So... I've picked up rotors,pads,sensors,caliper paint,caliper piston tool etc..
got my floor jack ready, stands... etc.

I've looked at every video on YouTube, read everything I could online... my question is, when I go to turn back the piston... don't I need to open a bleeder screw so I'm not pushing all that gunk back to the master cylinder? Seems like nobody documents doing it so... do I even need to bleed it?

 

It is a sealed system so there should be no 'junk' in it, and it should not be enough volume change to travel all the way back the master cylinder anyway.

When you are all done, you will need to pump the brakes a couple of times before your maiden voyage otherwise it might be exciting.

Any time I change rotors/pads I always flush the brake fluid also.

 

okay... so I'm good on bleeding.
How do I.... flush the brake fluid? :/

 

Basically put in new fluid in and pump all the old through the line via the bleeders at each caliper starting at the brake furthest from the master cyl. You can do it by pumping the brake pedal with the bleeder open until the fluid comes out clear/new. This way takes two people, one to pump brake pedal and one to close the bleeder. You have to close the bleeder without letting fluid go back in or there can be bubbles in the system. There are a variety of pressure and vacuum pumps you can buy to make a one man job.

This is important as brake fluid can accumulate bubbles from heat and give a squishy pedal feel. It ages and changes viscosity due to a variety of factors and will be brownish while the new stuff is clear. It should be done every couple years or with brake service.

 

You might do all the brake work first if this is your first go at it to build a little confidence level and not throw to many things in the mix. Then later flush brake fluid another time, it is a little extra effort to jack up and take wheels off, but practice makes perfect.

 

Yeah... I'm thinking brakes first. I'm tossing on new rubber in a few weeks and having my wheels powder-coated. when I have the mini on 4 stands or a lift, I'll try it then. Soinds like you have to bleed all 4 pistons anyway right? Thanks so much guys.... pretty excited about doing the 1st brake job

 

Yeah.. if I can get past tnites rear brake job, in a few weeks I'm tossing new rubber all around and having my wheels off to get powdered at the same time. That's prolly a good time.... have to bleed all 4 right?

 

Don't forget to flush and bleed the clutch hydraulic cylinder if you are flushing the brake lines. They are fed off the same master cylinder. Any air entering the system can reaaly affect the clutch pedal action. Yoou may want to think about buying a pressure bleeder, it can make the work go a lot easier. Motive Power makes a nice unit for about $80.00.

 

If you really want to flush your brakes, then I would suggest you buy a motive product pressure bleeder off amazon and flush/replace all your brake fluid including your clutch cylinders in an hour or two without even taking the wheels off. its a one man job and it works fantastic with no muss or fuss. great tool to have in your tool arsenal and works on all cars. you will not regret it. Beats the old way 1000 times over although the old way still works. Good luck.

 

^^^ This + 1

The Motive bleeder is an awesome tool and will make bleeding an easy task. I have used it on both the MINI and Suby to change and bleed the fluid.

 

Imo ALWAYS BLEED....
Brakes are NOT really sealed...there is a rubber gasket in the brake caliper...and moisture migrates into the brakes, and corrodes the caliper, and makes the gasket get gummy....it brakes down, turning the fluid black, and the fluid, now wet, has a higher boiling point....
If it was "sealed" flushing would only be needed when the system was opened....some folks get away with this for a bit, but there is a reason MINI uses a CALENDAR schedule to flush the brakes..simply put dot4 fluid does not tolerate moisture as well as older dot3 fluids.

 

When replaceing a part, after having opened up a line, etc, a power bleeder is a great tool, but just bleeding for mx or pads, a bottle of fluid, a pair of wreches, and a flexible clear line should do fine....if you have a helper, and keep the resiviour filled....no helper, power bleeder beets the one man bleederkits hands down....and if a line was replaced, bleeder makes life much simpler.

 

Thanks guys!! I have to get new tires this week... I'll have my mechanic do a brake fluid flush, next time tho... I'm snagging that one man jobbie.

Oh... brakes worked out good!!! Finished up Saturday morning. Wouldn't of taken as long if I wouldent of been waiting for caliper paint to dry

 

I just put new brake pads,rotors,and two new rear calipers on my 03'MCS. I went to bleed it and i get a hard pedal with no air bubbles coming out of the bleeders. then i start the car and the pedal goes to the floor. I tried manual bleeding it pressure bleeding it and vacuum bleeding it. I do not know what i am doing wrong... If anyone has and suggestions that would be awesome. i am trying to bleed it on a lift and i am lifting it from the mini jacking pads.

 

Did you pump the pedal several times with car on? Since you compressed the rear cylinders to get the rotors and pads on, it needs to be pumped to get the cylinder back out of the caliper. Make sure you have enough brake fluid in the reservoir before you start pumping to make sure it doesn't drop below minimum and draw air into the system or you have to re-bleed.

 

Can you please tell me what the fix to this issue was? I am having the exact same symptoms verbatim!