So it came time to replace my brakes all around, I bought EBC ultimax slotted rotors for the front, Zimmerman plain coated for the rears and EBC red stuff pads all around.

Last night it took me nearly 4 hours to replace it all, it was a bit of a nightmare since it started to get dark as I was doing the rears and I could barely see anything. I borrowed a caliper tool kit from a former Mini technician I know, pushing the pistons back wasn't much of a hassle. It just took awhile to get the springs on how they're supposed to be on the rear calipers.
But anyway, when all four wheels and the car was on the ground ready to go out for the bed-in session I felt my brake pedal nearly hit the ground once I started the car. The ABS, DSC and TPM light came on all at the same time as well. It was too dark to diagnose anything, all I did was pump the brake pedal a few times and check for leaks, thank God my driveway was dry from brake fluid.


This morning I ran my OBDII scanner and found no fault codes, meaning my ABS system is ok. Last night, I was convinced that I had junked my ABS module since I din't open the bleed screws to push the pistons back in. As of now I believe there are air bubbles in the lines because of that, but I'm not understanding why the DSC and TPM lights came up.

Any ideas of what might be going on that I am missing?????

Any help will be appreciated

 

No indication as to what MINI you are driving, when the 'great trifecta' lights up on Gen 1 models it is generally because of a faulty rotation sensor so you might start by looking at that. Don't ask me how a part with no moving pieces can start smelling bad but they do. They are user replaceable.

 

That seems logical, and mine is a 04 MCS.. The speed sensor might be bad , but do you think the reason for a low pedal is air in the system?

 

Well I would not blame it on the not opening the bleed screws. You have a sealed system, you should not need to open it to change pads. When you compress the piston it should just displace the fluid to the reservoir. (Did your tool rotate the rear piston as it compressed?) With that all said, if your pedal hits the floor there is air in the system. you should do a full bleed. How the air got there I can only suspect the piston seals and if that's how it got there then that is something else to address. something in your process introduced air

Here are some excellent diy write ups to check your procedure against

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...beginners.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...beginners.html

Or check this thread See post #5...describes your scenario...If so, disregard my previous statement

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ds-rotors.html

 

I'm going to be checking if anything was installed wrong, I'm pretty sure it wasn't but I'm taking my wheels off and checking anyway.. I'm also considering replacing the fluid.

 

FWIW....I highly recommend the bavarian autosport bleeder. I considered the motive, but went with this and am quite happy with the product.

http://www.bavauto.com/fland.asp?part=PB03K

 

The pedal went down because when you pushed the pistons back into the calipers the next stroke of the pedal pushed them out to the rotors again - taking up the slack, the second or third stroke of the pedal should have brought it back up to normal again.

Is that what happened?

It scares me that people who don't seem to have a clue how the system works are doing brake work, but props to you for taking the time to get the rear pad clips over the pistons correctly. Working in the dark, especially when you're not sure what you're doing, is a recipe for problems down the road, it's so easy to miss something important.

Maybe we need to write up a how the system works that must be read before anyone can download a how-to on replacing brake pads and rotors?

BTW, changing the brake fluid would be a really good idea too, it probably hasn't been done in a long time.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9B2m...1&feature=plcp

 

No, thats not what happened. I was surprised when my brake pedal was far down after the brake job. I pumped it a few times it was still low, It seems like my right rear caliper was loose even though all the bolts in the assembly were tightened to specs. I found the pins to be in perfect condition, none were bent or loose. It seems like the bushings are cracked and making it move around like that.

 

It's not like I don't know what I'm doing. I fully understand how the system works, I just never came across an issue like this. All I have is a pair of defective bracket bushings, I would never found the issue if I kept diagnosing it alone. I had a buddy pump the brakes as I inspected every caliper. As for the ABS/DSC, I have a bad speed sensor on my right front wheel that's causing it to malfunction.

 

http://www.waymotorworks.com/tyrolsp...-and-rear.html

Just ordered these.

 

I'm glad you got it all figured out.

Just let me get this straight.....You parked your car to upgrade the brakes with no known existing issues....and while you were turning wrenches a rubber bushing and speed sensor failed.

Please let us all know when you get those new bushings installed.

 

well, it was time to replace the brakes and I wanted to go a little over stock without spending over a thousand on a big brake kit. My buddy runs ebc red stuff and zimmerman rotors all around in his Miata and the braking power is simply incredible, I wanted to try it out on the Mini.

I knew my right rear was wearing the pads a lot faster than the others but I wasn't too sure why. As for the right front wheel, it needs a new hub. The bearings are bad but I haven't messed with them yet, I'll be bringing it to a friend's garage to use his impact gun to replace it. I still don't know why it triggered the warning lights, I'll figure it out when I get to that.

I depend on my car to do pretty much everything, I'll be using public transportation to get around but as of now my Mini is parked waiting for those bushings to arrive..

 

My bushings just got here, I'll install them in the morning and post the results...
In the man time, check them out..

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5...zzbvo1_500.jpg