Hey fellas,

My father passed a few years back and left me many tools inlcluding his Stihl chainsaw. If I were to guess, it is probably 6 or 7 years old and I am not certain of the model. I know it was in the $300-$400 dollar range and I'm thinking it is a MS-290 or 310. I'm not certian of the model # because the chainsaw is not in my posession. It happens to be at my mothers house a state away and until now I have had no need to use it.

She recently let a neighbor borrow it and he was having difficulty with it (It was fine the last time my father used it). According to the neighbor, he could not get the chain to move when he gassed it. He told her that there was sufficient bar and chain lube in the resevoir. He also told my mother that he could get the engine sproket gear to move when the bar and chain were removed from the saw. So, I would guess that the bar or the sprocket teeth on the bar are damaged. This would be an easy fix. I am thinking he may not have known about pulling the handguard back to engage the chain but then I think about the engine sprocket moving when the bar and chain were removed from the saw. Could the chain be catching on something? Could he have tightened the chain too much? Sounds like an easy fix and really don't think this guy had a lot of experience with the saw.

Any ideas would help. I am picking the saw up this coming weekend and wonder if I should start thinking about taking it to the local Stihl dealer or if any of you guys knew what may be causing the issue. I know if could be hundred things but any help or suggestions would be appreciated when I go to work on this thing.

I am proud of the Stihl though. Since I can remember my father always bought Stihl chainsaws and I believe he went through 4 or 5 in his lifetime. I am confident in my ability to use it, as he taught me well starting when I was real young. Thanks for the help guys.

Kyle