I was about to get onto the tollway today and head home until I put my foot on the brake and it went straight to the floor. WOOPS! That's not supposed to happen! Took an immediate exit and limped to the gas station to check it out.

Peak under the rear and brake fluid is pouring from the right side of the gas tank. I limp it back to my family's place about 2 miles away (without touching the break, thanks! :alright and start to investigate.

Unfortunately I was a little underdressed for the weather and didn't have a proper took kit handy so I couldn't investigate too long. What I saw was a leak that appears to be coming from above the evaporation/charcoal canister/filter. That's brake pipe area, right? Not brake hose? I know it has braided lines on there, not that that means it can't bust a hose, especially since some of the line has some rust on it...

I need some help troubleshooting since my mom had to drive me back to my apartment and my mini is in her driveway. What's your opinion on most likely cause? Should I just get new braided hoses and a length of 3/16 pipe with bubble flare from Napa/Advance/Autozone and replace everything in there?

 

Anybody have an idea how those lines are routed? Is there a T-Junction up around the fuel tank or does the line run all the way to the front? Been searching for a picture of how they're routed but can't find anything...

 

This repair should be left to an experienced mechanic; don't mess with brake lines.

 

Why? There's nothing special about brake lines as long as you have the right equipment.

 

There are two fittings up near the connector for the post catalyst oxygen sensor, but you don't need to run new line that far up the car.

Usually we fix sections in varying length between 18" - 36" depending on where the break is. You can pick up a section of brake line from the local parts store and some brass compression fittings and have the problem taken care of in a few hours. That is assuming you didn't get air into your ABS pump, that requires a special tool to get the system bled properly. A pressure bleeder makes the job much easier as well.

No proportioning valve to worry about, they are separate lines from the ABS pump all the way to the back of the car.

 

You don't indicate year/model, but here's what a 2005 MCS looks like:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=34_1205.

 

Much appreciated!

My bad. I guess I didn't think that the routing would be significantly different between years, but they changed things a bit for 03+, right? Familiar with realoem, but the diagram doesn't give me much to work off of since there's no point of reference. I'll get under there this weekend, though and have a look. NAPA lines for $10 ftw.