Well i picked up a stihl ms290 in very good condition for $125, it had a cracked piston.
I was nervous to pay so much for a busted motor, but am mechanically inclined so I decided to do the china build.
I put a piston and cylinder from Russo (ebay) in it. So far so good. I will attach a photo of the new cylinder and piston.
for the price of Stihl replacement parts I was going to be looking at more investment than a new saw costs. In this case I was able to get this thing completely rebuilt and up and running for $170ish, completely worth it to me.
I see many people on this forum shun the china kits, and i also see many who just don't even recommend them. I would like to ask how many have experience putting these kits in? I've used them on several different engines and builds and while they may not be the best for a race application, i think on these small 2 strokes they are a great alternative at a fraction of the cost!
I also want to mention that my previous thread was closed due to accusations that i was selling these parts. While i have permission to start this new one, I want to be clear, just because i give positive feedback on something that has worked for me, does not mean that I am advertising a part that I am selling. I have no affiliation with ebay seller or Russo, who i purchased this from. I simply wanted to give some feedback on these setups. If you want to accuse me, just don't.
When you're talking about a Farmboss that can be brought back to life for less than $40, I believe these are worth it and after sawing for a few weeks now, the thing is holding up great. I have adjusted the high setting one time as well as the idle and it seems to carry plenty of power and chews through logs like a normal 290. I have not tried to original 20" bar, but with the 18" and aggressive chain it'll eat.
![[Hearth.com] MS290 Farm boss new aftermarket cylinder](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/169/169369-2d3e9fe49edb5999ea9b6dae872b72b3.jpg?hash=QEry7mSy4g "[Hearth.com] MS290 Farm boss new aftermarket cylinder")
I was nervous to pay so much for a busted motor, but am mechanically inclined so I decided to do the china build.
I put a piston and cylinder from Russo (ebay) in it. So far so good. I will attach a photo of the new cylinder and piston.
for the price of Stihl replacement parts I was going to be looking at more investment than a new saw costs. In this case I was able to get this thing completely rebuilt and up and running for $170ish, completely worth it to me.
I see many people on this forum shun the china kits, and i also see many who just don't even recommend them. I would like to ask how many have experience putting these kits in? I've used them on several different engines and builds and while they may not be the best for a race application, i think on these small 2 strokes they are a great alternative at a fraction of the cost!
I also want to mention that my previous thread was closed due to accusations that i was selling these parts. While i have permission to start this new one, I want to be clear, just because i give positive feedback on something that has worked for me, does not mean that I am advertising a part that I am selling. I have no affiliation with ebay seller or Russo, who i purchased this from. I simply wanted to give some feedback on these setups. If you want to accuse me, just don't.
When you're talking about a Farmboss that can be brought back to life for less than $40, I believe these are worth it and after sawing for a few weeks now, the thing is holding up great. I have adjusted the high setting one time as well as the idle and it seems to carry plenty of power and chews through logs like a normal 290. I have not tried to original 20" bar, but with the 18" and aggressive chain it'll eat.
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