Stihl MS 280: repair or replace?

[Rocky_J]

You're far beyond my level of expertise. I've worked on saws for over 25 years and never yet had one with bad seals that was still in good enough shape to be worth fixing. About the only way the seals would go bad would be if the main bearings were so far worn that they allowed the crank to wobble. If it's got that much wear then you either split the case and rebuild it from the bottom up or else go buy a new saw. By the time a saw has that much wear on the motor, everything else is worn out as well and repair costs would exceed the cost of replacement.

I'll throw a new top end and carb on a good saw, but bottom end repairs are almost never financially worthwhile. And vacuum leaks are almost always from the carb or intake area.

[Damocles]

Trust me, I am not beyond your level of expertise - I've been working on saws for a couple days... Maybe I should just bet the new buffers, chain brake, make sure the hoses and manifold are tight and re-seated, put it back together, and see if it works!

[Damocles]

Hey guys, I just thought I would post to say thanks to ALL of the advice and input. Got it back together and the saw runs great! I did end up having someone else do the final carb adjustments because I wasn't getting it right. At the end of the day, and after about 6 hours estimated work, including running to the store for little parts, I probably saved about $60...

[JohnG28]

Good deal, got it running on your own and saved some money too.