1999 SOHC 2.5L from Forester:

 

D***-it!!!!!!!

Decided not to bore cylinders - just put it back together and put in new head gasket and try to get another couple of years out of it. So I got the wrist pin back in and then looked through just before I put the circlip back on the outside groove..... WTF??? Where is the other circlip??? Pulled the piston back out -- not there!

 

Can not find it -- Do not know if it popped out while I was tapping on the other side of the wrist pin and fell down in the engine or popped out while the piston was out of the engine. I now have the oil pan off and the windage tray out and can clearly see the big end of the connecting rods....still can not find the circlip. Looked around on the floor of the garage...nowhere to be found. I am going to get a 14mm Allan wrench today at lunch so I can get the other covers off but: Anybody got any ideas???

 

If I search thoroughly and can not find it, where can I buy these things by themselves??? Already checked with the local dealer: they have never sold them to anyone, do not have them in stock.

 

Rooster2: You were right. One thing leads to another, to another, to another...................

Try contacting some piston manufacturers. just a guess but bet this part is used in multiple different engines.

1999 SOHC 2.5L from Forester:

 

D***-it!!!!!!!

Decided not to bore cylinders - just put it back together and put in new head gasket and try to get another couple of years out of it. So I got the wrist pin back in and then looked through just before I put the circlip back on the outside groove..... WTF??? Where is the other circlip??? Pulled the piston back out -- not there!

 

Can not find it -- Do not know if it popped out while I was tapping on the other side of the wrist pin and fell down in the engine or popped out while the piston was out of the engine. I now have the oil pan off and the windage tray out and can clearly see the big end of the connecting rods....still can not find the circlip. Looked around on the floor of the garage...nowhere to be found. I am going to get a 14mm Allan wrench today at lunch so I can get the other covers off but: Anybody got any ideas???

 

If I search thoroughly and can not find it, where can I buy these things by themselves??? Already checked with the local dealer: they have never sold them to anyone, do not have them in stock.

 

Rooster2: You were right. One thing leads to another, to another, to another...................

 

If you can not find one let me know. I have extra's.

Qman thanks for the offer I am going to drive across town after work and show them what I want and see if the dealer can find them on the shelf. Will let you know I may need to take you up on it.

 

I did find the lost clip though. It was as I suspected. Popped out of the piston when I was tapping the wrist pin in. Fell through hole between cylinders and semi lodged in the opposite inspection hole. When I took the cover off of the front of the engine (I had the rear, driver side piston out) there was the lost clip poised to do maximum engine damage as soon as I started it.

 

Given that it came out so easily I think I better go ahead and replace both of them on this piston. Engine has 165k on it and these appear to be original.

Dealer here does not stock the wrist pin clips but they can order them for me at $2 each and it will take several days plus drive 20 miles across town again to get them.

 

But, I have inspected the clips carefully with magnification and I think they are ok. I believe that I must have unseated the clip while I was looking at the piston outside the engine or there was some kind of trash in the grove that caused it not to seat well. I cleaned it all and checked while tapping on the wrist pin outside the engine and it was holding fine. So put it in the engine with the old clips and everything is fine the second time.

 

Qman thanks for your generous offer but not necessary.

Glad it worked out.