Originally Posted by
curbtender
Washer are probably from the brake stops. It is a pin that the brake cable passes through and has rubber and small washers holding it into a slot and receives the cable end. I had a Shimano techdoc that showed it but the link is gone. If you have all the pieces it's not too hard to put back in. Same on both sides...
Wow thanks for the information - so the washers are not integral to the shifter itself, suggesting that perhaps I do need to just degrease the shifters more than I had previously; keep at it? I do have them, kept them on a piece of cellotape.