JE piston pin cilps

[moneymanager]

Why bleed? Why torture yourself? Why build special tools?
Why not take the easy path? Use the JE circlip on one side if you want, it's easy to install on the bench, then use a stock circlip on the other. Please, lets hear from all of you who have had a stock circlip fail in service. My motor went together 15k miles ago; so far I believe I am circlip failure free.

[MBruns]

Je designed their pin and clip to work together, if you look at the end of the pin it has a chamfer that the clip partialy sits in, the wire dia. is important so the pin wont beat the clip groove to death, If you notice how tough it is to remove the stock pins from stock pistons you will see the groove has a lip from the pin pounding on it. The Je clips are tougher to install and we have built custom tools like the ones shown and its a breeze, but they can be wound into place and push them home with a dull screwdriver or the like.
Mike Bruns JBRacing.com

[304065]

I used a small screwdriver with an 1/8" tip. You put one in on the bench, that's easy enough if you can hold the piston. Be sure you will have clearance to slide in the pin if you have adjacent cylinders on.

The real trick to the JE clips is using the cutout from the pin boss on the skirt of the piston-- you put the tip of the screwdriver in there and then use the screwdriver as a lever to compress the clip enough so it slips into the retaining groove. To do this, you want the gap in the ring to be about 90 degrees clockwise around the pin boss from where the cutout is.

The first time it takes an hour. The last one takes 25 seconds. Persevere, and don't forget to put Saran Wrap over the open spigots so when (not if) you launch the clip into the atmosphere it doesn't end up in the engine following re-entry. Now that I've told you that, ignore my advice and get your Stahlwille flexible magnet handy!

[JohnJL]

Here's how I made a tool for free (cost 3" off an old metal broom handle) and works every time. Technique demonstrated too...


Making A Piston Clip Tool (Guerilla Method)

[patkeefe]

Gentlemen:
Thank you all. I have been putting the 2.7 together for the better part of the day. I have the last clip to put in yet...took a break to discuss mechanic fundamentals with my daughter who just picked up a nice 64 single cab VW...anyway, I am on my 37th attempt at the last clip. Some went on in two attempts. If this were baseball, I suppose my bating average would be about 0.021. I have also discovered the best way to orient the clips in my tool to get a nice, trackable trajectory when they launch. My fingers hurt. I have probably built maybe 300 engines in my lifetime, worked on F-4E's, and have a degree in engineering, but this is the most difficult task I have ever encountered, outside of the Schroedinger equation. My patience is being tested, and I was always a bit short in that department.

I am however, compiling all suggestions, for when I have to do this again next week on my 3.0.

[CruiseControl]

Below is the tools and method I used to install the JE clips to the JE pistons.
Trust the photos assist with the explanation.

Firstly the tool.. The tool has an inner diameter about 1mm less than the diameter of the piston pin. One end of the tool actually goes into the piston a few mm and stops just before the locating groove for the clip in the piston. This end of the tool has a 2deg tapper (on the outer diameter) and a "view window" to keep an eye on the clip's position.
The other end of the tool has slots to assist with the loading of the clip. The clip is loaded into the back end of the tool and to assist the loading and holding the clip "square" a timber block with the hole, threaded rod, nuts and washer was made up. Refer to photos below. Once the clip is placed square into the back end the tool is flipped over and the clip pushed up the tool to a position just before the viewing slot. Do not push the clip further at this time as the pressure of the clip will expand/distort the fine tappered end with the viewing slot.
Place the tappered end of the tool into the piston with mild hand pressure such that the tool support its self with the outer tapper.

In the photos you will also notice a section of steel rod. This rod is used to tap the clip up the final section of the install tool and into position. With the weight of the tapping rod no further hammer is required. A simple two handed operation, with one hand on opposite side of the piston and the other hand the tapper rod.
Doing the first clips for each piston on the bench gives the practice and feel for installing the second clips with piston/cylinder assembly on the engine.

On the bench the first clip can be installed into all of the pistons. The first clip for each piston should be on the flywheel side of the piston (i.e. pistons for 4, 5, 6 will be opposite side to that of 1, 2, 3). This will provide for all the secondary clips when installing the piston /cylinders to be installed from the pully end of the engine. Install piston/cylinders starting at the flywheel end first that is cyl 3, then cyl 2, then cyl 1. Likewise for the right side cyl 6, then 5, then finally 4.

With the tools made correctly installing the clips to the piston is a breeze, with the hardest part now loading the clip into the back of the tool.

The tools:







Loading the clip into the tool:








Finally installing into the piston:





Paul