegiant70]

im pretty sure, but i just got the plug off and did a compession test and it seems to be good, although the plug was completely dry, shouldent there have been something on it? i also looked down into the cylinder but i cant tell what scoring (or the lack there of) looks like.

That's pretty good news! What numbers did you get? It will be hard to see any scoring looking down through the plug hole. Most often, scoring will occur on the exhaust side of the piston (at least in the case of a lean condition). You should check your fuel and impulse lines for cracking or collapsed sections. At this point, I would do a test. Squirt/pour a little mix into the carb (1 teaspoon or so) while the saw is tipped bar down and the throttle is held open (so the mix runs towards the cylinder). Now try to start the saw... you may need to pull a fair number of times (the saw may be a touch flooded at the beginning) but if the saw has compression and spark, it should fire. If the saw starts and runs for a few seconds, you have probably just narrowed things down to a fuel system problem. Most of these (excepting seals) are pretty easy to deal with.

It would still be a pretty good idea to have a look at the piston through the exhaust port.

 

[Zackman1801]

i dont have a compression meter but i stuck my fingers over the plug hole and pulled a few times and it sucked pretty hard. ive been told that if it sucks pretty hard then the compression is good, but its what ive been told, not sure if its true or not. ill prob end up taking it to the shop at this point, or atleast not i have to get a new thread for the nut to hold the muffler in place.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

i dont have a compression meter but i stuck my fingers over the plug hole and pulled a few times and it sucked pretty hard. ive been told that if it sucks pretty hard then the compression is good, but its what ive been told, not sure if its true or not. ill prob end up taking it to the shop at this point, or atleast not i have to get a new thread for the nut to hold the muffler in place.

No that method isnt nearly accurate enough.

The rope test is more accurate than that, and even it is a vague ballpark, go or no go type test.

That saw, Id expect over 140 psi on it if its in good shape, 120+ if its rough. No less.

 

[serial killer]

Dude, you fried your saw. See what you can get for the carcass on ebay and use that money to buy a Poulan. Learn to live with the fact that you torched the heck out of the thing and it's not worth fixing.

 

[andrethegiant70]

Dude, you fried your saw. See what you can get for the carcass on ebay and use that money to buy a Poulan. Learn to live with the fact that you torched the heck out of the thing and it's not worth fixing.

DOH! opcorn:

 

[Patrick62]

Dude, you fried your saw. See what you can get for the carcass on ebay and use that money to buy a Poulan. Learn to live with the fact that you torched the heck out of the thing and it's not worth fixing.

I beg to differ. It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.

Replace it with a Poulan?? Don't get me started on that! :deadhorse:

Ain't worth fixing? There are a few people who would have that opinion.

-Pat