Just wanted to thank you for taking the time to post these videos. I filled your instructions, iPad to my side and now have a saw in perfect running condition - and learned a ton along the way. You know what you are doing - thanks again.
Your teardown showed the correct position of the "leaf spring" above the plastic off/run/half choke/full choke selector switch. The MS250 have a known issue where it can't be switched off, due to the carb cover being removed without moving the selector down to full choke position before removing the cover. The spring pops down below the selector switch where it doesn't belong, and creates a mystery on why the saw can't be switched off/keeps running. Thank you!
Damn, your videos are amazing. I know how much work goes into shooting a video like that. Very time consuming. It looks smooth and flawless but it takes patience. Thank you for taking the time to make your videos and for making them so high quality. I'm learning a lot from you.
Nice demo Thanks! I just did the piston, rings and cylinder on my MS250. I didn't have a small ring compressor so I cut the end off a plastic tube of caulking and made my own ring compressor for the tiny piston.
Thank you, your videos are well thought out and in depth. The detail is enough to give most of us the procedures needed to do our own work in a timely fashion. I used to write instruction manuals but these videos are very helpful.
Thanks for the video, it helped me disassemble an MS 251 that was nearly impossible to start, due to extremely high compression. Put on new piston rings and am now able to pull the starter rope without causing a hernia! Thanks again!
Hi Donyboy73. I just got a "second hand non-working MS250" as a hobby project. I disassembled it and it had the exact same broken parts as yours and the defects even looked the same: Piston was partly melted ned the edges, cylinder was scratched near the exhause, one ring was broken, one ring was stuck, ball bearing was missing one ball and the whole metal "ring" holding all the steel balls. So ... now it's time to order some new parts!
Thanks for sharing DB. I left fuel in my ms 250. Rebuilt the carb still nothing. Replaced carb, still nothing. Now gonna replace the fuel line. The exhaust is clean, the ignition system is good. This teardown video is a great help. Thanks again.
I got one of these saws for free (a neighbor was giving it away). He gave it away for a reason. Found your videos and took the saw apart to find that the piston head had a hole blown through it and was really deformed. Looks like he had no oil in the fuel-the cylinder looks burned, not shiny. Everything else looks great on the saw. Two questions: I tried tapping the flywheel off as you show, but no luck. What's the trick? And where do you order a replacement piston head and cylinder? Thanks.
Very good , you do well.. I also own a MS-250 myself and really like it ... It appears i see metal transfer , like it's been run without mix oil in the fuel ... How does the jug look inside ? good job..
Good news. Thank you. I've narrowed it down to either the Echo CS-400 or the Stihl MS 250. I've seen the Echo in store and I'll be looking at the MS 250 tomorrow. I'll have one by the end of the day tomorrow :)
Thanks for the vids, after watching this it gave me the confidence to strip down a MS180 to replace the cylinder and piston, quite a similar procedure to this saw just a few small differences. Great work keep the vids coming.
just wanted to say thanks... i had trouble geting the clutch off ....i wasnt shure if it was a left thread or not and i was a afraid to damage the part. seeing as how i disassembled the cluth as the very last step instead as one of the first.
Eh, I'm more of an 028 fan. Not a bad idea that Stihl had with that modular crankcase design, though. Saves a few steps, compared to the older stuff. Splitting the case is a chore.
Merci don!! Jai ma compagnie depuis novembre 2011 et je repare aussi des petits moteurs!! Tu m as aider a plusieurs reprises!! Si jammais je passe dans ton coin jte paye une couple de bieres cest sur!!!
Re viewed about 1/2 dozen video on the process for removing the shroud. Your video is the only presentation that takes the time to explain the process. The rest are garbage. Thank you. Despite being more than 10 years old, an outstanding video, still relevant and useful.
Love your videos, I have a stihl MS250 C with a cracked fuel tank, is it possible to use an MS250 chassis to replace it and modify it to fit the MS250C chain adjustment system and ignition coil
thank you....was not sure...I could see a big problem if the spring fell out while rebuilding....would wreak havoc,so I will make sure they are in the rubber before bolting cylinder on...
You do excellent work. I enjoy all of your videos and have learned a lot by watching them. I rebuilt my Sthil 041 and used this video as a guide even though they are different saws. I now have good spark, new carburetor kit, it's getting fuel, new spark plug, good compression with a new piston and cylinder, but the saw will not start. Can you give me any ideas what I should look at next? I would really appreciate your advice!
Thanks for all you great videos. I finally got around to fixing my Stihl 026 after watching carefully your videos and Q&A videos. I pulled the cylindar off and see one of the rings is frozen and the piston and cylindar is scared on the back side. I will get a new cylinder and piston. When parts looking I see 44 MM bore and 44.7 MM bore. is there a way I can tell on mine which bore I have so I am sure to order the right part? Thanks agian for all your effort.
Got it from a local dealer for $395 US dollars. Went in asking about the MS 250 and they were out of them so the guy suggested the MS 290. It has 56.5cc and it came with a 20" bar. Seems like a great saw so far but it'll get a good test next week when I use it to cut up about 5 or 6 trees. I'll get a video up at some point to show it off.
I have a Stihl MS-250 chainsaw, and it have been down and in the shop more than it has been used in work. Instead, I have had to depend on my old Poulin chainsaw which I have had since 2000. I just got both saws out of the shop and the the Stihl is back to doing what it did since I had it, not cranking. The Poulin will start and works fine for me.
I have an MS250. Is it possible to remove and replace the intake boot with out pulling the cylinder? Does the white plastic plate have it captured is there a clamp holding the boot to the cylinder? Great Videos by the way. After I'm done with the chainsaw I plan on tackling my pressure washer.
You are awesome. Videos are so thorough. My ms 240's flywheel broke. The little alignment spline snapped off because the flywheel was hitting the ignition coil. Do I need a new coil or is there an adjustment I can make? Thanks for the videos.
Nice video, but The wires related to the ignition circuit can be taken off at the top end, They have modular connectors just pop out. Don't have to take off the induction coil.
Hi Don, any advice on removing the plastic separator (translucent white) between the cylinder head and the sprak plug/carburetor? I need to get it off to replace the ignition coil HT lead and am out of ideas.
I have a problem with my ms250. Clutch needle bearings failed and heat melted the housing and oil pump. Can you do a video on disassembly and repair? Thanks!
Were you able to reuse the piston? In a similar position here - replacing the bearings and seals but there was some crud in the chamber which has slightly scored the piston side. Looks okay (better than the one shown here) so was thinking if you reused that piston and it still gave good compression then I would be happy just replacing the bearings and seals. Did you also remove the rings and give the grooves a clean or did you leave the rings in place and just realign them?
my stihl MS180 turns over and works fine but when i try to turn it off it won't turn off at the "0" position I have to put the lever down to cold start position to shut it off. What is wrong with it and how do I fix it?
i hae a stihl ms 290 i just aquired in horrible condition. i cleaned it out completely. replaced spark plug, the whole 9 yards. after many pulls of the cord it started at very high idle and rpm i might add. but now today it is jerky to pull cord. what could be the problem. i took off spark plug and tried to pull, easy as pie, install it back in, again jerk jerk jerk (end of rope).... any advice. i am lost
cost me about $450 to repair an 036 Pro in the Stihl shop and then I fried a piston after 4 gallons of gas, don't know if it is related or not. I did replace oiler, rings and some other stuff while it was apart
i have an older 066 still 135lb compression new crank seals sperkplug .It will run for about 30 seconds but sounds like the brake is on labouring.what could be wrong
how bad does the cylinder need to be before replacing....have a scored piston ,with stuck rings on the exhaust side...cylinder has some markings that a think I can clean up....
I have a MS180C that refuses to start. Ran for a while with old gas then it just died. Tried new gas, new carb fuel line. Looked at the cylinder from the exhaust side and the top looks like a piece is cracked off or just disintegrated. How hard it is to replace just the cylinder/rings? How do you compress the rings to insert into the casing.
Just wanted to thank you for taking the time to post these videos. I filled your instructions, iPad to my side and now have a saw in perfect running condition - and learned a ton along the way. You know what you are doing - thanks again.
Your teardown showed the correct position of the "leaf spring" above the plastic off/run/half choke/full choke selector switch. The MS250 have a known issue where it can't be switched off, due to the carb cover being removed without moving the selector down to full choke position before removing the cover. The spring pops down below the selector switch where it doesn't belong, and creates a mystery on why the saw can't be switched off/keeps running. Thank you!
Damn, your videos are amazing. I know how much work goes into shooting a video like that. Very time consuming. It looks smooth and flawless but it takes patience. Thank you for taking the time to make your videos and for making them so high quality. I'm learning a lot from you.
InstaBlaster...
Nice demo Thanks! I just did the piston, rings and cylinder on my MS250. I didn't have a small ring compressor so I cut the end off a plastic tube of caulking and made my own ring compressor for the tiny piston.
I just did a "Stihl chainsaw teardown" search. I'm so lucky that this just happens to be the same model as my saw. Thanks so much!
@kveldeal you can use a special flywheel puller or hit the shaft with the nut at the end with a brass punch
Thanx dude I just fixed my stihl ms 200 after watching ur video, probably saved me a buck 50
excellent video, thanks for showing us guts of Stihl chainsaw....
thanks for watching
Just got one for 2 bucks at yard sale muffler stoped up thanks for ur video like having my own library awesome ✌🏻
Thank you, your videos are well thought out and in depth. The detail is enough to give most of us the procedures needed to do our own work in a timely fashion. I used to write instruction manuals but these videos are very helpful.
Thanks for the video, it helped me disassemble an MS 251 that was nearly impossible to start, due to extremely high compression. Put on new piston rings and am now able to pull the starter rope without causing a hernia! Thanks again!
Hi Donyboy73.
I just got a "second hand non-working MS250" as a hobby project.
I disassembled it and it had the exact same broken parts as yours and the defects even looked the same: Piston was partly melted ned the edges, cylinder was scratched near the exhause, one ring was broken, one ring was stuck, ball bearing was missing one ball and the whole metal "ring" holding all the steel balls.
So ... now it's time to order some new parts!
im doing exactly the same 3 years after you can you recommend this saw generally ? I have never actually used one even though im buying one!
Thank you very much you make taking these machines apart easy allot let trail and error and risk of breaking things
Thanks for sharing DB. I left fuel in my ms 250. Rebuilt the carb still nothing. Replaced carb, still nothing. Now gonna replace the fuel line. The exhaust is clean, the ignition system is good. This teardown video is a great help. Thanks again.
I got one of these saws for free (a neighbor was giving it away). He gave it away for a reason. Found your videos and took the saw apart to find that the piston head had a hole blown through it and was really deformed. Looks like he had no oil in the fuel-the cylinder looks burned, not shiny. Everything else looks great on the saw. Two questions: I tried tapping the flywheel off as you show, but no luck. What's the trick? And where do you order a replacement piston head and cylinder? Thanks.
Hey Donyboy, thanks heaps for this video!! Helped me heaps on the tear down and rebuild of my MS250 C. Your a legend!! Keep it coming!!
i always learn something from you
Getting ready to replace piston and cylinder on mine, and perhaps everything inside. Thank you for this and your other tutorials.
I do not remember if the seals go on the crankshaft with the retaining spring facing the inside or the outside?
WHATS UP DONY ! HOPE EVERYTHING IS GOODWITH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY,YOU R THE BEST SMALL ENGINE REPAIR GUY ON RUclips !KEEP THE VIDEOS COMING!
Very good , you do well.. I also own a MS-250 myself and really like it ... It appears i see metal transfer , like it's been run without mix oil in the fuel ... How does the jug look inside ? good job..
@pugsonrugs if they are nikasil coated they are good, the tecomec kits are almost oem quality
excellent lesson
Good news. Thank you. I've narrowed it down to either the Echo CS-400 or the Stihl MS 250. I've seen the Echo in store and I'll be looking at the MS 250 tomorrow. I'll have one by the end of the day tomorrow :)
@ronchil u would have to remove the oil line and check to see if it is clogged or punctured. i'd have to make a vid, it's too legthy to explain
yes that would be awesome!
Ended up getting the Stihl MS 290. Love it so far :)
@frbarnett i have some ms180 vids up. the 180 and 250 are quite similar when taking the cylinder out
Very helpful video. Thanks a lot.
you could use a piece of dowling to push the intake boot out that way no possibility of damaging it
Thanks for the vids, after watching this it gave me the confidence to strip down a MS180 to replace the cylinder and piston, quite a similar procedure to this saw just a few small differences. Great work keep the vids coming.
@oikosecosnomikos you can find a flywheel puller on ebay and also an aftermarket cylinder kit, the oem parts from stihl are much better though
just wanted to say thanks... i had trouble geting the clutch off ....i wasnt shure if it was a left thread or not and i was a afraid to damage the part. seeing as how i disassembled the cluth as the very last step instead as one of the first.
Eh, I'm more of an 028 fan. Not a bad idea that Stihl had with that modular crankcase design, though. Saves a few steps, compared to the older stuff. Splitting the case is a chore.
Awesome video; thanks for all the quality, detailed shots
Wow! Those bearing are gone. I figured they would've come apart in the condition they were in. Great video.
Merci don!! Jai ma compagnie depuis novembre 2011 et je repare aussi des petits moteurs!! Tu m as aider a plusieurs reprises!!
Si jammais je passe dans ton coin jte paye une couple de bieres cest sur!!!
not too bad dony 73,140 dollars= about 80 euros,not out of the way,i blew that on beer there on saturday night, just recovering there today,lol
the compression is good,the cylinder has no scratches,the exhaust is clean but still doesnt start i have good spark thanks and greetings from belgium
@Liamautomechanic i was curious because i know some people like me ship them to folks in Ireland
@Liamautomechanic chinese parts aren't the same quality. how much is an MS260 in Ireland?
Great videos. Make a rebuild doable. Just wondering if the cylinder piston and rings need some oil before firing up the chainsaw. Appreciate your help
Hi! Great vids man! But i'm struggling to get the flywheel off. Do you use a special tool for this or are u just hitting on the nut?
facing inside
@Liamautomechanic $100 for just piston and rings, bearings are around $40, expensive!
Re viewed about 1/2 dozen video on the process for removing the shroud. Your video is the only presentation that takes the time to explain the process. The rest are garbage. Thank you. Despite being more than 10 years old, an outstanding video, still relevant and useful.
Thanks again. Always nice to get advice from someone that works on these things. Makes my choice a lot easier :)
Great video props to you
thank you sir
Love your videos, I have a stihl MS250 C with a cracked fuel tank, is it possible to use an MS250 chassis to replace it and modify it to fit the MS250C chain adjustment system and ignition coil
thank you....was not sure...I could see a big problem if the spring fell out while rebuilding....would wreak havoc,so I will make sure they are in the rubber before bolting cylinder on...
thanks for the rating
that's great. you should make a video so we can see it. let me know. how much are they there?
@mazzieboy use needlenose pliers
the same here,buy,i from the dealer as well,expensive tho,i wonder would the chinees parts, be up to standard???????
@khodeshe i will be repairing this saw so another video will be up soon
You do excellent work. I enjoy all of your videos and have learned a lot by watching them. I rebuilt my Sthil 041 and used this video as a guide even though they are different saws. I now have good spark, new carburetor kit, it's getting fuel, new spark plug, good compression with a new piston and cylinder, but the saw will not start. Can you give me any ideas what I should look at next? I would really appreciate your advice!
Thanks for all you great videos. I finally got around to fixing my Stihl 026 after watching carefully your videos and Q&A videos. I pulled the cylindar off and see one of the rings is frozen and the piston and cylindar is scared on the back side. I will get a new cylinder and piston. When parts looking I see 44 MM bore and 44.7 MM bore. is there a way I can tell on mine which bore I have so I am sure to order the right part? Thanks agian for all your effort.
Thanks' for a great video. I'm about to do mine using this video.
Got it from a local dealer for $395 US dollars. Went in asking about the MS 250 and they were out of them so the guy suggested the MS 290. It has 56.5cc and it came with a 20" bar. Seems like a great saw so far but it'll get a good test next week when I use it to cut up about 5 or 6 trees. I'll get a video up at some point to show it off.
Never happened
I have a Stihl MS-250 chainsaw, and it have been down and in the shop more than it has been used in work. Instead, I have had to depend on my old Poulin chainsaw which I have had since 2000. I just got both saws out of the shop and the the Stihl is back to doing what it did since I had it, not cranking. The Poulin will start and works fine for me.
i would have to see it, was it chain oil?
@Liamautomechanic i have to buy them at the dealer
Seem to have the same problem with my farm boss. What's the ballpark for a repair like that?
@pugsonrugs i like pugs, stihl makes a nice t27 t-handle torx wrench
@Liamautomechanic do u need parts?
I have an MS250. Is it possible to remove and replace the intake boot with out pulling the cylinder? Does the white plastic plate have it captured is there a clamp holding the boot to the cylinder? Great Videos by the way. After I'm done with the chainsaw I plan on tackling my pressure washer.
can you post a video, sounds like a lot of compression
You are awesome. Videos are so thorough. My ms 240's flywheel broke. The little alignment spline snapped off because the flywheel was hitting the ignition coil. Do I need a new coil or is there an adjustment I can make?
Thanks for the videos.
yes very similar, in your case you will more likely need the cylinder as well
@damionparker does it have spark?
@nathanmeitzler YES THEY ARE NICE SAWS
Nice video, but The wires related to the ignition circuit can be taken off at the top end, They have modular connectors just pop out. Don't have to take off the induction coil.
@pugsonrugs i mean torx screwdriver
Hi Don, any advice on removing the plastic separator (translucent white) between the cylinder head and the sprak plug/carburetor? I need to get it off to replace the ignition coil HT lead and am out of ideas.
is there any chance of stripping cylinder bolts with the rope technique? do you have to hold the cylinder down just in case?
I have a problem with my ms250. Clutch needle bearings failed and heat melted the housing and oil pump. Can you do a video on disassembly and repair? Thanks!
@Karlos77777777 i think it comes with 16"
i went to the Stihl dealer and 2 mechanics looked at it because it is unusual. apparently it's a bearing defect. the ball retainer on it broke off.
Were you able to reuse the piston? In a similar position here - replacing the bearings and seals but there was some crud in the chamber which has slightly scored the piston side. Looks okay (better than the one shown here) so was thinking if you reused that piston and it still gave good compression then I would be happy just replacing the bearings and seals. Did you also remove the rings and give the grooves a clean or did you leave the rings in place and just realign them?
Does this seem to be a common problem in the MS 250? I was thinking about purchasing this saw for use around my home.
check the compression
make sure the muffler spark arrester isn't plugged
@brandymc2003 i have one here so i might be able to make a quick vid
Thanks for your video, you saved me a bunch of time!
yes
do you have a video that shows replacing the oil pump on a 250c stihl chain saw? I did not see one.
@pugsonrugs they are pretty tight, make to use a good brand name torx tool, do you have pugs?
Great video! Well done.
Donnyboy73, I have an MS170 and trying to remove the handle to fix oil problem. What kind of tool you use to remove the screw on the handle? Thanks
torx t-27
Tankiu
my stihl MS180 turns over and works fine but when i try to turn it off it won't turn off at the "0" position I have to put the lever down to cold start position to shut it off. What is wrong with it and how do I fix it?
where do u source ur parts,for the stihl???????????
i hae a stihl ms 290 i just aquired in horrible condition. i cleaned it out completely. replaced spark plug, the whole 9 yards. after many pulls of the cord it started at very high idle and rpm i might add. but now today it is jerky to pull cord. what could be the problem. i took off spark plug and tried to pull, easy as pie, install it back in, again jerk jerk jerk (end of rope).... any advice. i am lost
Is the flywheel/coil gap similar to a lawn mower? About a business card's thickness?
cost me about $450 to repair an 036 Pro in the Stihl shop and then I fried a piston after 4 gallons of gas, don't know if it is related or not. I did replace oiler, rings and some other stuff while it was apart
i have an older 066 still 135lb compression new crank seals sperkplug .It will run for about 30 seconds but sounds like the brake is on labouring.what could be wrong
how bad does the cylinder need to be before replacing....have a scored piston ,with stuck rings on the exhaust side...cylinder has some markings that a think I can clean up....
I have a MS180C that refuses to start. Ran for a while with old gas then it just died. Tried new gas, new carb fuel line. Looked at the cylinder from the exhaust side and the top looks like a piece is cracked off or just disintegrated. How hard it is to replace just the cylinder/rings? How do you compress the rings to insert into the casing.
Thank you, Sr.