Pelican Parts Forums - re-use JE wrist circlips

Hi everyone,

Thought I’d share a couple of notes from my experience installing the JE Circlips a couple of months ago.

I too, struggled with the Stomski tool for the first couple of tries for second circlip. When I used the tool to install the first clip for initial engine assembly for piston valve clearance, things are easy peasy. Piston on the bench, and you have no clearance issues between pin chamfer and piston bore.

When I was to the point of installing second clip With engine assembled, I was frustrated with the amount of clearance between the wrist pin and the piston. I seems like the gap you travel thru on your way to the groove is only a tiny bit larger Than the circlip itself. I actually was thinking my wrist pins were too long. As it turned out, everything was to spec. They just don’t want that wrist pin moving axially after install much.

When I couldn’t get the first clip to sit correctly, I did remove it from the bore in the piston, and the diameter was definitely affected by the Stomski tool. I called Steve and asked him about it. He said he hadn’t ever heard that feedback. He is such a nice guy to talk to, and incredibly helpful. And of course his tools are spectacular. I wish I had thought of the thumb trick instead of using a notched screwdriver. At the time I was not hugely concerned. I think my deformation was minor, and I compared the starting gap of a slightly deformed circlip, vs the gap after the circlip is in the groove. They are substantially different. I don’t see any scenario where the small amount of deformation will allow the clip to come out of the assembly. There is still a tremendous amount of spring force acting radially toward the groove.

I got the sense that the JE clips were so stiff, they were deforming the barrel in the Stomski tool a bit.

I called JE to ask a technician about the proper process to install the circlips. I figured surely they must have a documented procedure somewhere. The guy I talked to told me that everyone installs them with their fingers. We then got in to a long conversation where we were not communicating effectively. Turns out his experience was with a smaller wire diameter circlip, not the ones with my pistons. End of the day, they don’t have a published procedure for installation of the thicker clips. We ended with, “whatever you have to do to get it installed”.

My procedure ended up being, get the circlip successfully in the piston pin bore with the Stomski tool, then use a blunt tip small punch to push the clip thru the small gap, and into the groove.

With magnifying glass and good cell phone camera, I convinced myself that I had successfully installed one circlip, and it was nicely in the groove all the way around. When I got to the second clip, I could see that the gap was slightly smaller than my “reference clip”, and started to look for a way to measure the gap. I found that the tip of a standard large craftsman blade screwdriver would just barely fit in the gap of my reference clip. Couldn’t move the blade at all from what I could tell, but it was definitely in the gap. I went to the clip I wasn’t sure about, and it wasn’t even close. I clearly wasn’t in the groove all of the way around yet. Kept working with a small blunt punch and other small screwdriver to get the circlip to seat. No nice audible “click”, but my go / no go of the screwdriver blade passed.

I inspected every circlip with magnifying glass, and my “gauge”, due to reading of horror stories on the forum.

I have some cell phone pics, but nothing hugely helpful. Wish I would have documented which screwdriver I was using as a gauge. I think it would be Great for JE to develop something similar. A good way to measure the gap to know circlip is in the groove. I don’t know the tolerances on the initial wire length prior to forming, but I would imagine it’s reasonably good. Would love to see the machine that makes them.

All of this is just my personal opinions and experiences. I am a first time engine builder, and don’t suggest people take anything I say as gospel. The forum is great.

Mark