318ti.org forum - DIY Brake Fluid Replacement

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DIY Brake Fluid Replacement

My car blew a metal brake line under the driver's seat. Line rusted under a clamp and lost a bunch of fluid on the ground (See this thread).

I had the car towed home and I've been working on it off and on for the past 2 weeks. Got the front brakes done and the line spliced with a flared section of brake line (doing flares under the car is NOT fun).

Next step is refilling the system, but I'm fairly confident that I've gotten air in the ABS since the system pretty much drained itself dry. Is there a DIY method of bleeding the system with ABS/AST? I know the dealer has a way to put the system in bleed mode and I read the following in post #4 of this thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1996 328ti (Post 40559)

I HAVE NEVER DONE THIS but this is how my previous independent shop did it.
Remove the ABS relay closest to the firewall and fender and short pins 30 and 87. This will cycle the ABS. I guess the ignition needs to be in the on position. Never let the system run dry.

What I've not found is any sort of DIY method of ensuring that I get all the air out of the ABS. That tip allows you to cycle the ABS, but when do I do that and how many times?

Do I just need to have the car towed to a BMW show to have the system filled and bled?

The average BMW dealership is really not interested in working on BMW's as old as our ti's are. Have a word with a BMW service manager who will likely let you talk to one of their mechanics for some DIY advice. Be up front with them and if they are nice guys they'll help you out. Good luck. John

You may be right, but my experience with dealer service departments is that if I'm willing to part with my money, they're quite willing to take it. [emoji1] I do have a friend who's a service writer at a local BMW dealer, but he's on his honeymoon this week. I hope to have this sorted by the time he gets back.