MS 250 Overheating

[GATES]

Quick background - My dad has been cutting wood for quite a while using a McCullough chainsaw. He recently decided to get a MS 250 instead and it worked great the first time out. Since then he has had nothing but trouble. He can't seem to run the saw for any length of time cutting logs thicker than around 15 inches. Basically after 10 minutes or so the bar and chain get so overheated it stops. He has done a number of different adjustments attempting to get it to run correctly and just can't do it. He also seems to think it is oiling properly.

I did a search and noticed some people have had some problems with the oiler. Is this pretty common in the MS 250? If so what can he do to fix it? Does anyone else have any other suggestions on what they think might be causing the trouble?

He has taken it into the shop twice and they can't seem to help. He mentioned tonight he might just set it on the driveway and run it over. He is quite frustrated.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

He should run over it.

 

[Lakeside53]

Red -you're being particularly helpful tonight...

Check your oiler... take off the bar and make sure it's oiling freely. And., check the chain is not too tight. I assume he's using real bar oil, not used engine oil or 30 wt?

Problems with the oiler are not common. Have the dealar MEASURE the oil output to make sure it's within spec. If the dealer can't help, have the dealer call Stihl with your dad to figure out the problem.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

Red -you're being particularly helpful tonight...

Check your oiler... take off the bar and make sure it's oiling freely. And., check the chain is not too tight. I assume he's using real bar oil, not used engine oil or 30 wt?

Problems with the oiler are not common. Have the dealar MEASURE the oil output to make sure it's within spec. If the dealer can't help, have the dealer call Stihl with your dad to figure out the problem.

I have an MS250 and have had no problems with it.. I also use only Stihl bar oil too takes about 1/2 tank of oil to a tank of fuel mix.

 

[Billy_Bob]

I've seen this happen when the chain becomes dull like when it hits a rock or piece of metal in the cut.

So the oiler on the saw is working perfectly well, but the chain is dull. When cutting and this happens, smoke will start to come out of the cut.

You can check this by looking at the chips coming out of the cut. They should be little squares - not like dust particles.

I have had this happen to me. I start cutting with good sharp chain... It is cutting just like slicing through cheese... Square chips coming out of cut... Then suddenly the cutting slows down and chain begins to smoke... I look at the chips coming out and they are now just sawdust particles!

So time to change the chain as the "rocked" chain will need to be ground. Then new chain installed and saw works perfectly again. (I always carry 2 spare chains for each saw.)

 

[Billy_Bob]

Here is a picture of a cut I made. Notice the nice square chips...

 

[supercut469]

I bought a new MS250 this summer. During the first 15 minutes or so of operation I thought the oiler was putting out too little oil, but after this it seemed to increase and has been fine so far (10 Litres of fuel). I am running a Stihl "medium" weight bar oil in 20 degree C temperatures and always seem to use 1 tank of bar oil per 1 tank of fuel.

What exactly do you mean by the bar and chain overheating? Are you seeing smoke? Perhaps as someone suggested the chain needs to be sharpened? I know I was cutting up a half rotten tree to haul it away and found that my chain dulled quickly in the half rotten wood.

 

[jeeptj19992001]

chain break on?