Wait until you do the rear axle, OB! You'll need them a few more times then

 

Hi Bro

That's a nice piece of kit in your Photo but as I won't have much use for them for any other job, I think I would rather get hold of another set of Ratchet Spanners.

12pc Spanner Wrench Ratchet Ring Box Set Kit 8-19mm Tool Mechanic Car Garage New | eBay

 

Good point Daim

But first I want to get her back on the Road.

 

OB,

As soon as you buy these pliers, you'll start finding excuses to drill bolt heads and lock-wire things! I know!

Also, I'm not sure which version of the Workshop Manual CDRoM you referenced, but I'd probably have run the caliper bolts at the mid-point of the torque range that Jaguar quote, noting that they are not new bolts. Although it shouldn't matter too much if they are appropriately lock-wired. If it's a used bolt, I would also probably tighten the steering arm to vertical link bolt at the upper end of the stated torque range.


Cheers

Paul

 

Paul, I have a set, but do not know how to use them! Could you post an explanation please!
Greg

 

Ratchet spanners are brilliant, OB, but you need an Imperial set more than metric on an XJS. Halfords have really good quality ones, own label.
Greg

 

Paul, the two bolts on that secure the front brake caliper have lockwire, but not the one that secures the top of the steering arm to the upright. On the rear, the four bolts that attach the diff to the cage top are lockwired, and on pre facelifts at least, the bolts that attach the inner lower wishbone brackets to the side of the diff. Sometimes the rear caliper bolts are lockwired too. Then bolt that secures the large end of the rear radius arms to the car floor (the one that also has the safety strap) is lockwired to the steel strap.
Greg

 

For locking wires I use a small cordless drill makes a very neat twist. Just don't twist too much or the wire breaks

 

Greg,

+! for the Halfords Advanced Range of ratchet spanners! Really good piece of kit. I have 2 sets, one the flat variety and one with flexible heads. Expensive (relatively) at £100 per set but never really a need to pay that. They currently have them at 1/2 price, £50 for the 12-piece flat set and £40 for the 9-piece flexi-head set. With my Trade Discount card, I got the £50 set reduced further to £37.50.

Great quality, with surface-drive 12-point ratchet, 5 degree turn and lifetime guarantee, what's not to like? Well, you can only get Metric sets but with surface-drive ratchets, you do have a little bit of latitude on some imperial sizes.

A few years ago, I wouldn't dream of buying Halfords Tools but their Advanced ranges are now really good quality and, when in their sales, very well-priced. I'm not sure who actually makes their Advanced spanners and sockets but they are right up there on quality. It's just a shame that most of their sockets aren't 6-point surface drive (my preferred configuration).

Paul

 

Greg,

I agree they are not very intuitive when you look at them and many of these chinese tools don't have good instructions.

In simple terms, you:

- cut a piece of wire
- loop it as necessary around the bolt
- use the pliers to hold the two ends together tightly
- slide the central chrome sleeve clamp down to lock the lever and jaws. You need to pull the lever in tightly when doing this.
- now pull the sprung ratchet centre out from the bottom, letting the pliers (and wire) spin as you do so,
- hold the pliers & let the ratchet return (push it back manually if it is not sprung)
-then repeat the two steps above until the wire is the correct twisted tension and beautifully straight
- release the slide clamp to release the plier jaws from the wire and Bob's your uncle!

I'll try and take a quick video tomorrow as it's almost easier to show than to describe. Failing that, I'll post a few photos to try and show.

Paul

 

Lucky me.


I've the wire twist pliers and a set of rachet spanners. the latter in SAE only???


I've not used the pliers for a decade or so???


The spanners, much more so....


1. Hiden wing bolts on the "A" pillar.


2 Antique Troy Bilt Chipper Shredder.


3. Sump drains on Jaguar and Jeep.


4. One starter bolt on my LT1 in the Jaguar.


An Xmas or so, I gave a set of each to my son. He loves tools as well as I or more so. "Dad, are you slipping? "Two sets alike?" Reply, "not yet, look, SAE and Metric".


5. Latest toy is a set of 1/4" sockets in metric and SAE with a rachet
and extension. Great for limited access to small fasteners.
Last use on B & S powered lawn vacuum. Ignition/magneto issues.
Two rachets and sockets at play one 3/8" drive and the other 1/4".


6. I see the 1/4" as useful on the oncoming headlamp swap. Mebbe?
Fasteners there a mix of slots and Phillips. Swap in hex heads, or Allens. last is tempting.


Carl
Lat

 

Hi Paul (Ptjs)

Have I done the Calipers up too tight or not tight enough?

What should they be according to 'Your Manual'?

Also I did tighten up the Strut Bolts behind the Shock Absorbers, as I had to take both of those out to rock the Steering arm up and down with a FBH to help to get the seized Caliper bolts out of the arm.

Where by way of a bonus, it is a whole lot easier to put the 'Shims' back right from the Start on the Steering Arm Bolt before putting back the others.

 

Hi Paul (Ptjs)

How do you go about getting a 'Trade Card' at Halfords? I've not heard of that one before.

 

Hi Greg

How come the Bolt at the Top of the Steering Arm that goes into the Upright, isn't 'Wired'?

That seems totally 'Bonkers' when the other two are.

 

Hi Greg

Cheers I'll check them out.

 

Hi OB,

Torque settings can be a bit tricky. Most settings are derived with bolts or nuts fastened dry. The difficulty then arises because most of us then use grease, copperease etc to aid dismantling. If you then torque to the defined settings you can over-stress the bolt as the lubricant means that you're having to further tighten to reach the defined setting. But there again, if you're using used bolts or slightly corroded, perhaps you should be tightening slightly higher...which may bring us back to the original figure!

The reason that I was asking which version of the manual you use is that I believe Jaguar changed the defined settings from the early version of the manual to the post-91 versions of the manual, even through all the key engine, suspension and drivetrain components are the same. I don't know whether this was to give greater latitude to compensate for the variation of owner situations? They also moved to Nm figures rather than ft lb. I admit that I calculate everything to ft lb because I can easier mentally imagine a force of x lbs on a 12" ratchet.

So, the late version of the manual quotes 68-81 Nm (50-60ft lbs) on the caliper bolts. Does the earlier manual quote lower figures or ranges?

If assembling with good condition bolts and not using any lubricant, I'd probably run them at 55 ft lbs. With a bit of copperease, particularly on the shaft of the longer bolt to avoid the shaft seizing, I'd probably run at a tad over 50 ft lbs. As I said, with the caliper bolts being lock-wired, it's perhaps not that critical?

As regards the steering arm to upper link bolt and its broader torque range (not sure why that is?) I'd probably use a very small dab of copperease and run at the mid-point.

Cheers

Paul

 

OB,

You SOOO want to have one if you buy anything from Halfords! With discounts from !0% on spay paints up to 50% on light bulbs, it's a big difference. And they run a trade price match guarantee on non-internet prices within 20 miles of you.

I'll drop you a PM on this and how you might get one(I still owe you a PM on another topic. I've been somewhat incapacitated of late but am up and moving this week, so able to catch up better on things).

Cheers

Paul

 

Alan
Caliper torque OK, say I. I think Paul is saying 45 llb/ft would have been Ok too, which is true enough.


What are these strut bolts you are referring to?


If you are fitting new calipers, the old shims will not necessarily be correct, plus the shims go between the arm and the caliper, and the other bolts have to be done up reasonably tight to measure the shims needed. So do you mean having done all the measuring, remove all the bolts and then put the bottom caliper bolt in, with the shim in the right place, while everything is loose and unattached? If so, what a good idea!
Greg

 

No idea, but I suppose the caliper is subject to quite severe vibration, so maybe the thinking was that these two bolts were possible candidates for coming loose.


By the way, the huge nut on the end of the stub axle, that fixes it into the upright, can bear a little tightness check from time to time when you are in there. It has a thick washer under it, but even so this washer can dish under the nut's torque and the torque on it reduce.


Greg

 

Hi Greg

That's exactly what I did!

First I trial fitted the Steering Arm, then measured the number of Shims required and after that took it all apart and then put the Caliper Bolt with the Shims on First.

Which turned that awkward little job into a 'piece of cake' as the last time I did that job a couple of years ago, it took me half a day to get the Shims in (but not any more!)