Wire circlip help

[red ghost]

Getting them in isn't really the problem, I'm more (or was,fitted now) concerned about where the 'ends' end up, theory suggests have the ends facing up, towards TDC, but contacted a reputable dealer who, let's say makes his own pistons with two 'cut-outs', and he fits them 'where ever they land' but I'm right in the way to have a 'tail' in the cut out to aid removal.

So there we have it I guess..

Thanks for the input guys..

[Supereibar]

So my Suzuki piston is shait then?

[tony]

if you have trhe tails on them then keep an eye on them as the pin can wear into them and the end come off wrecking the barrel. Seen this many times.. in fact my polini/rotax piston in the falc comes with 'talied' circlips.. I snip the tails off straight away or replace them. Charlie does the same of course.

[GP240]

as above,

the ears of the circlip (the extra bent bit) eventually break away and end up scraping the side of the piston/bore.

Mine went into the transfer port, piston on its downward stroke caught it and knocked the lower ring into the upper ring.

New asso for the TS1 and circlips have the fecking ears on, why? I wont be using em cost me too much last time .........

[Supereibar]

if you have trhe tails on them then keep an eye on them as the pin can wear into them and the end come off wrecking the barrel. Seen this many times.. in fact my polini/rotax piston in the falc comes with 'talied' circlips.. I snip the tails off straight away or replace them. Charlie does the same of course.

Where can I get propper circlips and how do I know its the correct one for my piston?

[goldeneye]

used these circlips with the "tang" on them for years, in various motors, put in correct, an drop of locktite 641 retaining compound, and never had one come out, or a tang snap off. would take something major for a tang to snap off. or maybes its been stressed when fitting? you can see, and feel the 641 has done its job when pulling one out. might seem a bit belt and braces, but for 30 seconds and 10p worth of gear, why not? if you cant fit a circlip to a piston correctly, you should let grown ups build the rest of your engine for you really.

[tony]

As i dont have any damaged ones to show you I searched on the net.. here you go.. i've arrowed the damage that happens to this type of circlip. Eventually if left, the tag snaps away and can wreck the motor. I've seen it.. dozens and dozens of times.

[GP240]

Nice one Tony,

Think I'll need an Adult to have a look at mine.

[goldeneye]

i"m just away to the garage to pull my circlips out of three engines, you"ve got me shiiting myself, and no doubt other people as well. what next? the wrong shade of black on me tyres? been used for years man, they dont go wrong if put in right. i"ll continue to use them, just done another 400 miles on my 10,000 this year, this week. ive never heard of the tangs coming off a circlip, and ive never heard any engine builder use that excuse, a badly fitted one coming out, or a stressed part failing, yes. but ive had 100"s of scooter engines apart (it was my job at one time) and a circlip snapping NEVER ever was a cause of an engine failure. i also worked for a piston manufacturer for ten years , and never ever heard of a circlip snapping, just didnt happen. they must be some cack handed people fitting them , thats all i can think. good excuse though, i"ll put it in the book. NO.567 "the circlip snapped in half mate..."appens all the time, read it "ont forum, little buggers are like kamikazes, jumping hither and thither, thats 400 pund mate......."

[tony]

I think you need to look at the picture. Look how the pin has worn into the tab. Its quite clear what is happening there..I guess its all down to how the gudgeon pin rests on the circlip. If the gudgeon pin has a large chamfer (like the one in the pic) then this can happen.
I am not lying to you. Why would I? I am telling you what I have witnessed in over 20 yrs of racing, working on high end motors as well as road stuff (when I was employed at Kegra).I used to use those circlips.. but not any more. But if you have never had a problem. Then great. It works for you.