AAAAARGH! I hate wire piston circlips!!!

[MarJay]

OK, here's the situation:

I'm rebuilding my 350 powervalve. Old pistons are now sitting on my bookcase looking pretty. I've put the new piston rings on the new pistons with an amusing claw shaped tool that I bought. I've covered the whole shebang in castrol TTS. I soaked the small ends in TTS for a while, and then put 'em in the con rods. I put the inner side circlips in each piston, and eased in a freshly 2t oiled gudgeon pin (it seems more modern to call it a wrist pin, but that doesn't sound as good as a gudgeon pin!).

Ok, so how in the name of f*%K do I get the wire circlips in the outsides of the pistons?

I've done the top end before on an RGV250 and I recall that the circlips went in easily. I can't remember if they were flat circlips with little holes in the end or not, but I recall that it was pretty easy.

These RD wire ones are a total f%£king nightmare! They are way to large to fit in place without compressing them right down, and every time I try that the flipping things ping off somewhere. Once I thought I had lost one of them (inconvenient as I only have four new ones) and once I dropped it into the crankcase (now I've got a plastic bag covering the crankcase opening - lucky I have a magnetic grabby widget!)

How in the hey-ull are you supposed to fit 'em? Is there a prescribed technique for doing it? Or is it just a case of swearing, cursing and having a magnetic grabber to hand?
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Ant132]

Are they the e-shaped ones? I just put the open end in the groove and use a pair of long-nose pliers to pull the bend of the 'e' and pull it down until it slips in.
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1980 Suzuki TS50 ~ 1984 Honda CB400N ~ 1992 Triumph Trident ~ 1998 Suzuki Bandit 1200

[stinkwheel]

They just a circle of spring steel, like this?
https://www.mfgsupply.com/img/snowmobile/engine/tn/cwclips.jpg

If so, I usually hook oner end in the groove, grip the other end in some needle-nose pliers and kind of twist it in, pushing the edge into the hole in the piston as I go (a bit like pressing the bead on a tyre down).

EDIT:
Google images to the rescue! Like this, notice where his thumbnail is going white from pressing it in, that's the bit people miss out:
https://www.crrcpro.com/image/gf40i/Manual/11.jpg

EDIT#2: If it is too hard, they might have sent you the wrong size, I don't usually have any trouble fitting them.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Ant132]

Aha, never had them like that before
https://www.mfgsupply.com/img/snowmobile/engine/tn/cwclips.jpg

Always had them in an actual 'e' shape. Same as the second pic
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1980 Suzuki TS50 ~ 1984 Honda CB400N ~ 1992 Triumph Trident ~ 1998 Suzuki Bandit 1200

[MarJay]

Well, they came with the pistons sealed in the boxes. They do fit as I have fitted the left one on the right piston and vice versa. I did have to kind of fit them sideways and then use the gudgeon pin to turn them the right way round to fit into the groove.

The problem I've got is that with the gudgeon pins fitted and the engine still in the bike its really fiddly to get the clips in the right place!
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Kickstart]

Hi

What I normally do is put one end in and then use a small screw driver to work round pushing more and more in. Having had circlips pop out before (although that was the type with tails) I am not inclined to bend them more than I have to when getting them in place.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[salty21]

[stinkwheel]

[MarJay]

[Vincent]

Yup, stick the open end in the groove then use yer finger or a pair of pliers to push it in starting from the open end. Make sure you position the clips correctly once in the groove, I've seen a few pop out before

I all ways find myself singing this song for some reason when replacing piston circlips:-

https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VTi2hbUlq1Q

[Blau Zedong]

+1 for most of the above. I use YPVS pistons in my bikes so I know how fiddly the clips are. I would sugest once they are in using an old gudgeon pin to push on them, make sure they are fully seated.
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18:54:59 Rob Fzs: unless its their clothes/ hair/ golden teeth

[stevo as b4]

Id fit them dry and make sure that there is no oil on the clips or in the piston circlip locating grooves. you don't need to oil anything other than the small end bearing race, until your ready to slide the barrels/ cylinder block on.

Just out of interest does the YPVS have separate barrel's or a one peice set set up, as i can't remember?

[Vincent]

[MarJay]

[hmmmnz]

i hate those buggers as well,
i normally just go to my local helpful man and get a few proper circlips,
mucho easiness
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the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[Lone-Wolf]

[MarJay]

Thats funny Lonewolf, I was going to christen them "Bastard circlips" because when you lose one as it pings off you shout "Bastard!"
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[lukamon]

for fuck sake make sure you position them properly, on my ped the clip popped out - took two hours and a lump hammer to get the piston out of the bore, and needed a rebore and new piston

agree with bastardclips - once lost one of the kmx, put another in, rotated the crank a few times, then noticed the clip sitting on the crankshaft, held on by the coating of oil

edit - found a pic

https://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1/lukamon/DSCI0017.jpg
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killa wrote: Im an ass man myself

[Robby]

You may have heard me and Keith refer to them as oh shit clips.

Oh shit being the noise you make when they ping off into the darkest corner of your garage, or your eye.

No need for lots of 2 stroke oil, when you get down to fitting the oh shit clips you can generally lubricate the engine with blood and swearing.

[ZRX61]

Piece of piss when you have the correct tool

[MarJay]

[Ariel Badger]

Stuff the case with rag so when one pings off it does not ener the engine. I find that cocking them so one end is in the groove and then putting your thumb over it helps locate it ready for a push with the screwdriver. Of course if you slip the screwdriver goes into your thumb
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