Stihl MS260

[bwalker]

The MS260 ergonomics and weight wise is a very nice saw. However, stock they are dogs, the antivibe sucks and the air filter is an abortion. Throw a carb, muffler mod, trim the choke delete the base gasket and advancing the timing make them run much better. Still not close to a 346XP.
With that said I put a bid in on a pristine on the other day. Don't need it at all, but I have a bizarre love hate relationship with that particular saw and I've owned a half dozen of them.

 

[John Lyngdal]

The air filter design for both the 346XP and the MS260 are sub-optimal, but the AV on the 346 has it all over the MS260.
The MS261 air filter is excellent and the Husky 550 air filter design isn't as good, but adequate. The AV on both of these saws are wonderful.

 

[bwalker]

The air filter design for both the 346XP and the MS260 are sub-optimal, but the AV on the 346 has it all over the MS260.
The MS261 air filter is excellent and the Husky 550 air filter design isn't as good, but adequate. The AV on both of these saws are wonderful.

The filter on the 346 was much better. The 260 filter leaked at the choke shaft pretty bad and even between the two halves. The choke also restricted flow out of the filter to a large degree. Grinding the choke butter fly thinner helps, but it's still a **** design.
Granted the newer models have better filters.

 

[Nathan Bruce]

I picked up a super nice one recently. It spent 99% of its life sitting in a garage. Looks and runs excellent.

View attachment 1031064View attachment 1031065

Boy that is clean, if you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay for it?

 

[Nathan Bruce]

Were are you in Oregon? If you visit the Eugene area we can swap parts off my MS260s and see if we can identify the issue.

I am in southern oregon and won't be going to eugene soon but but thank you for offering to swap parts.

 

[Captain Bruce]

Did you pressure check saw, ive spent alot of time chasing my ass with saws sucking air through crank seales.

Now I find it almost easier just to toss new seals in before even running the damn thing.

For what its worth my 026 was missing the high screw so I tossed a China carb on it. Runs great
My 044/064 has a China carb ive got handfulls of 044/046 carbs. Though that saw chucked a 064 piston squurt.

Then my sons ttr50 has a China carb.

For all the haters theres a few likers.

At the end of the day no carb can fix other issues on the saw outside of its control.

Im pretty sure oem carbs are available for the 260, that saw may be worth spending alittle money on.

Have fun learn lots

There are no haters; only frustrated American mechanics. Real is majority. If you have had a 1/2 dozen chinesium carbs that worked, keep that to yourself. It doesn't balance out the issue, just suggests there is still one guy who swears by off-shore rubbish.....

 

[bwalker]

There are no haters; only frustrated American mechanics. Real is majority. If you have had a 1/2 dozen chinesium carbs that worked, keep that to yourself. It doesn't balance out the issue, just suggests there is still one guy who swears by off-shore rubbish.....

WT-194 is the carb you want.
And yes, don't use Chinese garbage.

 

[LogSawyer74]

Yep, find a walbro WT-194. Not a better carb for that saw than a 194...

 

[Lawless]

I have not had it off the saw but the carb on the 260 I recently bought has both screws (with plastic limiters). So what carb number is that one?

Will the factory carb run out of adjustment if you go farther than a muffler mod? Like maybe a base gasket delete?

 

[wildwes]

Yep, find a walbro WT-194. Not a better carb for that saw than a 194...

Another vote for a WT-194. They bolt right on, work perfectly since they are a 026 carb, and you can find good used ones on ebay for about the same price as a chinese carb. Even if if you have to put a kit in an ebay carb (I always do so when I use an unknown carb) or if you pay a little more and buy one already rebuilt, you still won't be in it for much more money than chinese junk, it will most likely run better, and probably will last longer.

 

[John Lyngdal]

You do realize that Walbro chainsaw carburetors are made in China as Walbro purchased 60 percent of Fujian Hualong Carburetor in China in 1994.
That's not to say that the other carburetors are made to the same quality standards as Walbro; some may be comparable, others not so much.

 

[wildwes]

You do realize that Walbro chainsaw carburetors are made in China as Walbro purchased 60 percent of Fujian Hualong Carburetor in China in 1994.
That's not to say that the other carburetors are made to the same quality standards as Walbro; some may be comparable, others not so much.

That is true, but the quality is usually very different.
I have bought chicom carburetors to cannibalize screws and parts off of before, they are ok for that too.
Also, if you buy older used carburetors, they often are not made in China- seems like I have had a few that say Japan on them?

 

[SteveSr]

WT-194 is the carb you want.
And yes, don't use Chinese garbage.

The WT-194 is an old school fully adjustable carb which can be a bit "touchy" to tune. You will also need to replace the metering cover with a compensating variety for the 260.

You can also use a WT-426. It has the correct metering cover so it is a drop-in replacement. The WT-426 is also fully adjustable but the screws aren't quite as touchy because only a portion of the fuel goes through the needles. I think that this carb was uses on the later 026 Pro and earlier 260 Pro saws.

 

[bwalker]

The WT-194 is an old school fully adjustable carb which can be a bit "touchy" to tune. You will also need to replace the metering cover with a compensating variety for the 260.

You can also use a WT-426. It has the correct metering cover so it is a drop-in replacement. The WT-426 is also fully adjustable but the screws aren't quite as touchy because only a portion of the fuel goes through the needles. I think that this carb was uses on the later 026 Pro and earlier 260 Pro saws.

I've never found them touchy to tune at all.
The metering cover with the intellicarb port can be swapped from your existing carb. That's what I have always done.

 

[wildwes]

I personally don't find the WT-194 difficult to tune either. As was said, you can swap your metering cover, and you can also plug off the hole in the air cleaner with a piece of wood or plastic and a little epoxy if you don't want to swap the cover for the metering type.
The 426 is a bolt on, but the 194 can be picked up dirt cheap because there are a LOT of them around.

 

[bwalker]

I personally don't find the WT-194 difficult to tune either. As was said, you can swap your metering cover, and you can also plug off the hole in the air cleaner with a piece of wood or plastic and a little epoxy if you don't want to swap the cover for the metering type.
The 426 is a bolt on, but the 194 can be picked up dirt cheap because there are a LOT of them around.

I personally don't find the WT-194 difficult to tune either. As was said, you can swap your metering cover, and you can also plug off the hole in the air cleaner with a piece of wood or plastic and a little epoxy if you don't want to swap the cover for the metering type.
The 426 is a bolt on, but the 194 can be picked up dirt cheap because there are a LOT of them around.

The WT-194 also has traditional spring loaded adjustments vs those goofy plastic limited adjustments. It also has the biggest bore of direct bolt on 260 carbs, which helps performance.
I'm not sure where the rumor started that the 194 is hard to tune, but it's a bunch of BS.

 

[ZeroJunk]

I could let you use a MS260 or 026 with a Chinese carb and none of you would have a clue if you didn't look.

 

[wildwes]

I could let anyone shoot a cheap single shot .22 that will put every shot in the same hole too. It doesn't mean that the vast majority of them will do it.
Personally I am not knocking chinese carburetors- I have run some that are outstanding (and some that are horrible) but as cheap as a used WT194 is, I don't see the point in gambling on a chicom knockoff.

 

[bwalker]

I could let anyone shoot a cheap single shot .22 that will put every shot in the same hole too. It doesn't mean that the vast majority of them will do it.
Personally I am not knocking chinese carburetors- I have run some that are outstanding (and some that are horrible) but as cheap as a used WT194 is, I don't see the point in gambling on a chicom knockoff.

Exactly, but the number of broke dicks on this site is ridiculous.
If you can't afford a a real carb work harder. This is America for god sakes.

 

[SteveSr]

The WT-194 also has traditional spring loaded adjustments vs those goofy plastic limited adjustments.

So does the WT-426... NO limiter caps here!

I'm not sure where the rumor started that the 194 is hard to tune, but it's a bunch of BS.

Sorry, but it is not BS or a rumor. It is firmly based in the design of the carb. A 1/16 turn on a WT-194 is equivalent to a 1/4 turn on WT-426. That being said, you would definitely notice the difference side-by-side. However, if you have never experienced tuning a bypass carb before you may not notice the difference.