Having a terrible time with cir-clips

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maguffinstuff
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Having a terrible time with cir-clips

Post by maguffinstuff »

So I'm trying to install a new piston on my Spree. This is the first time I've done this. Everything was going smoothly until it came time to put the wrist pin cir-clips on. For the life of me, I can't get even one clip in. The clips are new ones that came with the cylinder kit. Even trying to put one of the clips on while holding the piston in my hand I'm not even close. Friends have tried to help and failed. I've tried needle nose pliers, I've tried flat head screwdrivers, I've tried using wood shims. I've watched videos of people putting these clips in and they make it look easy. Now this whole Spree restore project is stopped dead because of two little cir-clips that I find seemingly impossible to install.

Does anyone have any advice on this subject? I've tried everything that I've been able to find on Google and I'm not sure where else to turn.

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Wheelman-111
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Re: Having a terrible time with cir-clips

Post by Wheelman-111 »

Greetings:

It's a "Flick O' the Wrist" type of thing.
1. Watch as many videos of piston installation as you can find. Slow-mo the movement if you can.
2. Stuff the crankcase with a clean shop rag and make sure the clip won't fly away and be magnetically drawn to the floor drain under the water heater.
3. Ditch the hardware-store Bargain Bin needle-nose pliers. Find a set of high quality, and reserve their use for high-precision jobs like this.
4. Install the first clip into the piston on the side you won't be working from when you slide the cylinder on. This will give you a bit of practice. Holding the clip with the END of the pliers, near the end of one "leg", you insert the other "leg" into the groove, compress just enough to slide the tip of the plier into the wrist pin tunnel and move that end into position to snap into the groove.
5. DO NOT bend the clip past the point of elastic recoil. This is very easy to do, and REPLACE the clip if it looks different -Smaller - from the unmolested one.
6. Once installed, make sure you spin the clip in its groove with a small instrument. This ensures it's fully seated all the way around AND you want the gap in the clip to be oriented VERTICALLY - like a "U". I have had clips come loose when the gap is in the "Horizontal" -like a "C" - position. It may by just my Superstition, but if you think of the piston slamming to a stop 200 times a second, you can imagine the clip bending at the apex and eventually popping a leg out.
Good luck with the installation!
Wheelman-111
Most of my money is spent on scooterparts. The rest is just wasted.
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