MS290 price check...

My personal saw..


Turns out, its rough inside. I guess.



Ive gotten tons and tons of use out of this saw, its cut atleast 20 cord of wood.
I started exploring other saws and am now at the point in selling it.

Well, i noticed within the last year that it doesnt have much power anymore and doesnt
seem to have as much power as it use to.
Last summer i gassed it...
The other night, i took the muffler off and the piston is scored.
Looks like i can get a new cylinder and piston for about $30-$50.

But what is it worth in its current state?



Fires right up, has a newer 20" oregon bar and comes with 12 chains
that are sharp.

 

A dealer isn't going to go much over $40 on a trade in ..... even if it is running.

IIWM, I'd keep the bar and chains and get a Stihl (did I actually say that?) that has the power to use that same bar.

 

325 or 3/8 bar more than likely 325 and if me id get a 261 to replace it

 

Agreed. If you want a project then put that on the shelf for a rainy day. I’d give ya less than $50 for it with low comp and a known scored piston. The AM kits you referenced are “ok,” but there could be other issues. Try not to pass on a problematic saw without full disclosure of what it is.
If ya trade it in, my dealer would probably give ya $45 if you buy another one. Then they’d call me and ask $55 for it. lol.

 

I agree, the Power Head is probably worth $40-50.

You could rebuild it and turn it into a MS390. I just did one with a Cross cylinder and a Cross pop up piston.

 

Tell me more.. I need info.

 

Check Baileys ... I believe they have a solution to your dilemma

 

Baileys online ... shortblock ... you can turn it into a 390 with this set-up !

 

I have a 261c in mint condition that is available ...

 

A 390 is the same as a 290 except the 390 has a larger bore. So you can throw a 390 piston and cylinder on a 290 and you have a 390. You go from 54cc to 64cc.

First don't buy a short block. Your crank is probably fine and OEM cranks are better than AM.

YOU can buy cylinders on eBay for $30 on up to the name brand cylinders for $100 or more. The main thing wrong with the cheap cylinders is the plating is not that great. A cheap cylinder is not going to hold up like a more expensive one. A name brand cylinders has better plating in the cylinder. The casting of the cylinder looks better too.

A cheap cylinder will probably hold up for years for the average person cutting firewood for theirself. Also if you are looking to build a cheap back up saw, a $30 cylinder is a good option. I have 290 with a cheap top end on it and it runs really good. It is now where near the quality of my Cross cylinder.

What ever cylinder you get, get caber rings. They are so much better than the hard brittle Chinese rings. Cross and Meteor cylinders come with caber rings.

Cross now makes a pop up piston, like a dome piston in a car for more compression. It works with OEM, Cross, and Hyway cylinders. It may or may not work with cheap Chinese cylinders.

You will also need crank seals and a sealer. It is not a bad idea to do crank bearings while you are in there. It takes 6203 bearings. Get a good set like SKF, NTN, etc.

Now if you do all of this muffler mod it and it will run really good, for a nonpro saw.


Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

Don't be afraid to open the muffler up they are pretty choked down from factory

 

Stihl MS 290 390

 

That's what I'd do.

Big bore it.

Fwiw, 20 cords of wood isn't that much. Granted my 029super isn't a 290, it is still a clamshell Stihl that has the same basic design, but my saw has cut 10 cords of wood up every year for the first 10 years of it's existence, bought new in 2000. Plus quite a bit every year after that until this past winter when I got my dolkita. It's still on the original everything except a recoil rope, filters, spark plug, and of course bar and chain.

 

I bought the saw used, i have no clue how much wood it has seen in its life or even how old it is.

 

Wanna just do it for me?

 

Run a pressure-vac test before you spend a penny

 

I just sent MMWS an email..

 

I haven’t farted in 3 weeks ... I swear !