New MS-290.......lots of questions.

[birch_hill]

Hi.  First post on the forum, but I've lurked for a while.

I took my new MS-290 out for the first time tonight, and think I may have made a few big mistakes.

First, I started it with the chain brake on, and revved it a little before disengaging the chain brake.  After dropping a few small trees, I set the saw down with the chain brake engaged, and it sounded like it wanted to stall out after idling for 15-20 seconds.  So I picked it up and revved it a few times, again, with the chain brake on.  

The saw tore through the first few trees very smoothly, but began bogging down on the last tree.  At this point (15 minutes in), the chain was obviously loose, and although the saw had more than 2/3 tank of bar oil, the chain felt dry.  I could also see some spark when cutting that last tree.  They appeared to be coming from the bar/chain, not from the muffler.

Lastly, I know that a new saw should not be run full-throttle under load for the first few tanks of fuel.  I'm pretty sure that I didn't open up the throttle while cutting, but I must admit that it's pretty easy to get too engrossed in the cut and checking on the tree to notice whether or not you're giving it 50% throttle, or 75% or 100% throttle.  

So, my questions are: did I ruin the engine by revving it at mid-range speeds with the chain brake on?  (I definitely didn't open up the throttle.)  Should my saw be full of bar oil to keep the chain lubed, or could I possibly have a jammed oil port or defective oiler?  Will I kill the engine (if I haven't already) if I accidentally run the throttle open under load for a few cuts here and there?

I only cut for 15 minutes before night fell, so I didn't run the saw too long.  I fired it back up about 15 minutes afterward, and it seemed to be running fine.  But I'm concerned that the saw may need vital adjustments in order to prevent catastrophe.  

I think I'm going to drop it off at the shop that I bought it and have them look it over and make any necessary adjustments.  But I'd still love to hear some feedback and criticism from all of you.

[Rocky_J]

It's dull already. Time to learn about filing chains.  8)
Nothing is wrong with the saw.

[JohnG28]

If you could see sparks on the last tree you may very well have hit some metal in the tree.  This would pretty much instantly dull the chain, and you would see the reduced cutting ability you speak of.  Also its not a bad thing to start your saw with the brake on, but continued revving with it on will cause wear on the clutch.

[JHBC]

Hi,
The last posts pretty much covered it.  But you can turn up the oiler a bit, if its not on full already.  I assume you're using a small bar, 16 18, chains that size a cheap. Get a couple of extra chains for standby use, or until your filing is working for you.  And maybe don't rev it too often with the brake on, it'll just wear the band out that much sooner.  

[JohnG28]

Oh, welcome to the forum by the way. ;D

[birch_hill]

Thanks for the quick responses and kind words.  Sounds like I just need to sharpen and tighten the chain, and figure out why it's not oiling properly. 

[Ianab]

First thing to check, that fine sawdust hasn't gummed up the oil hole in the bar. It can happen pretty quick, especially if you end up cutting some part rotten wood that makes really fine dust.

Just take the bar off and check the little hole from the mount into the chain groove and clean it out.

That's the most likely reason anyway.

Ian

[John Mc]

In addition to rotten wood, cutting with a dull chain and/or improperly set rakers (depth gauges) can generate finer particles which are more likely to plug up the oil hole in the bar. Though I'd agree rotten wood is one of the worst culprits for this.