Before I get into this brake job and end up a punji-pit, are there any 'gotchas' associated with brake jobs? By which I mean rotor replacement (probable, as I can feel / see a definite outer ridge), and any issues about removing the caliper and rotor, and compressing the pistons etc.
I have already gleaned that certain pads are less dust prone than the factory issue - that cannot be bad, as long as the car still stops in a timely manner.
Also, I have a squeal from one side that seems to go away after some miles, and I read somewhere that only the rears have anti-squeal plates. Can that be right? Are there any devices / mechanisms used on the car to signal brake end-of-life? Thanks.

 

Brake jobs on my wife's 2006 XK8 have all been routine, just brake pad replacements with the vehicle now showing 105,000 miles. I use a 6-inch C-clamp and a small block of wood to compress the pistons (only the wood block touches the piston). Unfortunately there are no end-of-life chirp warnings with the pads I use (Wagner ThermoQuiet semi-metallic) so I keep an eye on them and inspect them carefully at every tire rotation (6,000 mile intervals)....

 

When you said "squeel" it struck me. Do you mean brake squeel ? I ask because the way it changes when warm reminds me of when I needed to change the front wheel bearing.

I hope it is just won pads mate. John

 

I just did one of these in the junkyard this weekend.


Use a large flat screwdriver/needle nose pliers to remove the wire spring.


Knock the 2 bracket bolts off the back with a 17mm (11/16" will work in a pinch)


If the caliper won't slide over the ridge, you can use the C-clamp to pull it outward and open it up.


I think the pins are 8mm hex, but if they aren't corroded just pull the pads out of the caliper and slide it off the back of the bracket to further inspect them. grease and put the caliper back on.


The job is very easy. Snapping the wire spring back on is the only tricky part for a first timer.

 

Thanks for the response, guys. No, not a wheel bearing squeal, thank goodness; definitely rotor / pad squeal. Are there anti-squeal shims involved, and do they come with the pads? I ask because, after fighting the issue for more years that I should admit, with various squeeze-tube compounds, once I made up a metal set for my MGA there has never been any further noise, and I seem to remember shim-like plates coming with a set of Audi or Lexus brakes some years back.

 

There are no brake pad shims on either axle of my wife's 2006 XK8. Just lube up the caliper pins with a small amount of caliper pin grease, install the new pads properly, seat them with several hard stops during your initial test drive afterwards, and you should be good to go. And as Ungn said, be sure you re-install the wire spring clip properly before you put the wheels back on the car....

 

Thanks; no anti- squeal plates it is. It all sounds like there is no real punji-pit to fall into for anyone who has ever done a brake job. Much obliged, all.

 

I purchased the soft shims when I bought my pads because they were a couple bucks and I got them "just in case".


I tried for 20 minutes to put the new pads and new rotors in with the shims but it was too thick with the shims, so I just gave up on them. Maybe with worn pads shims will work.


Even without shims I had to dremel a small chamfer on the bottom of the pad to get the caliper to go onto the new rotors... and this is with the piston completely compressed.

 

Sounds like I need to know what pads you bought and whether you bought new rotors. Wonder which one was thicker than it should be; It must have been incredibly snug not to be able to tolerate an anti-squeal plate.

 

I just put these on my 03, easy perfect fit. No brake dust and stop very good. Used a clamp to push brake cylinder in, front has the tightest to reinstall but with cylinder all the way in they fit with not issue. Loosen the brake fluid cap and put a rag around it to catch any extra fluid while compressing the cylinders. Mine did not flow out the cap until the last cylinder.

Full Kit Drilled Brake Rotors and Ceramic Pads 1998 2003 Jaguar XJR XK8 XKR | eBay

Don't forget the rear ebrake shoes, PIA but doable.

Jaguar XK8 97 98 99 00 06 Emergency Parking Brake Shoes | eBay

 

I ran into this interesting bit when I did my front brakes the second time.

I was frustrated with the quality of the pads/rotors I used the first time I rebuilt the front brakes. I bought them from the local Advance Auto. I think the brand was Wearever. Anyway the rotors repeatedly would glaze up and cause pulsating pedal. Also the rotors rusted quickly and looked awful.

So I found these Brembo rotors. The finish on these is awesome. About $75 each on eBay. Exactly what I was hoping for.



I bought some Wagner MX394A pads. Went to do the install and the pads were too thick. And not just a little bit. A lot too thick. WTF?

I put the old stuff back on as angrily as I could.

So I did some research and found that there are "394" pads sold with different thickness. I suspect that the thicker ones are for the pre-2000 cars but I did not research it.

See the drawings below. One is 19.3 One is 16.3

Apparently the Brembo rotors needed the 16.3 thickness instead of the 19.3 that I purchased. So I bought a set of the 16.3 and problem solved.

 

FYI, when I compress the brake cylinders I open the bleed nipple so the excess (contaminated?) fluid is ejected rather than forced back up the system. Once finished I top off with fresh fluid.


I think I read that this was the preferred way of doing the job on the XK8, could have been for a different car but seems like good practice to me.

 

Agree 100%

 

Excellent response, details and ideas. Many thanks to all. Without knowing about the pad thickness issue, I could indeed have fallen in among the punji!
Per RaceDiagnostics, I definitely like the bleed idea while compressing pistons. Is there anything quirky about bleeding the brakes (diagonal circuits, emergency valve switches etc)?

 

If you are doing a full fluid renew there is an odd bleed sequence, can't remember it off hand but a quick search will show it up.

For changing the pads, nothing special.

 

I'll check the archives & WM. Thanks!