Chainsaw gurus, please help!

I have been using a Stihl MS290 saw to cut up some trees that fell on fences around the ranch, and I ran into a problem last weekend with the saw. The Stihl MS290 I am using is about 2 months old and has only been used a couple of times. I used it for about 3 hours Sunday and when I went to start it the last time, I pulled the cord and it stopped because of the compression, so I pulled again, and that time the cord became loose, but did not break. I pulled several more times, but it would never catch and turn over the saw, so I took the cover off and looked it over. I didn't see anything that was apparently broken, nor could I tell how the cord assembly grabs on to start the saw.

Can anyone tell me what's wrong, and how to fix it? I haven't had a chance to take it into the dealer yet.

 

Hey bobcat,

Last time I took my stihl apart, I think that there are 2 lobes on the spring recoil that the rope wraps around. check around theses lobes for gunk built up underneath them. Clean and lubricate with a light oil and also check to see that when relaxed that the tensioners pull them back away from the gears on the crank. Hopefully this helps, but I havent torn my stihl apart in a couple of years. GL

 

You might want to ask this over on www.gardenweb.com/forums/tools . There are a few repair guys that hang out there and might be able to advise you. Most of the talk is regarding saws.

 

I own Husky, but I would guess the recoiler too. If it needs more than cleaning, it shouldn't be too difficult to replace. Could you have bumped the chain brake and locked it up? Do you grease the clutch bearings?

Commatoze, I'm gonna look into that link.

 

[quote author=Redleg link=board=10;threadid=22565;start=0#msg211358 date=1069249201]
Could you have bumped the chain brake and locked it up? Do you grease the clutch bearings?

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I don't think it's the chain brake, but I'll set it and release it again just to make sure that isn't the cause. I haven't done any maintenance to the saw, just put bar oil and fuel in it. It is a new saw, and probably only has a couple of actual hours on it.

The pull cord is just basically free wheeling when you pull it out. It doens't grab onto anything. I'll probably take it in to Western Auto (where it was purchased) Saturday and look at a new one to see what is broken off or different about the pull cord assembly.

 

The recoiler seems to be working OK. You can pull the cord out and it recoils fine everytime. There is just no resistance when pulling the cord out.

 

When you get it figured out, pick up one of those teeny greese guns from a saw supplier. You need to lube the sprocket at the end of the bar (tiny hole), and the needle bearings in the clutch should get grease. Have them show you how to pull the clutch off to access the bearings. If you do a lot of cutting, turning the bar over occasionally will help it wear even and last awhile.