[youngtractorboy]

Hi guys,

I was wondering what diagnostics tool you may have used in order to carry out an ABS bleed procedure?

I have a soft brake pedal in my 2002 R50 and I want to try an ABS bleed next. I have already replaced the master cylinder and bled the calipers with a pressure bleeder multiple times but the pedal remains soft.

I have heard that the Autel MaxiCheck Pro may do the trick.

Thanks in advance!

Tom

 

[mike1967]

Hi guys,

I was wondering what diagnostics tool you may have used in order to carry out an ABS bleed procedure?

I have a soft brake pedal in my 2002 R50 and I want to try an ABS bleed next. I have already replaced the master cylinder and bled the calipers with a pressure bleeder multiple times but the pedal remains soft.

I have heard that the Autel MaxiCheck Pro may do the trick.

Thanks in advance!

Tom

There's one caveat to the whole bleeding process: if you run the reservoir dry, you won't be able to bleed the system with a pressure bleeder or by stomping on the pedal as you will have introduced air into the ABS pump. BMW Recommends the use of a specialized computer system to trigger the ABS pump into what is called âÂÂbleed mode'. This mode cycles the pump to purge the air out. In our case, the AutoEnginuity software was able to access the ABS system and trigger the system.

me not come up against this on older cars as the gen 1 mini ie its a rover group car not a bmw group car really, i always bleed the abs pump at the block of pipes with pressure bleeder,,,
NEVER NEVER USE A PRESSURE BLEEDER AND WITH IT PRESSURISED PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AT SAME TIME, IT WILL FLIP THE SEALS

 

[youngtractorboy]

There's one caveat to the whole bleeding process: if you run the reservoir dry, you won't be able to bleed the system with a pressure bleeder or by stomping on the pedal as you will have introduced air into the ABS pump. BMW Recommends the use of a specialized computer system to trigger the ABS pump into what is called âÂÂbleed mode'. This mode cycles the pump to purge the air out. In our case, the AutoEnginuity software was able to access the ABS system and trigger the system.

me not come up against this on older cars as the gen 1 mini ie its a rover group car not a bmw group car really, i always bleed the abs pump at the block of pipes with pressure bleeder,,,
NEVER NEVER USE A PRESSURE BLEEDER AND WITH IT PRESSURISED PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AT SAME TIME, IT WILL FLIP THE SEALS

Thanks for the reply!

You're right, I replaced the brake lines and in the process the reservoir ran dry. The brake pedal has been soft ever since and no amount of bleeding or changing components has solved it. After some research I found folks suggesting that an ABS bleed is necessary.

I've found a refurbished AutoEnginuity for £50 delivered on eBay. Is it DIY user friendly?? Could be worth a go!

Thanks again

 

[Scudder]

This from Pelican Parts guide to bleeding Gen 1 Minis...

'If you find that your ABS equipped car feels spongy on the brake pedal, take the car to a deserted parking lot and engage the ABS system by stopping short a few times. Then go back and re-bleed the system: it may take care of the spongy pedal, although this not a factory recommended procedure and it may not eliminate all the air from the system.'

Probably the same as activating the system without spending 50 drinking vouchers

 

[mike1967]

Thanks for the reply!

You're right, I replaced the brake lines and in the process the reservoir ran dry. The brake pedal has been soft ever since and no amount of bleeding or changing components has solved it. After some research I found folks suggesting that an ABS bleed is necessary.

I've found a refurbished AutoEnginuity for £50 delivered on eBay. Is it DIY user friendly?? Could be worth a go!

Thanks again

AutoEnginuity never used one would not know just found that somewhere on a pelican page.
when ever i get air lock i will have car running so servo is adding force dont use pressure bleeder with engine running,, and get someone to pressure pedal hard while i'm at the bleed nipples on calipers and open the bleed nipple and fluid will come out high pressure,, before and important before returning the pedal up wards must lock bleed nipple off
you should expect to use 1/4 litre of brake fluid per caliper, bleed yours rear first change all fluid through, its a pain of a job i cant remeber the last time i had a brake system air lock up then tend to clear with a good flow through, you might need to do as above a number of times,, then like skudder says go give the brakes hell force the abs pump to push the air out,, another trick worth trying is to put a load on the brake pedal over night with cap removed, on some systems this allows air to come up

 

[mike1967]

also check the rear brake pads are correctly slotted on to the piston with the wire clips, this really does effect it badly

 

[youngtractorboy]

Thanks for the info guys. So AutoEnginuity recommended I buy their ST06 plus the 'BMW and Mini enhanced interface', which would have totalled £367/$480 - too much for a one-off DIY job. I bit the bullet and paid £162/$212 for my local Mini dealer to do it for me (they called it a DSC bleed). It improved the brake pedal but it still isn't as expected disappointingly. As a last ditch attempt I'm going to replace my discs as they are a few years old then pressure bleed the system once more. Fingers crossed.

 

[youngtractorboy]

AutoEnginuity never used one would not know just found that somewhere on a pelican page.
when ever i get air lock i will have car running so servo is adding force dont use pressure bleeder with engine running,, and get someone to pressure pedal hard while i'm at the bleed nipples on calipers and open the bleed nipple and fluid will come out high pressure,, before and important before returning the pedal up wards must lock bleed nipple off
you should expect to use 1/4 litre of brake fluid per caliper, bleed yours rear first change all fluid through, its a pain of a job i cant remeber the last time i had a brake system air lock up then tend to clear with a good flow through, you might need to do as above a number of times,, then like skudder says go give the brakes hell force the abs pump to push the air out,, another trick worth trying is to put a load on the brake pedal over night with cap removed, on some systems this allows air to come up

Will try the car running bleed trick too! Thanks

The master engineer at my Mini dealer said that Gen1's are a nightmare for trapped air.

 

[mike1967]

Will try the car running bleed trick too! Thanks

The master engineer at my Mini dealer said that Gen1's are a nightmare for trapped air.

all cars are a pain in arse with bleeding when empty of fluid, i,ve resorted to heat gun on abs block before heat the fluid to try and expand the air bubbles out while bleeding them,, but can be dodgy if over heat things dont take much, theory behind it is fluid goes thin with heat and thicker when cold,
i would suspect the master cylinder could be at fault if a garage has tried to bleed them and still not good,, this is common after doing brake work then bleed the system by using brake pedal as the long movements on the seals and old seals tend to finish them off for past experience, if do change it bleed it from the output pipes before connection them to abs block as such, saves a load of hassle,, being a gen 1 car its well in the realms of seals being nailed, i would of changed as part of the abs job as future proofs it

 

[thoughto]

mike1967, when you bleed at the ABS pump, do you do this before bleeding at the wheels, and is there an order to it? Do all the lines get bled at once, or are some going in the opposite direction around the loop, if you get what I mean?
I tried to fix my DSC ABS problem by removing the unit from my R50 Cooper. It seems that it may have worked, but had to remove the unit to fix, and now have soft pedal.