alf and david... thank you guys for the tip and clarification. the pliers came today... now waiting on the axle nut and will need to file down the sides to fit.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087C ... UTF8&psc=1

puffinjk wrote:All very good info here, One word of caution about removing the piston, I have broken loose the top threads of the piston rod and had it unthread and come out spring loaded so pay attention and make sure the piston is turning and not the rod. The upper threads are supposed to have thread locker on them, Well they do now anyway. Be safe Jim

If the rod was turning instead of the piston, would it be visible from the top of the group?
It is this concern that has me planning to remove the assembly from the top. But, as noted by @def and @belegnole, bottom up approach is certainly simpler.
I don't want that 11 bar spring violently decompressing on me though!

yea i'd like to know that too if the rod turns if it would be visible as well.

There seems to be a few variants of the group that we have. So far mine matches up with what I have found online in the parts diagrams. I would suggest that you check a few such as this one and if all looks good you can use it for reference. As you can see on the diagram the rod is pinned at the top and threaded on the bottom. This is how my machine is; you should verify that yours is the same.

So while one could snap the pin I suppose, I don't believe that it is that much of a risk. The most that could happen that I can see on mine would be if the nut and washer ended up turning as well as the piston. If that were to happen the nut shouldn't come off the rod unless you take it off on purpose. By then the tension should be released from the springs and you could just slide them off. Because I was also worried about the springs, I just put a little mark on the washer and didn't notice any movement.

Thanks belegnole!
You are talking about part 42 marked in the diagram?

42 is the pin I was talking about. You can see it in the picture below. It also appears that my machine is much dustier than I believed.

Is this the pin you are referring to? I think it's the pin #42 in diagram.

If so, then as long as it's in place and pin doesn't get bent from twisting, then should be easy to service from underneath?

That's the hole where the pin #42 goes. If you have it, then you shouldn't have to worry about the top coming unscrewed like puffinjk had happen.

Thanks belegnole.
Picked up this pliers at harbor freight for under $5 after tax and 20% off coupon. Tested it out and the width of the opening matches.

Will try it later tonight when machine cools off to see if the pliers is strong enough or not.

EDIT: need to search for a new plier. this one doesn't work well and ends up slipping when pressure is applied. my guess is the tip that goes into the clip is too thin.

I had the same problem. The Izzo circlip is beefy enough for a truck axle. None of my regular snap ring plyers would do the job. Not wanting to venture out I made my own from a cheap pair of needle nose plyers. It did require heating, bending and buffing but worked like a charm.