Replaced steering head bearings. But......

[Falcon 269]

The washer is compressible as standard and it's job is solely to provide a means to align the locking tab slots on the adjuster nuts by taking up a little of the freeplay between upper and lower adjuster.  It is not there to provide any specific spacing between the components.  How can it when it's made of rubber?

I'll say this one last time and that's me out of it ... I suspect the lower bearing race isn't fully home in the steering head.  If I'm right, a few thousand miles of road shocks will set it properly and you'll have excessive play in the steering bearings.