Republishing Verslagen’s and Och’s pics here for easy of reference for the future.

Verslagen used a vise and 3 sockets to mash it all together and install the circlip.  This looks precision and safe and captures the shaft and thus captures the 2-piece keeper next to (almost under) the starter gear on the shaft.

Och manhandled it with a pair of vise grips!  This somewhat crude approach is right up my hacker novice alley!  The problem I see with this (and maybe Och can chime in), is that it doesn’t capture the shaft.  The shaft is free to slide back and forth through the cluster-F stack of parts.  The 2-piece keeper is just begging to fall out of its groove and go to never-never land on the garage floor or elsewhere.  Och must have used one hand to hold the shaft in place while he used his other hand to get the circlip installed.  Being somewhat challenged with stuff like this, I would need 3 hands.

I’m gunna try Verslagen’s vise/sockets method, but Och wins my heart and gets honorable mention for the vise grip method!

Dave noted that the outside circlip retainer is 14mm.

A 9/16th is a little too big.  A 1/2” is a little too small.  It was worth a try getting one from my favorite local Ace Hardware.  But no cigar.

I found some online that are sold as 14mm with the actual bore size ID being 13.4mm.  It should fit like a dream.

Mashing the 3 spring washers that are as tough as nails is quite the challenge.  My vise is an el cheapo.  And Och must have really strong hands to get enough clamping force on the vise grips.

I’m going to try really hard to get all 3 spring washers in there.  BUT, what would be the impact or result of only installing 2 spring washers?  Obviously, the setup would be less tight, thus giving the little fiber discs and steel plates (washers) more freedom to move.  But, would this really impact or drastically change the performance of the anti-backlash gear?  I think of a slipping clutch, but this thing is so tightly fitted with 3 spring washers, it almost seems too tight with 3 and toning it down to just 2 spring washers could actually be an improvement.  I’m obviously not an engineer…

Suzuki designed this upgraded contraption (anti-backlash gear) to replace what was a simple gear.  It seems 2 spring washers instead of 3 spring washers just eases up on the design a little.  Again, I’m no engineer.