Four 9-inch retaining ring pliers with 0.090 in. tips, long enough to reach the snap rings down inside automatic transmission drums and cases.
Short snap ring pliers run out of reach the moment a retaining ring sits at the bottom of a deep bore, and a ring that slips off a worn tip halfway out tends to vanish across the shop. TEKTON PRR91007 is a four-piece set of 9-inch retaining ring pliers with 0.090 in. tips, stored in a roll: straight internal, 90-degree internal, straight external and 90-degree external. It is the long, heavy-tip end of the plier range, sized for the larger holed rings you meet on a transmission bench, an axle or a transfer case.
Internal pliers close the tips to squeeze a ring that sits in a groove inside a bore, such as a servo cover or accumulator retaining ring. External pliers open the tips to spread a ring that sits on a shaft, such as an output shaft or a bearing retaining ring. The straight pairs work when you can come at the ring head-on; the 90-degree pairs let you reach a ring that sits below a lip or square to the bench. TEKTON's tips are hardened bearing steel crimped permanently into forged jaws and angled outward so the ring is pushed down onto the tips rather than sliding off. The joint is spring-loaded and bolted, not adjustable, so each plier does one job and does not loosen up over time.
Check the ring before you buy. This set fits rings that have lug holes, in the size range TEKTON lists: internal rings for bores of about 1-3/4 to 3 in. (40 to 82 mm) and external rings on shafts of about 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 in. (40 to 65 mm). Smaller rings need a smaller tip, and the flat wire snap rings that hold most clutch packs have no holes at all, so they come out with a pick or small screwdriver, not pliers. Our 4L60E bench rebuild tools guide shows where a long set of internal and external pliers earns its keep alongside the special tools, and the snap ring pliers buying guide compares tip sizes and styles.
The PRR91007 includes four 9-inch pliers, all with 0.090 in. tips: internal, 90-degree internal, external and 90-degree external, plus a storage roll. The pliers are laser-marked with tip size and function, which saves grabbing the wrong one mid-job. If you need the shorter range too, the 12-piece snap ring pliers set covers small rings with 45 and 90-degree jaws. For the very deep internal rings in GM six-speed units there is a dedicated 26-inch internal plier for the 6L80 and 6L90. Browse the rest in our transmission tools collection.
Seat the tips fully into the ring holes before you squeeze, and keep the plier square to the ring so it does not twist. Rings that hold a spring-loaded cover should be released with the cover held down by hand or a compressor, never by letting the spring push the ring out. A clutch pack's piston return spring needs a proper compressor such as the 10R80 piston compressor and snap ring tool set before its ring will come out. Wear eye protection, inspect every ring as it comes off, and replace any ring that is bent, opened up or no longer snaps back into its groove. The tips are not replaceable, so do not use the pliers as a pry bar.
| Set | 4 pieces plus a roll |
| Includes | 9 in internal, 9 in 90-degree internal, 9 in external, 9 in 90-degree external |
| Tip size | 0.090 in. |
| Tips | Angled, hardened, crimped in (not replaceable) |
| Part number | TEKTON PRR91007 |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
TEKTON lists this set for internal rings in bores of about 1-3/4 to 3 in. (40 to 82 mm) and external rings on shafts of about 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 in. (40 to 65 mm). Smaller rings need a set with smaller tips.
Most clutch pack snap rings are flat wire rings without lug holes, so pliers cannot grip them. Those come out with a pick or small screwdriver. These pliers are for holed retaining rings such as servo, accumulator, shaft and bearing rings.
No. The hardened bearing steel tips are crimped permanently into the jaws. That keeps them from loosening or falling out, but a bent tip means replacing that plier.
They are the same four 9-inch pliers with 0.090 in. tips. PRR91007 is the version supplied in a storage roll.
On a transmission or axle, yes. Straight pliers are best when you can reach the ring head-on; the 90-degree pliers reach rings below a lip or inside a case bore where a straight tip cannot line up square.
