XJS brake question
 

I have an 89 XJS and I've observed the following issue which appears to be the source of the noises I've been hearing:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...f0d7375b7c.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...81f5c73039.jpg


Am I wrong in thinking this steel band on the rotor is superfluous and I can just cut or somehow remove it? Local jag shop quoted $2400 for complete rear end brake job right down to replacing the lines I'm wondering if I can just remove this thing and ignore the rear brakes for another few months.

Edit: Does anyone use EBC vented/slotted rotors on their jags? If I'm going to end up with a new braking system calipers rotors and all wouldn't it be better to just buy higher grade aftermarket components? I've used ebc on my trucks and they last for eons.

I think it would OK to remove it. Let's her what others have to say.

What you're looing at is a silencing ring. Those might well the rotors the car was born with as not many people buy true OEM replacements and aftermarkets rotors don't typically have the ring



Yikes!




EBC stuff gets good reviews around here, generally. However many buy parts carrying other brand names and have good results as well.

Cheers
DD

Thanks, I was looking forward to your reply. I think I'll rip them off and pretend its fine. :icon_goofygrin:

That was labour + parts etc dropping the rear end with new rotors calipers pads new ebrakes and brake lines - the car has sat for 14 years in a barn and in 4600km I've blown two different engine gaskets, a rear bearing, some belts, a new (reman) steering rack and now this.

At what point do you walk away? as far as sunk costs I'm nearing my used Toyota Prius cutoff mark...any more and I might as well of bought a proper used car.

I think you could remove the ring. Assuming you can, and it isn't spot welded on. Check the thickness of the rotors too, if you can. New thickness is 0.5", minimum is 0.45"

Given the amount of work to get to the rotors, $2400 doesn't seem that outrageous to me. Of course it all work that is doable by a home mechanic if you have the aptitude and a place to do it.

Long term dead storage can be very hard on a car. And it was probably suffering from 'deferred maintenance and repairs' when it was put in into storage to begin with.



If you're asking, you're getting close

Speaking for myself....but I suspect many others as well....there is just no way I could've afforded to drive Jags all these years without DIY repairs.

Cheers
DD

Hi Vancouver

I had the same problem with my First XJS!

So there I was Sailing along, minding my own business, when I heard this Telephone Ringing!

Dring Dring, Dring Dring! WTF is that!

Based on the Fact that I did not have a phone in the Car at the time, as I seem to remember that they used to cost as much as I paid for the Car!

I had no idea what that was until I got home and had a look underneath and saw ALMOST exactly the same as shown in your Photo.

But in my Case it was even worse, as the Ring had completely detached itself and was dangling round the Drive Shaft.

Hence the Telephone Ringing sound it was making.

So out with the Angle Grinder and after I cut the Ring through in another place I got the Ring off.

If you leave things as they are, that is what will happen on your Car.

When that Ring detaches (as it surely will) It could do an Amazing, Catastrophic amount of damage, so I would cut them off if I were you.

Don't replace them with OEM Aftermarket without the Ring are Better.

You could probably do the job yourself in a Couple of days but at the time my knowledge of Jags was ZERO! so I traded it in for another one to an unsuspecting dealer!:icon_pirate:

dropping the rear cage and refurbishing the brakes is definitely a DIY job (was first thing I did on mine)

lol *ring*ring* Yes hello this is Jaguar informing you that your car has broken down yet again.

Good to know I think I'll just cut them off and leave the brake job for another time.

Hi Vancouver

There was a time when I used to think that the rings were on there for that very purpose! though with the benefit of hindsight very obviously not.

You really want to get them replaced one way or another, or sooner or later they will go and bite you on the Backside when you least expect it. (as I'm sure you know)

OB is dead right. Brakes are the most important aspect of your car. New aftermarket brake discs - just normal discs without the external rings - are very inexpensive and work fine.
As Doug mentioned, doing the work yourself is the only way to keep an XJS up to snuff. The price you were quoted for all that work and parts is perfectly reasonable from the garage's point of view.
Greg

pic of my EBC gold rotors, slotted and chamfered!

wilwood lightweight calipers Hawk street pads!

Haha, good place to hide your gold.
Pity that it will flee as dust, the more you drive!
(nice brakes)

On the first issue (the ring), if its function is "silencing", how does it work actually?

The ring is there to dampen vibrations that cause brake squeal. Changes the natural frequency of the disk.

.

EBC knows there stuff, after driving around 2000miles to my amazement very little dust, almost none, seems it dont stick to the gold coatings!

the ring, noise is a high frequency vibration of the rotor,(some thing like a bell), the ring stops vibration and noise, (supposedly).

Can you post the part numbers for those? I glanced at the wilwood site and I guess you choose via a series of measurements like rotor width etc did you manage to find those specific to the XJS or manually select the right type?

Ron is a special case. Wilwood do not make a caliper fitting kit for the XJS, so fitting them would involve careful fabrication involving both steering arm and caliper. I would not recommend it to an amateur without machining facilities and knowledge of what they were doing.
OEM rebuilt calipers are fine, as are EBC rotors (who do make them for the XJS.) On the rears, to renew them you just need decent marque aftermarket solid rotors and rebuilt OEM calipers.
Greg