Brake Bleeding

[timmeee81]

Hi All,

I hope you are all well? I have searched but can't find this particular query. Apologies if I have missed this.

I am in need of bleeding my brakes but can only do 2 at a time without having to turn the car around. Is this possible? I understand the rear and front work on separate lines into the system so I am assuming they are independent?

Reason being, I have replaced both front callipers due to age and sticking and both pressure sensors due to one breaking causing the Trifecta lights situation. I have INPA. I know I have air in there. My garage is a strange T-shape and I can only access either the front wheels together or the rear wheels together so I'll need to start it up, reverse out, turn around and reverse back in.

Will it be ok to do the rear 2 (passenger side first), move the car and then do the front 2 (again, passenger side first)?

Thank you all in advance.

 

[TheDan]

All the lines going into the ABS pump are independent so I would assume its okay to bleed all 4 separately. For peace of mind you may want to avoid using the brakes when turning the car around (if you don't live on a hill) and try to hold it using the handbrake instead.

I have done all 4 corners separately (the lazy way jacking the car up one corner at a time and leaving it on the jack only :slaphead. I used a one way valve and pumped through a bit of fluid on each corner to make sure there was no air left in that line. After this the pedal was solid, no air in the lines at all.

 

[timmeee81]

Thanks for the quick reply!

I can get either the front or the rear up at any one time and take both wheels off so I can do two and then two before having to move it. My garage is on a very steep drive although level once inside so no chance of not using the brake when turning around. :headbang:

Thanks again, I'll do the rear's first, then the front and try to handbrake it only if possible.

 

[flybobbie]

My car Z4 E89, so i assume all BMW abs the same.
Basic fluid replacement i found ok, but recently had to replace the master cylinder, so all system needed bleeding.
Lucky using my Foxwell obd reader i could run the abs pump several times to bleed over 3 days to get brakes to work satisfactorily.

 

[pvr]

If it is an e85/86 then note that the clutch and brake reservoir is the same but split in the middle. So it looks like there is fluid in there but actually isn’t.

I did not waste 4 hours bleeding brakes on an empty reservoir

 

[timmeee81]

Thank you all for the replies. I'll be giving it a crack today.

 

[timmeee81]

UPDATE - The bleed nipple has snapped on the RR calliper! I have ordered new rear callipers as these are the 20 year old originals, my only concern will be getting the brake pipe out of the old ones without snapping them as well.

Basically I saved this car from the scrap yard 6 months ago. She had a seized front calliper and the Trifecta lights on the dash plus the front left wing and door looked like they had paint stripper poured on them. The roof was new and watertight just slow and the engine and gear box were sound so I threw him £500 and had her collected.

I've replaced the front callipers with new, moved the roof motor to the boot and replaced with a new one which now works fast and brilliantly, and had the front wing and door painted and replaced the lateral sensor under the seat and the 2 brake pressure sensors. Using INPA before and after shows that she's a lot happier now! Bleeding the brakes just needs doing from replacing the callipers and sensors and thought that after today, we'd be driving off into the sunset together!

 

[Rockhopper]

If things are that bad it'd be worth replacing the lines plus the one that goes over the petrol tank (which is a very common failure).

 

[timmeee81]

Thank you Rockhopper, I was thinking that might be worth doing, you've just confirmed it.