Yep. Ordered. Hope to have it next week sometime so I can play with it next weekend.

Dr. O has it and said above that it works for the ABS bleed mode, he may be able to comment more. Since I have a pressure bleeder, I suspect it will be as simple as hooking up the pressure bleeder (Motive) like usual... then using AutoEnginuity to put the ABS in bleed mode, then bleeding as usual.

The AutoEnginuity site has screenshots you can walk through of the MINI-specific extensions here:
http://www.autoenginuity.com/ScreenC...uationList.htm

The one that shows the ABS air bleed mode is here:

 

I had this problem on my old Honda, where the initial bite was very firm, but the pedal would slowly sink nearly to the floor at a stoplight . I took it back to the place that did the brake fluid change (also using a speed bleeder), and they bled the brakes again. The mechanic said the first time one of the bleeder screws was not tightened properly. Although this cured the problem, I am not a fan of speed bleeders. I am more of a fan of the old fashioned manual two man job, where one guy is stepping on the brake pedal while the other is opening and closing the bleeder screw. Brake feel seems firmer too. Also regarding the guy with the Altima, Nissan cars seem to have a lot more pedal travel when braking, but based on my experience, the pedal does not sink all the way to the floor.

 

It's not really what you'd expect. Have the pressure bleeder hooked up, then put it through the ABS bleed sequence. The ABS system will buzz and click as it cycles through the valving. Then do the bleed corner by corner. If I remember correctly, there's no "off" feature, it just runs for a set amount of time. So if you don't get all four corners done by the time it stops buzzing, go ahead and initiate it again.

I was hoping to make a bleed tool where the ABS pumps did all the work, but I can't find enough documentation on the ABS module to make one....

Matt

 

now that would be cool . you could have the fluid hooked up to the res. and auto bleed like auto waterers for animals .

 

I wonder if it would work best (or any differently) to have four bleed bottles... open all four screws... let them bleed in parallel for a bit.. then close each when it seems to have bled "enough"... ?

 

but it's not that much of a deal. It doesn't take much time to do wheels one by one, and that way you can really stop the flow when you need to. I suspect that with four bottles in parrallel, you're going to use a lot more fluid.

FWIW, I have a motive pressure bleeder and don't really like it. It's too big, takes too much fluid to use, and doesn't seal well when done. For a shop that uses it a lot, this isn't really a problem, but having to bleed only once or twice a year, it pretty much guaratees that a lot of water vapor will be absorbed.

Others love them. Vive la difference!

Matt

 

I still like my Motive bleeder.... Doesn't really seem to use much more fluid than any other approach for me, as long as I use it right... just took a while to figure out the tricks (suck fluid out of the reservoir first with turkey baster, put one liter in bleeder, connect and pump up, loosen reservoir cap slightly to bleed air out of bleeder line, tip bleeder slightly so dip tube is at the lowest point). Then it just works and I don't have much or any fluid left over after a good full flush/bleed.

I flush probably 4-6 times a year - after most of my mountain runs and track days that get the calipers hot, and sometimes before if in doubt on how fresh my fluid is....

 

but I think it could be better executed. Like instead of the big jug geometry, why not something that is shaped more like a funnel? Also, how about a plug to screw into the cap end so that it's sealed when not in use? There are a few more things I'd change if I were god....

I can see how it's not a PITA if you're swapping out all the fluid, but for just a simple bleed, it takes lots more fluid to set it up than you're gonna use.

Matt

 

Agreed - If you're only bleeding out the calipers... probably easier with a mityvac or something similar.