rx7-10ae

I had leaky o-rings on the bottom of my Brake Master Cylinder reservoir. The reservoir popped off without much problem, but I cannot for the life of me get the reservoir all the way back on with the new o-rings. I have pushed so hard that I am afraid the stems on the bottom of the reservoir will break. I have tried the o-rings on the stems first and also putting them down into the cylinder first then trying to push the stems into them. Can someone give me a hint on the special technique to getting the reservoir seated all the way in?