How to remove this c-clip?

[Mike S.]

I'm taking my power steering pump apart to replace the leaky o-rings and seals. I'm stuck trying to remove this c-clip. I have an assortment of small flat head screwdrivers and picks, but I can seem to get anything under or behind it to pry it off.

Is there a special tool to spread the ends apart?

 

[PT Doc]

Have you tried something like this?

Channellock 8 in. Retaining Snap Ring Pliers 927 - The Home Depot

Acquire the Channellock 8 in. Retaining Ring Pliers 927, with spring-activated latch for easy storage includes 5 interchangeable tips and converts quickly for use with either external or internal rings

www.homedepot.com

There are made for c clips with ears but if the tips fit in the gap, this should work. Good luck!

 

[zendriver]

Sorry

 

[Fedwrench]

Wilde 9" Right Angle Tip Lock Ring Pliers

Wilde 9" Right Angle Tip Lock Ring Pliers

www.harryepstein.com

Lock ring pliers

 

[Snip's]

I had a similar clip I had to deal with on my Delta motor refurb...
This lock ring was massive (.100" thick) and required a tool that was strong enough not to flex...
My ring was so strong it left a deep furrow in the steel shaft when it was originally assembled by Delta...


Fought the battle with this Ebay pair and won...

 

[Mike S.]

I haven't tried any pliers yet. Thanks for the ideas. It gives me something to search for that might work.

It's a stiff little *******. I can't even get it started. As soon as I try to put any force on it, either the tool slips or the c-clip spins on the shaft.

 

[four.cycle]

^ What Fedwrench and Snip's said.
Cheapest pair on ebay (used) is $12 bucks. May as well buy new.

 

[Steve_P]

X4 on the lock ring pliers. You'll most likely have a lot of frustration without them. You may be able to get in with a pair of snap ring pliers, but be prepared to break the tips off and have them fly away.

 

[FigN⋅m]

Wilde 9" Right Angle Tip Lock Ring Pliers

Wilde 9" Right Angle Tip Lock Ring Pliers

www.harryepstein.com

Lock ring pliers

Yup!
I have the Proto branded version and they work really well.
I did of course want the Knipex ones, but forgot to look for used

 

[Beerhippie]

Shoot, I've always gotten those off with a combination of pliers, screwdrivers, blood and cussing. Getting them back on was never a problem, as they immediately vanished into the ether.

 

[Motown]

I've used a tiny pick.

 

[RTM]

I think the correct tool would be a horseshoe clip pliers, see mine here

Snap Ring, C-Clip, No Holes? Tool Identification Help to Remove

I'm trying to remove this metal ring (red arrow). It's keeping the piece of metal (blue arrow) in. There is a "+" shaped slot. The piece of metal that is rectangular in shape with shoulders sits in one of the "-" slots within the "+" slot. The metal ring (red arrow) goes around a slot cut into...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[The Cobbler]

screwdrivers, small prybars , an extra set of hands, a broom, magnet & a bunch of people looking for it when it flies across the room and you didn't see it land.



on a more serious note... patience and an extra set of hands will help a lot . once you get it opened try to pry it up on the shaft & work it off .

 

[Beerhippie]

screwdrivers, small prybars , an extra set of hands, a broom, magnet & a bunch of people looking for it when it flies across the room and you didn't see it land.



on a more serious note... patience and an extra set of hands will help a lot . once you get it opened try to pry it up on the shaft & work it off .

A perfectly seamless and sealed room with no furniture except for the vise holding the work piece and working naked to eliminate any chance of the ring getting stuck in one's clothes, will increase the chances of finding the clip by about 50%. Of course, a fifty-percent increase of nothing is still nothing.

 

[Pexto]

Shoot, I've always gotten those off with a combination of pliers, screwdrivers, blood and cussing. Getting them back on was never a problem, as they immediately vanished into the ether.

The best helpful tip I know is to do the disassembly in a plastic bag. I always remember this too late; right after I hear a loud "PTING!" as the snapring escapes my pliers, followed by a brief moment of absolute silence as the snapring flies invisibly through the air (while I listen intently in the vain, vain hope that I might detect the landing spot) , and finally a much softer "pting" as it lands somewhere in a deep, dark corner and rolls quietly under an immovable object, never to be seen again.

 

[RTM]

Today it was a ball point pen type spring that escaped. Four hits before it rolled under a workbench. Hit to my right, came back to directly in front of me, saw it hit the lamp I was working under. Another ping off to my right, then a quiet ping as it hit my workbench, and then began its roll under the neighbor. And of course the Makita 18v flashlight was dead. Will look for it tomorrow.

 

[seber]

Of course there is a proper pliers type tool. There is a proper tool for everything. But if you buy the right tool for every job, your toolbox will eventually crowd you out of the shop. This is one of those once in a lifetime jobs. Two large screwdrivers pushing against each other will open the ring. A third hand from your wife can then pry it out of the groove. You only need to get it started and then work it around.

 

[KnurledNut]

https://www.knipex.com/products/cir...ng-ring-pliers-retaining-rings-shafts/4521200

 

[four.cycle]

Of course there is a proper pliers type tool.

There is.
My question is:
Is there a reason I would need both a "straight tip" and an "angle tip" version? Apparently they are manufactured in two flavors:
straight tip
angle tip
whoops... make that three flavors:
curved tip

When I was selling these, we only had one model - Indestro 2132, which had the "angle tip" jaws.
So... again, my question is: would the angle tip jaw model not suit my purposes for most things?
I never knew "straight" or "curved" even existed until this thread came up yesterday.

This is one of those once in a lifetime jobs.

Correct, but last time I encountered one of these I almost snapped off my right thumbnail.
I think I'd rather blow $25 bucks on a tool I might never use than experience that again.

 

[Beerhippie]

Of course there is a proper pliers type tool. There is a proper tool for everything. But if you buy the right tool for every job, your toolbox will eventually crowd you out of the shop. This is one of those once in a lifetime jobs. Two large screwdrivers pushing against each other will open the ring. A third hand from your wife can then pry it out of the groove. You only need to get it started and then work it around.

That I seem to run into about once a year. Almost enough use to justify trying to find the pliers type tool when I next need it, but have completely forgotten where I put it so it would be easy to find the next time....

This is a perfect sort of tool for a "tool library".