With the advent of cost effective Asian cranks and connecting rods, most any and all new engine builds use an aftermarket H or I beam connecting rods. These rods are bushed on the wrist pin end for performance and durability. This in turn and require a piston that has a floating wrist pin design. What this means is the piston must have some sort or wrist pin retention system. The most commonly “wrist pin retention clip” used today is the “spiral lock”. The spiral lock is a thin clip that is shaped like a spring. The spiral lock is known for its excellent wrist pin retention ability. The problem is: no one can EVER GET THE DARN THINGS OUT!

So here are some pictures and tips on how to deal with spiral locks. In my 22+ years of building engines and installing (read: fighting, swearing, cut thumbs and fingers) spiral locks I have learned a few tricks I will share with you today. First we will talk about installing them. This is easier than removing them but I can still be tricky. To do this properly you MUST have a few tools. 1) Safety glasses 2) a small set of jewelry screwdrivers. You can pick up a set at the dollar store but I STRONGLY recommend getting a quality mini screwdriver from a tool provider. Matco, Snap On, Mac, or even Sears’s sells these and they will set you back $5-$10 a piece. These are not the typical “small” screw drivers that come in standard kits. These are mini screwdrivers for working on watches or clocks. TRUST ME, in the long run you will understand why these tools are a good investment.

The most important thing to remember about removing spiral locks is that it is very critical how you install them. What I mean by this is: how you locate and start the spiral lock will determine where the lock stops. Where the lock stops is the single most important part of removing them at a later date. It may not seem like a big deal now but trust me it will be. First you should gently pull apart the spiral lock so it looks like this.

This will allow you to easily “walk” the lock in to the groove. I always start my leading edge of a spiral lock at one of two places, 8 o’clock or 2 o’clock. I then use the mini screwdriver to push the lock down into the groove and “walk” the lock around the hole until the entire lock is installed.

I then make sure the lock is sitting flat and bottomed out against the inside edge of the lock groove.

Next repeat the same procedure but start on the opposite side of where you started before. Walk the lock around again making sure it is securely locked into place.

MAKE SURE the lock is flush all the way around. Sometimes the lock can be damaged or debris gets into the grove and the lock does not properly engaged. THIS WILL LEAD TO ENGINE FAILURE. It is very important to check all locks once they have been installed and once again a final time when the engine is being assembled. Here is a picture of a lock improperly installed.

Now comes the hard part: taking them out. The thing is, if you have installed then like I have told you to, taking them out will be easy. First: to remove the spiral locks you must use TWO mini screwdrivers. This is the “secret” to getting them out. You take the first screwdriver to raise the tip of the lock up from the groove.

You then take the second screwdriver and lift outwardly on the raised tip and TA DA, the lock comes out. This may seem simple but if you have ever fought with these for hours (yes hours) you will soon appreciate this technique. The reason why this works so well is the tip of the lock being at 3 or 9 o’clock. This proper placement of the locks during installation allows you to have your screwdriver in a very flexible position.

Here is what happens when you don’t have the tips @ 3&9. If you just wind the lock into place and it stops at lets say 12, here is what happens. Your ability to tip the screwdriver back to lift the tip out of the groove is limited by the piston.

Where as, if you have the locks at 3 & 9 you can tip the screw driver back further, making it easier to lift up with second screwdriver.

I hope this little tutorial helps you when you ever have to remove or install a set of “THE DREADED SPIRAL LOCKS” (dramatic music for effect) It is really not that big of a deal as long as you have the proper tools, a little practice AND that you initially install them and locate the locks for easy removal.