Stihl MS 250 chainsaw — starting it, after 9 years in storage

© 2020 Peter Free

 

02 October 2020

 

 

Background

 

The Stihl MS 250 is a consumer grade chainsaw with a reputation for hard starting, among at least an appreciable proportion of its owners.

 

I used mine heavily for five years, primarily on diseased and wind-downed softwood trees of substantial size. Due to their interwoven tangle of trunks, limbs and vines — cutting angles often were not ideal, whether I was on the ground or in the trees. The saw took a lot of inadvertent abuse just getting the job done.

 

This saw is tough. That said, I do agree with other reviewers that my sample of the model is temperamental, when it comes to starting and, occasionally, running. Professional Stihl saws that I used in my ski area, slope-clearing days were much easier to start and keep going.

 

My sample of the MS 250 frequently dislikes initial startup, as well as getting going again when its engine is already hot and has been sitting for as little as two minutes. Especially so, on hot and humid days.

 

There have been workdays in which the saw refused to restart, until I waited it out a few hours. That was annoying, when there was a lot of cutting and piling to do.

 

This starting recalcitrance has nothing to do with mistakes in positioning the carburetor choke plate. I know how to run this thing, when it's in the mood. When it's not, my sample of this chainsaw becomes an ornery mule. Frequently, it will not start under apparently identical circumstances to those when it previously did start.

 

Inconsistency is my sample's middle name.

 

 

Storage

 

Nine years ago, the saw went into storage as a result of military-related moving around. Last week, I got it out and tried to get it to run.

 

It took me five days. The process chunked itself into a three hour clean up on day one. Followed by two separated, roughly hour-long, intervals on three subsequent days. The spark plug was in and out a whole lot.

 

On day five, the saw finally reluctantly began running. It took another five to seven attempts to get it to stay running. I suspect that the 2-cycle gasoline mix had had to work on the engine's internals for a few days, to return things to normal.

 

 

Psychology of user's doubt

 

In situations like this, one wonders whether the tool is dead for good.

 

Pertinently, part of this particular saw's storage period was spent in a military-contracted warehouse. I have reason to suspect that an employee or two used it heavily, during those more than 3 years. When I got it back, the saw was no longer in the cleaned up condition that it had entered storage. Additionally, its spark plug was carbonized, the oil reservoir plug was broken and both bar oil feeds were plugged with sawdust.

 

 

Was the saw worn out?

 

Should I keep trying to start it?

 

Or take time to disassemble and rebuild it?

 

How long does one beat an apparently dead horse?

 

 

The accumulated days of repetitive cranking pulls and throttle changes constituted noticeable exercise and corresponding, compounded irritation. Stubbornness struggled back and forth with doubt. I set a week limit on the process. After that, figuratively into the trash.

 

 

The moral? — Persistence sometimes pays off

 

When I did get the MS 250 running again, it ran fine. And willingly went back to being abused. I used it to cut two tree stumps out of the ground under cramped conditions.

 

All told, I like the Stihl MS 250's durability more than I dislike its temperamental starting mind.