On 25/01/2020 20:23, Roger Mills wrote:
I've just replaced the front discs and pads on my wife's 20-year-old
Ford Puma, and I have a query about the so called retaining clips. They
are made of highly tempered steel wire and the free ends plug into holes
in the caliper. They have loops which hook behind lugs on the caliper
carrier. They look like this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292224457537?ul_noapp=true

According to my Haynes Fiesta manual (Haynes don't do a Puma manual, but
the running gear is the same as a 1995-onwards Fiesta) they look like
this when fitted:

https://app.box.com/s/jelr78aedt1uandeka74e05dnqjc8bq8

Anyone know what their function is? Is the middle bit supposed to
contact the back of the pad? Mine don't - by 2 or 3 mm - see:

https://app.box.com/s/b8vaov18obat0kvldauu8bzt5r16vjrx

Sadly, I didn't make a careful enough note of what they originally
looked like before I removed them. I wonder whether I have put them back
correctly - but I can't see any other way they could go. The loops look
as if they should go further onto the lugs - but if I tap the free ends
further into the holes, they pivot on the caliper body and the loops
move *outwards* rather than inwards.

Any informed comment will be greatly appreciated.

That spring wire pulls the caliper toward its bracket, taking up any
play on the sliding pins, and stops the caliper shaking about. It does
not touch the pad. New ones are easily obtained, running without them
will not stop the brakes working, but you might get sqeal or shudder.