stihl ms290 wont run

[tdenno]

I have a stihl ms290 It will start with the choke on but it won't stay running. Any ideas of what I need to do?

[randy41]

is the air filter clogged?

[tdenno]

the air filter is clean-the saw is 3 yrs. old and has worked flawlessly.Earlier today,I cut wood for about 15 min. and it quit.It will start for a second with the choke on then quit when I open the choke.It has new gas,the spark plug is fine and the fuel filter in the fuel tank is clean-I have not screwed with any settings on the carb.very puzzling....

[robertk]

I have the same chainsaw and that happened to me this past winter. Someone told me there is a small rubber hose that runs from the crankcase to the carb that acts as a vacumn to suck fuel into the carb and it can crack. I haven't checked it yet since I have another saw.

[Treemonkey1000]

Check the tank filter for one. You may have some old gas clogging up the diaphragm. In that case pull the carb off which isn't all that hard to do. If it is a Walbro carb it may be one large screw on the bottom of the carb. Unscrew that and check for microscopic stuff in the needle hole or gummed up gas. When you take the diaphragm off pay attention to which side goes back against the top half of the carb. Not too likely but the carb may be sucking air between the carb and cylinder head boot. That is rare though. Tightening the carb nuts would fix that.
Also as mentioned look for cracked fuel lines from the tank and a return line to the tank...
Been down this road before fixing other folks saws. The MS290 is a nice little saw.

[Charolais]

More than likely the feul line. Have a farmboss that does the same thing every 2 years. The fuel line cracks and lets air in so it doesn't suck enough fuel to keep it running. Last one I replaced I put a good coat of grease on the line. Don't use the saw much now. The biggest fix was to buy a 7900 Dolmar saw. Now I don't have to bother with the Stihl. I need to sell it.

[vsteel]

Yea, check the hoses, I had the same problem with my ms290. The best fix I did was sell the Stihl and buy a Husky. No problems ever since.

[4Kings]

I have the same chainsaw and that happened to me this past winter. Someone told me there is a small rubber hose that runs from the crankcase to the carb that acts as a vacumn to suck fuel into the carb and it can crack. I haven't checked it yet since I have another saw.

You basically have an air leak from the impulse hose. It's a common problem on the 029/290 saws. Very easy to change. Your dealer will have it, it's pretty cheap.

[rback33]

I will add one more vote to the fuel line. I have the same saw and had the same issue at the same age...

[ToadHill]

I had the same problem with a ms250. I replaced the hose in the tank from the filter to the carb and it eended the problerm. Saw was the same age 3 years, I guess thats the life of the $14 hose.