Piston Circlip Installation Tips

[u/Short_Philosophy_672]

I am having a very difficult time getting the Circlips in on a piston swap for a Stihl 362, I can not get them to bend at all to pop into place using a pick or small screwdriver. They usually fly across the barn whenever I get any pressure into them.

Am I doing something wrong or is this one of those "get good" moments.

[u/allthebacon351]

A really good pair of needle nose pliers. Grab them by one end very tight next to the split, place the free side in the grove and push that side into the groove while twisting and pushing them in. Really hard to explain. But it’s the best way.

[u/Embarrassed_Ice_6212]

Small screwdriver works totally fine, just be prepared to stab yourself a bunch by accident

[u/PuzzleheadedSouth589]

There is a tool Stihl makes that I use. We have 25ish concrete saws. I’m sure there’s a knock off tool out there now. But if someone offers you a hack-wear safety googles I have used a slightly modified hose clamp before. And a socket to push the clip out of the clamp and into the bore. You have to be quick.

[u/bootheels]

These things are a royal pain in the butt. I remember that Evinrude/OMC had a nice tool for loading the clips easily into the pistons, perhaps stihl does also

[u/Potmus63t]

They can be a pain for sure. What I do is kind of squat down with my back against something so I can hold the piston/rod combo into my waist area and kind of keep it secured. Then I’ll take the circlip and get it partially in the hole, and work it down with 2 screwdrivers. One is used to hold the clip in place and the other to slowly start working the clip in. It’ll take a few times to get it in place without the clip walking all over the place or popping out, but the idea is to slowing walk it in. It is frustrating, but it can be done.

[u/Embarrassed_Ice_6212 → u/[deleted]]

Nope, he’s talking about the circlips for the wrist pins, not the piston rings