I just got some new SS brake line which I am about to install. I am after some advice on a couple points please (which may have not been covered in the previous post of Kermini - https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ght=brake+line )

• Not having access to a pressure bleeder, would it be safe to use those simple 'self-bleeding' tools? They normally have a clear tube that attaches to the bleed nipple and have a mechanism (e.g. ball bearing tip) at the other end to prevent (what I presume to be) expelled air-filled fluid from returning to the brake line?
• Since these tools suggest to crack-open the nipple half-turn and then pump the brakes several times to expel the air-filled fluid, how many pumps would it take to empty a completely filled brake reservoir on the mini? Not being able to see the reservoir as I pump the brakes concerns me, so it would be good to have a general idea of the number of pumps required to empty the unit.
• Should I have the reservoir full and closed (with the cap) as I remove and replace each individual brake line?
• As I plan to bleed the clutch slave last, (as dumb as it sounds) do I need to have someone pump the clutch when I bleed the slave?

I appreciate any advice. Thank you :smile:

 

I recently changed mine brake lines to Stoptech SS lines and it was surprisingly easy. I had the fortune of using the BMW brake fluid tool where you simply fill it with the new fluid, put the pressure cap in place of the reservoir cap, and pump it a few times to pressurize it, then proceed to bleed the brake lines.

1.) I still had to pump the brakes, but the main thing about this tool is that I didn't have to constantly refill the reservoir.

2.) Knowing when to stop is simply a matter of looking at the fluid color change. Old brake fluid will look dirty or dark, so even if you're using the same fluid rather than say something like Super Blue where it's obvious the color is different, you can still change. How many pumps depends on how long it takes for the new fluid to push the old fluid out. It might be 20 pumps or more.

3.) The reservoir should always be topped off, and the cap can be open. It won't affect anything.

4.) It's not dumb to bleed the clutch. On my Cooper, the nipple is located under the battery box, so the most time consuming part about bleeding my system was bleeding the clutch since I had to remove the battery and the box to get to the nipple. And yes you will need to pump the clutch!

Good luck!

Richard

 

Richard,

Is the BMW tool expensive? Would you have a part # ?

When you removed the oem brakelines, did you have the reservoir open or closed?

I understand the colour change when sigthing the outgoing fluid. I only asked about the number of pumps to be aware without sighting the reservoir. I just did not want to pump it say three times (with a full reservoir) only to find out that the reservoir was empty.

Thank you for the advice

Ed

 

I believe the tool IS expensive, as are most BMW tools. It's incredibly simple, I have pix that I will post later. Fortunately for me, my neighbor is a service guy at BMW, so he just brought the tool home, and we did it together.

As far as the brakelines---the reservoir was open. We actually replaced the brake fluid first then did the lines----by mistake--that is, we changed the fluid, and had to do the brake lines another day. With that--there was a fear that we would have to pinch or put a stopper to keep the fluid from draining once the brake lines were removed, but to our surprise, only a very small amount leaked (it didn't come gushing out like I thought it might!). We put a pan under the brake to catch any leaking fluid--and the amount was no more than what was in the line itself.

So it was just a matter of removing the line, letting it leak a little, and replacing the new SS lines. Very straightforward.

It'll take you a lot more than 3 pumps to drain the reservoir. Because we did the brake bleed one day and the brake lines another---we didn't have the BMW tool available for both days. For obvious reasons you don't want to pump your brakes without fluid, but I suppose having a helper is out of the question? In any case, we did around 3 to 4 sets of 5 pumps for each wheel.

So for changing the lines, we kept the reservoir open, and topped it off, but really I think we could have changed all the lines, bled the brakes, and only needed to top it off once because so little fluid was lost.

Good luck!

Richard

 

watch out fluid doesn't blurp out of the open resevoir; it eats paint. There are pressure bleeders available for about $30 and they work great..,mine is made by Motive Products; they run ads in Grassroots.

 

I've been told to flush it with tons of water if it gets on any paint. Don't let it dry, or smudge it, or blot it. Just flush it, otherwise you will make it worse!