Twin washers ended up on the ground. They were stuck together. Don't know which one of the 2 bolts they were from or where they need to be placed during re-install.

Are these what the Daimler manual refers to as "shims?"

Where do these need to be installed? Thanx in advance!

 

They *probably* go between the caliper and the steering arm at the lower bolt. These are often referred to as caliper alignment shims but, of course, they're on the wrong side of the caliper for that. Snug down the bolts and see if there is an unusual gap between the steering arm and the caliper.

In theory....I've never seen any in real life....they could be actual caliper alignment shims that go between the caliper and the caliper mount (the suspension "upright")...so as to make sure the caliper and the brake rotor are parallel and that caliper is centered over the rotor.

Cheers
DD

 

I am having some trouble remembering the front suspension on my XJ6, (identical to the XJS), but I DO remember that the steering arm bolts on to the suspension upright via two bolts, one of which also clamps the caliper. Incidentally does anybody have a picture of the suspension set-up ?

Where there is a gap between steering arm and upright, this MUST be taken up with shims. If the bolt is just run up to eliminate the gap, severe stress will be created in the forged steering arm. It is not unknown for these to then break at the bolt hole and the steering arm then is released and all steering is lost. This is not something one wants to happen at high speed !!

 

Thanx for your comments! I'm understanding why the service manual refers to them as "shims" and not washers...

Lots of fun here!

Also, I'm glad that I 1) noticed them on the floor, and 2) read about their importance here. It would be a real problem if I was unable to steer the car at high speed...

I've just gotten over the horror stories of the Marelli ignition system. Thankfully, these washers will no longer keep me awake at night. Good night, gentlemen and thanx again for your help!

 

I am replacing calipers this week on my 86 xjs. When I removed them I was very careful to watch for the shims but neither side had them. When I install the new ones I will make note of any gaps and shim accordingly.

 

Just for info, the way I did this was as follows:
Assemble the caliper and arm using the two topmost fixings of the three (one goes straight into the caliper, one through the topmost steering arm hole) .
Tighten a bit the two topmost bolts of the three, leave the lower one off. Get the feeler gauge into the gap that will probably be there between the steering arm (at the back of the fixing hole) and the caliper, and measure gap.
Get U shaped shims of this thickness ready.
Lossen the two topmost bolts a bit to aid shim installation, install shims and lower bolt and do up all three to required torque.

I think that this is well worth doing even if shims were not there, or even if they were. A caliper change, or even a previous fitter not noticing the shims fall out when refitting an existing caliper, can cause the same stresses. Then do not forget to lockwire the lower steering arm bolt to the caliper only higher bolt!

Greg