Posting here for the quickest response and most answers. My ms250 won't run right and I have traced the problem to the carb. Had it off once, cleaned and back on. Still not right. Looking online at amazon there are lots of aftermarket carbs available for little $ . Are any of the brands better than others? Recommendations? I need to get cutting for this seasons replacement fast. Thanks.
I'm sure the experts will chime in but on my circa ~1990 Stihl 026 I could not get to run right (or stay running), I ordered an el-cheapo carb off Amazon rather than pay full price and it's run sufficiently ever since. The specific brand on Amazon was called "FitBest" I am still a bit of a newcomer with this stuff but it's been fine for me.
I've had mixed results with cheap aftermarket carburetors. Some were fine, some not so much. If it were my saw I'd opt to keep the OEM carb and buy a rebuild kit.
Usually the oem carbs respond well to a cycle in an ultrasonic cleaner and a rebuild kit. The aftermarket ones are a mixed bag, sometimes flawless and sometimes a dud. If you do swap it out I'd go with one that has a significant number of 4 and 5 star reviews, and save the oem just in case!
If it's not corroded inside then I would get a rebuild kit. Cleaning isn't going to fix old diaphragms. That being said I've used an ultra cheap parts kit with a carb from eBay on a ms230 and it was fine.
I don't have the ipl in front of me and been a while since I worked on my 250. How were the fuel lines/filter? Did you pull/check the muffler screen? New plug? Sorry for the questions. Last OEM carb I bought for mine was in the $30-40 range. Probably higher now. If you pull it apart again make sure no grooves in the needle screws.
I would personally prefer oem So if it can’t be cleaned up and rebuilt with oem parts buy a new oem carburetor
I myself would go OEM. But I will say a co-worker had an MS250 that wouldn't stay running and he bought a kit that had a carb , fuel filter , spark plug , fuel filter. He used the carb and it worked just fine. If I think I will ask him. Not sure if he went Amazon or Ebay.
I see OEM on Ebay for $38. Ships out of Missouri for $6.20. I know folks who have used the cheaper carbs and have been ok. What I cannot figure is why the OEMs are not sourcing from those manufacturers if the quality is the same.
Just to get it out of the way, I know how to start a Stihl saw. It will fire on the second pull on full choke. Moving the lever up to the next position and nothing. Not after many pulls. Theres a certain feeling on the pull of a Stihl I can feel when they flood. Removing the plug reveals a very wet spark plug and I cannot understand why. It's not that old of a saw. The muffler isn't rusty and still has all its plateing. Amazon shows a couple different carbs for it. The Walbro has the high/low adjustment screws in the wrong place. There is another that looks pretty good for only 22$ and I think I will chance it.
Can you find the number/brand on the carb? Looks like several different ones for the 250 on the IPL. I was referring to the spark arrestor screen in the muffler. They can clog and cause problems. A fresh plug is one of my first things I put in a saw when I work on one with issues.
I am in a similar situation with my old MS250 that will not run correctly. Went to a Stihl dealer today to pick up fuel line, impulse line, and filter before going into the carb. Counter guy said “ man that is an old saw” I didn’t have it with me but had the serial number. He then asked me what is impulse line? After about an hour of him messing with the computer and apparently getting lost in the parts room comes back and says we don’t have the fuel line and will have to order the impulse line. So, I left with two fuel filters ($6 each) and will not be back. Really miss the shops we used to have with counter guys and mechanics that were absolutely great!! Is there a good online source for Stihl OEM parts that y’all could recommend? Thanks Much! Brokenstone, look forward to your success story
Plug is clean. Spark arrester is literally not old enough to be fouled. The saw is definitely flooding after the first blip of firing and I move the choke to the nest position up. It has me baffled.
Interesting. Ebay has been hit and miss for me on things. I figured an OEM carb from a Stihl dealer would be 80$ or more. The last time I priced a coil for a 361 it was 80$+ and I got one off of amazon for 12$ and it did fine.
I did try that. No luck. The saw is not starting as intended or as outlined in the instructions. I ordered a fairly inexpensive replacement carb and kit from amazon yesterday and will update the thread after I get it on. You have to be careful choosing one because even though they claim it will fit and function they are not all the same with high/low adjustment screws in the wrong location and things like pickup tubes made out of plastic instead of brass. When choosing compare all pictures of product to what you are replacing.
Good parts people are a thing of the past. Most can barely navigate/remember the categories within the catalog. They definitely don't remember which parts are located within each category. Much less stressful/time consuming to just do it yourself. Maybe that's what these young kids want.
