I'm trying to figure out wth I'm doing wrong when when I try to bleed (not completely flush, just bleed) my brakes at home. Background: I track my car often. I'm trying to get into the habit of bleeding the brakes after every 2nd track day or so, just to keep the fluid fresh (yes, I use racing brake fluid).

Every time I try to bleed them, I end up with almost no pedal and have to take it to the shop to get it fixed. And one of the reasons I'm trying to bleed at home is so I don't have to spend that extra money . Obviously, the opposite is happening.

So some "I'm an idiot what am I doing wrong" questions:

1). If I'm just gravity bleeding, should the master cylinder cap be on or off?
2) If I'm doing a 2 person brake bleed (one person pump & hold, the other person open/close the bleeder screw), should the cap be on or off?
3) Should I still be bleeding Rear passenger, rear driver, front passenger, front driver in terms of bleeding order?
4) On occasion, the master cylinder gets to the "minimum" line, but never below. Would that cause a problem? What about if it gets above the maximum line?
5) Should the car be on or off during the bleeding process?
6) Why, if I keep the engine off and the brakes feel fine (nice and stiff), the pedal drops to the floor when I turn the engine on?
7). When doing a 2 person bleed, should the pedal pusher push the pedal to the floor after I open the bleeder screw? Or only part way? If part way, how far down?
8) Why is the front passenger lines such an *******?!?!?!?? 99% of the air comes from that stupid caliper!


Any other tips or things I should know about? I swear I should be able to bleed my stupid brakes at home without all these problems. I've watch so damn many YouTube videos and HowTo's but for some reason something always goes wrong. Thanks for any help

 

This:

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben...237sch01aktkt/

 

I have blead my brakes and my wife's f55 brakes several times without issue. Cap should be off so you can refill it as needed (often). Motor off. Have your partner pump the brakes 3 times and hold on the 3rd. Pedal should not be at the floor yet. You at whichever caliper you're working at open the bleed screw. Pedal will go to the floor and should be held there until you close the bleed screw. Then your partner should pump the brakes 3 times again and hold. Pedal should be at midpoint of travel now. Open and close the bleed screw again. I do this about 5 times for the rears (longer lines) and 3-5 times for the fronts unless I get air bubbles. Then do it until you get no air bubbles. Always check the master cylinder after every other pump/bleed screw opening. Having too much brake fluid in the reservoir won't hurt anything, it can get messy though. Just want to be sure when you're done it's at the right level. Be careful as it will remove paint. Sounds like you may have a problem with the right front if it always has air bubbles. Have you inspected the lines? I also track my cars. I have a Datsun 260Z with an LS1/T56 in it. Brakes only last one track day! Pads are pretty much toast and the fluid has been pushed to it's limit so they get changed after each track day. Can't wait to get my MINI on a track day, I put the JCW brakes on it for just that occasion.

 

I've used this. I've still had problems

 

Pulled from NewTIS, hopefully it helps.

 

Ok, so this is awesome. Not a single video I've watched mentioned that the cap should be off and motor off. I'll be trying this the next time I bleed (after I get my current situation fixed at the dealership ). As far as the lines, yeah, they've dry as a bone and always have been. Much thanks for that info!

On another note, if your pads and fluid are toast after one track day, you need upgraded pads and fluid

 

Interesting, thanks! I'm curious if operating the manual parking brake functions the same as the E-brake steps, since I don't have an E-brake.

 

I’ll look and see what or if they have anything for the GP. That is what they had listed for f55/f56 jcw’s.

 

lol! Going from 160mph to 40 at threshold several times a during track day is hard on any brake pad! I use Motul RBF 600 brake fluid and it’s awesome! I’ve had brake fluid boil during a track day and it’s pretty freakin scary! Motul has never boiled on me and is pretty solid all day long. I could definitely use a more aggressive pad but I prefer a pad that is less hard on the disc so I don’t have to replace those as often. Pads are relatively cheap and easy to replace. 20 minute job on my Z. My Z is a beast! It’s 450 hp, 2500 lbs, track tires and completely adjustable suspension and 5 point belts.

 

when I was growing up & re-building disc/drum brakes, I ALWAYS found the accuracy of a good job was using an extra foot. Do you put a hose on bleeder nipple in a jar with 1" of fluid in it to avoid back-suck ? from farthest to closest is correct. car off, cap off was how I always did it. I like TVPS's device.

 

If the cap is on, air tends to enter through the easiest path, the bleeder screw. The cap vent is tiny, and only allows venting as pads wear.
Cat can be on, but unscrewed laying on top to avoid fluid squirting back up onto paint.

Also when pumping brakes, slow pedal down, and SLOWER pedal up.

Might also need an ABS scan tool to purge air out of the ABS module. Schwaben makes one. Check at ECS.

 

I might add ... if your mini has higher mileage, do not use a friend to pump the brakes to the floor or press and hold. Over time, the brake seals develop a smooth bore in the brake cylinder, and past that smooth bore area, corrosion happens. So, when you push the brake pedal to the floor, you're pushing the seals over the corroded area, causing small rips in the seals, resulting in the not distant future that you'll need a new brake master cylinder. Porsche even mentioned this in their 993 factory manual. Best bet is to use a Motive or Schwaben pressure brake bleeder. I've used the Motive bleeder both ways ... one where you just use it to generate air pressure on the system (requires keeping a keen eye on the brake fluid reservoir level) or two where you fill the bleeder with fluid, and go from there).

 

Gravity worked for me. Takes a while though.

 

For those reading the NewTIS instructions

It says not to exceed 2 bars.
Remember atmospheric pressure is ALREADY 1 bar, so only pressure your tank to 1 bar ~15 PSI
The gauge reads pressure ABOVE atmospheric.

Any more than that you will blow the reservoir off the master cylinder.

 

Are you speaking from experience? NewTIS actually says "Charging pressure should not exceed 2 bar." That reads to me that they are referencing gauge pressure, which would read zero at rest, not 1 bar. Not that I would go up to 2 bar, I would set my pressure bleeder between 15-20 psi, and make sure it doesn't go below 10psi.

 

YES!!!
Speaking from experience. not on a MINI, but a Volvo.
As a matter of fact, I use 2 large nylon tie wraps around the reservoir and cylinder when pressure bleeding. Not pretty when the reservoir blows off!!!

1 bar is 14.5 lbs, I would NEVER go above that, I think the manual is confused.


EDIT:
I just noticed mine has a retaining screw to keep the tank on the master cylinder.
In days of old the tan was only held in by the seal/grommet.