Brakes... Squishy Pedal...

[wsmeyer]

Found this about using INPA to bleed ABS on an E9x:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=598994


William.

[wsmeyer]

Full directions for E46 bleeding with INPA: (UNTESTED)

Open INPA.
Select E46
Select Chassis
Select DSC MK60
Select Activate (F6)
Select either F2 or F3 (ABS FL RL or FR RR) depending on which one you are bleeding
When you hear the ABS buzz, open the bleed valve. It will then make a second noise where is activates the valves at which point the pedal will start going down in pulses and the fluid will start coming out the caliper.
Repeat.

This sounds very interesting as it would mean an easy way to thoroughly flush and bleed your lines and ABS by yourself. I'm going to play with it this weekend and report back.

William.

[terraphantm]

I've read about air in the ABS and using a computer to activate it but I'm skeptical that it's as simple as cycling the pump. My hunch is you have to cycle it while you are bleeding the line so that the air actually gets removed and not just sucked back in to the ABS.

William.

You are correct in that it's not simply cycling the pump.

Basically you pressurize the system, load up the ABS bleeding function in DIS and follow the onscreen instructions. It will instruct you to open up a bleeder, make a lot of noise, and push some fluid out. Depending on which valves have air trapped in them, you may or may not see some bubbles flow out.

In my case, almost all of the bubbles came out of the driver-side front

Maybe I should do a full write-up...

INPA's bleeding functions are not the same as what DIS does - in my experience it's no where near as effective. This is one of the few cases where it's advantageous to have the dealer programs rather than the factory programs.

[JupiterBMW]

These ideas all sound great, but I still need to get all of the software and the cable right?? Frustrating...

[terraphantm]

Buy this cable: http://www.amazon.com/OBD2-Diagnosti...eywords=VW+409

It won't have battery and ignition detect like a cable meant for BMWs, but that doesn't really matter. If that bugs you, look for a "D-CAN" cable.

Then find DavidMc's 4shared folder (there's a link and password somewhere in the diagnostics section of bimmerforums) and download EDIABAS 6.4.3 and EasyDIS v44. There are guides on how to set all the software up.

[JupiterBMW]

Well a little more to update. I manually bled the ABS unit today and it seems a bit better. I didn't get a lot of air out, at least it didn't seem like it, but the pedal is a lot better. It's still kind of soft, definitely not as firm as it should be for having the SS lines, but it's getting better. I'm hoping one more drive to do some panic stops and get the ABS activating, then one more set of bleeds (ABS and wheels) and I should be done.




Sent from my hybrid iPhone 4/4S...

[Sockethead]

You are correct in that it's not simply cycling the pump.

Basically you pressurize the system, load up the ABS bleeding function in DIS and follow the onscreen instructions. It will instruct you to open up a bleeder, make a lot of noise, and push some fluid out. Depending on which valves have air trapped in them, you may or may not see some bubbles flow out..

What version of DIS are you using and where is it? I'm running V.52 I think... I can't find the bleeding function anywhere...

[terraphantm]

What version of DIS are you using and where is it? I'm running V.52 I think... I can't find the bleeding function anywhere...

I've used both v44 and v55 with success.

I do remember it being a bit tricky to find the function. I'll try again tomorrow and take screen shots. I won't actually perform the bleeding procedure though - but it should be pretty straight forward once you get to the function

[Sockethead]

Thanks, I had the same problem as the OP when re-did my brakes but I couldn't find the bleeding procedure. It will be good info for everyone...

[Newjack]

I'm having the same mushy pedal feeling that Jon was having. I can lock up the brakes and brake normally, but my pedal is not as firm as it was before I did my brake job. Identical problems Jon had. (Let me know if you got it fixed and what you method you used).

So now I have another question. How can I explain this procedure to my mechanic so that they can completely bleed my brakes and flush bubbles out of my abs and or DSC system? I'm not very well versed on this topic and coding is something that is still relatively foreign to me. Any help would be appreciated, and as soon as I get home from work I will be able to research a little easier.

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