The PROPER way to install a circlip or snap-ring

[usernameless]

I have been working on cars and other things my entire life. About 3 years ago while researching Harrison A/C compressor rebuilding, I came across a professional who presented this in one of his videos.

Look closely at your snap-ring or circlip. Don't trust your eyes alone, feel it too. Notice how one side has a sharp 90 degree edge and the other side has a smooth edge..?  That's what you need to pay attention to. 

Your snap-ring pliers are to be inserted on the smooth side and the sharp edged side goes to the part you are installing it on.

That's it! The only proper way to install a snap-ring.

I can't tell you how many times I might have installed one backwards, but I am sure it's more than a few.

In a joking fashion, I will ask other technicians if they installed the C-Clip in the right direction and they giggle, thinking it's a shop joke. Then I tell them about it and they are surprised that they too have never heard of this, regardless of how many years experience they hold.

The difference between an error and a mistake is whether we choose to learn from it or not.

This goes to show that one should not assume anything, no matter how simple a process might appear. You just might be wrong about it. For example: How do YOU peel a banana? How do monkeys peel bananas?  Look it up and learn why they do it their way.  This is the lesson that allowed me to shelve my own EGO and reassess everything I thought I was doing right and research the most simple of things we take for granted.  I have been peeling bananas the hard way for 35 years of my life. I was unaware of the snap-ring for 42 years of my life.  I love discovering my errors and I aim to correct them simply because I take pride in what I do.

"I know what I know and I know what I don't know. Most importantly, I know the difference between the two."

[190mech]

Yeah,that was in the old 70's Datsun manuals,clearly illustrated also..

[90GTVert]

Huh. Didn't know that. The only ones that I've paid much attention to in regards to flipping over are the big ones in some turbos that have ears sticking up. Kinda hard to get those wrong.

Thanks for the info.

[usernameless]

This holds true for C-Clips, D-Clips, E-Clips, G-Clips, Circlips, Snap-Rings, etc....

From the tiny E-Clips used in micro mecha-tronic devices to the G-Clips on the U-Joint of a driveshaft, this is everywhere. I consider this to be basic information that should be taught in the Auto Mechanics 101 courses, but it is not.

Just as the US Interstate and Highway system has a reason for the numbering convention, most of us are not taught this in High School or any other school for that matter, and it should be.

Interstates with ODD numbers are North and South bound.
Interstates with EVEN numbers are East and West bound.
Interstates with 3 numbers are Business Loops around a metropolitan area.

The Lowest ODD numbers start in the WEST and increase as you go EAST.
The lowest EVEN numbers start in the SOUTH and increase as you go NORTH.

This was not presented to me in Driver's Education, not in any public school system, nowhere was it presented at the best opportunities where it should have been. Just another example of elementary knowledge passing me by and I know I am not the only one this has happened to. I seriously question our public school systems. Don't get me started on the Common Core Mathematics. The forum doesn't have enough room to hold my rant.

[jackrides]

Sensible rants are cool here. Especially now that we all have time to read.

[90GTVert]

I asked my father (72, mechanic for a lot of his life and even did dyno-tuning and racing for a bit before I was born or was really young) about circlips and snap rings. He said yeah, he knew they had a proper installation orientation. I asked how, because sometimes he'll say yes and then if I ask he'll say he doesn't know. lol He told me just what you said. It's times like these that I wish he taught me how to wrench. He was the opposite. He wanted to work on everything when I was young because he could do it better than I could and he worked on cars all day so the last thing he wanted to do was spend 3x as long to fix something because he's showing me what to do. Plus the yelling as he got frustrated if I didn't do something quite right. I had to wait till I was old enough to own my own stuff and then learn on my own and just bugged him to bail me out when I got in trouble. Now I fix most things for him, but I probably could have picked up a lot of stuff way earlier and little things like the clips.

[aeroxbud]

I only found out about this a couple of years ago. Still learning. 😁

[Zino]

Wow
Thanks for the info I never had that taught to me in any school .
About Clips or interstates.

[FrankenMech]

That damn stamping burr. It causes a stress riser and can ruin your day. Washers even have a stamping burr that can destroy the bolt or substrate material. Parts of all kinds have a radius or sharp corners for a reason. We learned things like that in Engineering classes. Machinists are also taught to select the right tooling and methods when making parts. Engineers and draftsmen can also screw up a design, so a machinist or manufacturer has to ask questions or they can mess it up. Pay attention! THIMK!

We have examples all around us and through history of how a simple design feature or mistake can be disastrous.

My driver's education teacher did teach the interstate numbering system. Many states and local areas have 'secret' ordering systems for roads, streets, and addresses, but as fast as you learn them you will find the exceptions... -Usually caused by some damn politician.

[usernameless]

If I could finish my time machine project and go back to do it all over again with the knowledge I have now....

First, I would go further back in time and make it a point to hang out with Nikola Tesla for some time.

Then... I would aim to be an engineer of some sort. Both mechanical and electrical are fascinating to me, it's likely I would aim to be both.

Or.... Become a field tester for La-Z-Boy and Eagle Claw.

[caduceus]

A picture is worth a thousand words, or at least a hunnert.  How 'bout a picture?