Originally Posted by
DaveReidUK
While they might possibly exist, I've never encountered a circlip that came with instructions regarding which way round it should face.
Presumably if they do, they would have to feature some unambiguous marking on one face, or have some other asymmetry so that the correct orientation could be guaranteed.
Sounds a tad unlikely to me.
I’ve been rebuilding engines (mainly air cooled motorcycle types) since the early 1970s and have always been aware that the side of a circlip with the sharp edge should be the thrust bearing side. They don’t come with instructions! A good example is those holding gudgeon (wrist) pins in pistons. The last thing you need is a loose clip and the end of the pin scraping the bore. The rounded edge of the circlip can ride up the (square edged) groove and pop out the same way it was incorrectly put in. Wire circlips are different in that they have rounded grooves.