Bleeding after ABS repair

[Dave P]

2007 R1200RT- I'm getting ready to rebleed the brakes after servicing the abs module. She had stuck brushes. Anyway, Ive got the abs block reinstalled and new pads front and rear. Going to bleed on Saturday. Have 3 unopened small bottles of DOT 4, towels, rags etc. is there a correct procedure for bleeding a partially dry system?
 

In the past I opened the bleed screw, pulled the lever firmly, held it, closed screw, released lever. Repeat repeat repeat. lightly tap all of the lines and abs pump. Is that a decent method? Front first then rear? Any tips appreciated! Thanks! Dave

[dirtrider]

8 hours ago, Dave P said:

2007 R1200RT- I'm getting ready to rebleed the brakes after servicing the abs module. She had stuck brushes. Anyway, Ive got the abs block reinstalled and new pads front and rear. Going to bleed on Saturday. Have 3 unopened small bottles of DOT 4, towels, rags etc. is there a correct procedure for bleeding a partially dry system?
 

In the past I opened the bleed screw, pulled the lever firmly, held it, closed screw, released lever. Repeat repeat repeat. lightly tap all of the lines and abs pump. Is that a decent method? Front first then rear? Any tips appreciated! Thanks! Dave

Morning Dave P

 

You can fight with it if you just dump in fluid then pump the hand lever or foot pedal. 

 

I usually pre-bleed the master cylinders before actually bleedings the entire system. 

 

On the front, fill the reservoir about 3/4 full, then very slowly & very carefully move the hand lever in & out, not full stroke (just a very/very short movement). Just enough lever movement to get air bubbles to ease up through the little take-up port hole in the  bottom of the reservoir. Keep doing this until you see the air bubbles stop bubbling up through the hole. (be very careful doing this as a big lever squeeze  can squirt fluid up through that hole then onto your motorcycle plastics).

 

Once the air bubbles stop coming up then drop a CLEAN box cutter blade into the bottom of the reservoir so you can continue bleeding  with full lever strokes but leave the master cylinder cover off while doing it. 

 

Then once the little bubbles stop bleed as normal. 

 

Cover everything (dash & plastics) with plastic garbage bags & old newspapers as Dot4 is fantastic paint remover. 

 

Then do the same on the rear using what you learned doing the front (pedal movement & feel) as you probably won't be able to see the bubbles or see them stop due to the remote reservoir.

 

On the rear--- once you get it bled & air free, then with rear wheel off the ground, turn the key to on (do not start engine) then while spinning the rear wheel pull the front brake lever, that should lock the rear brake up.  That rear brake lock up is running the rear servo pump. 

 

Once you run the rear servo a few times (that should dislodge trapped servo pump valving air)  then do another quick re-bleed on the rear brake circuit. 

 

That should do it, if the brakes don't feel right after riding it then ride a it few times (or better yet find a dirt road & get it to do an ABS stop). Then re-bleed just enough to remove any dislodged air.  

[Dave P]

DR- yes, exactly the information I needed. At the front at least Ive still got the gas tank off so there's not much that I need to cover up. I do at the rear wheel however. Gonna give it a go on Saturday.

 

Do you recommend that open valve, squeeze lever, close valve , release lever technique? Someone told me that helps "blast" the air bubbles out of the lines. Dave

[dirtrider]

18 minutes ago, Dave P said:

DR- yes, exactly the information I needed. At the front at least Ive still got the gas tank off so there's not much that I need to cover up. I do at the rear wheel however. Gonna give it a go on Saturday.

 

Do you recommend that open valve, squeeze lever, close valve , release lever technique? Someone told me that helps "blast" the air bubbles out of the lines. Dave

Morning Dave P

 

Brake fluid will flat ruin your dash plastic (epically the clear lens) so do cover that. 

[Dave P]

DR- So with your helpful suggestions, I think I got my system bled out successfully. I think. Almost forgot to remove the knife blade!
 

I did the rear wheel spin, front brake pull, heard the pump whirring. Good. Maybe Ive just never ridden a bike with a functional linked brake setup, but on a short test ride around the parking lot, it doesn't feel like I've got rear brakes. Well maybe a little but not like what Im used to.

 

Thinking maybe the new rear pads were causing a problem, I put the old, worn pads back in. No difference. I haven't taken it to a gravel parking lot to signal the ABS to activate. Or hooked up a GS911 to activate the abs. 

 

Pedal doesn't really feel "soft", it feels like (on its own at least) the rear isn't functioning. Maybe that's how it's supposed to work? Seems weird to me. With the ignition off, I can spin the rear wheel, hit the pedal and the wheel stops immediately. 
 

Suggestions? Thanks, Dave
 

 

[John Ranalletta]

4 minutes ago, Dave P said:

DR- So with your helpful suggestions, I think I got my system bled out successfully. I think. Almost forgot to remove the knife blade!
 

I did the rear wheel spin, front brake pull, heard the pump whirring. Good. Maybe Ive just never ridden a bike with a functional linked brake setup, but on a short test ride around the parking lot, it doesn't feel like I've got rear brakes. Well maybe a little but not like what Im used to.

 

Thinking maybe the new rear pads were causing a problem, I put the old, worn pads back in. No difference. I haven't taken it to a gravel parking lot to signal the ABS to activate. Or hooked up a GS911 to activate the abs. 

 

Pedal doesn't really feel "soft", it feels like (on its own at least) the rear isn't functioning. Maybe that's how it's supposed to work? Seems weird to me. With the ignition off, I can spin the rear wheel, hit the pedal and the wheel stops immediately. 
 

Suggestions? Thanks, Dave
 

 

Got the same problem on my '10 RT.  Sounds like ABS rebuild time for both of us.  If the rear brake pedal fails to move down regardless of pressure, I'm told it's likely the ABS.  We bled mine today with the GS-911 and cleared the failure code.  During short test ride, depressing the brake pedal threw a code and the pedal felt like was welded onto the frame. Good luck.

[dirtrider]

18 minutes ago, Dave P said:

DR- So with your helpful suggestions, I think I got my system bled out successfully. I think. Almost forgot to remove the knife blade!
 

I did the rear wheel spin, front brake pull, heard the pump whirring. Good. Maybe Ive just never ridden a bike with a functional linked brake setup, but on a short test ride around the parking lot, it doesn't feel like I've got rear brakes. Well maybe a little but not like what Im used to.

 

Thinking maybe the new rear pads were causing a problem, I put the old, worn pads back in. No difference. I haven't taken it to a gravel parking lot to signal the ABS to activate. Or hooked up a GS911 to activate the abs. 

 

Pedal doesn't really feel "soft", it feels like (on its own at least) the rear isn't functioning. Maybe that's how it's supposed to work? Seems weird to me. With the ignition off, I can spin the rear wheel, hit the pedal and the wheel stops immediately. 
 

Suggestions? Thanks, Dave
 

 

Evening Dave

 

If the rear wheel stops with rear pedal then the internal valve is opening.

 

Try it some more to see if you can actually stop the motorcycle with the rear brake pedal. There is no power assist from the rear pedal so it does take more pedal pressure. 

[Dave P]

John- I just did the abs service. That's why I was doing this bleeding procedure.

 

Before doing this abs service, the rear fealt like regular brakes (like Im used to on my 1100RT). Now it's like there's nothing. 
 

So I guess I'll take her out and put 20 miles on her, see if anything changes. Maybe re bleed the rear again. D

[John Ranalletta]

20 minutes ago, Dave P said:

John- I just did the abs service. That's why I was doing this bleeding procedure.

 

Before doing this abs service, the rear fealt like regular brakes (like Im used to on my 1100RT). Now it's like there's nothing. 
 

So I guess I'll take her out and put 20 miles on her, see if anything changes. Maybe re bleed the rear again. D

If you're running with just one brake, be careful.  

[Dave P]

DR- So I just went out and did a quick little test. Started the bike and rode a little bit to turn off the Brake Failure light (turning on the ABS) left it running, center stand, 1st gear got the back wheel spinning, grabbed the front brake, rear wheel keeps spinning. Maybe that indicates the ABS module is still faulty? When I do the engine off ignition on rear wheel spin and grab front brake it stops the rear wheel.

Something isn't right. Maybe there's a fuse that's blown or some sort of ABS reset that I need to do? That would be nice. D

[dirtrider]

1 hour ago, Dave P said:

DR- So I just went out and did a quick little test. Started the bike and rode a little bit to turn off the Brake Failure light (turning on the ABS) left it running, center stand, 1st gear got the back wheel spinning, grabbed the front brake, rear wheel keeps spinning. Maybe that indicates the ABS module is still faulty? When I do the engine off ignition on rear wheel spin and grab front brake it stops the rear wheel.

Something isn't right. Maybe there's a fuse that's blown or some sort of ABS reset that I need to do? That would be nice. D

Morning Dave 

 

Try it with the key-ON engine not running. 

 

I haven't ever tried it the engine running after a roll-off but the ABS system has a built in power saver that turns the rear brake servo off at a stop to conserve power. It re-engages again the moment the motorcycle moves (like rolling backwards or forwards). It might also need front wheel input to do this. 

 

It supposedly will also re-engage the rear brake if you pull really hard on the front lever   (but I haven't ever tried this either).

 

If the rear brake works from the front lever (engine off/key-ON) then try your test mentioned above again but this time really yank the front lever. 

[John Ranalletta]

3 hours ago, Dave P said:

DR- So I just went out and did a quick little test. Started the bike and rode a little bit to turn off the Brake Failure light (turning on the ABS) left it running, center stand, 1st gear got the back wheel spinning, grabbed the front brake, rear wheel keeps spinning. Maybe that indicates the ABS module is still faulty? When I do the engine off ignition on rear wheel spin and grab front brake it stops the rear wheel.

Something isn't right. Maybe there's a fuse that's blown or some sort of ABS reset that I need to do? That would be nice. D

First, I know less than nothing about how the ABS internals work.  I'm having the same problem and about to send the ABS to ModuleMaster for rebuild; HOWEVER, their website states they can resolve ABS pressure sensor faults.  I'm wondering if our problems lie therein.  You're working with a rebuild and still having issues is why I wonder before I plunk down $ for a rebuild.

MM hasn't responded to my chat and they're no answering yet today.

[dirtrider]

12 minutes ago, John Ranalletta said:

First, I know less than nothing about how the ABS internals work.  I'm having the same problem and about to send the ABS to ModuleMaster for rebuild; HOWEVER, their website states they can resolve ABS pressure sensor faults.  I'm wondering if our problems lie therein.  You're working with a rebuild and still having issues is why I wonder before I plunk down $ for a rebuild.

MM hasn't responded to my chat and they're no answering yet today.

Afternoon John

 

That internal pressure sensor is more of an older I-ABS (wizzy system)  issue than an I-ABS gen2 issue. Not that an internal pressure sensor can't fail on your 2010 but not common. 

[John Ranalletta]

Just bought a unit on eBay.  Fingers crossed.

[Dave P]

So I went back tonight and redid my test. Engine on, wheel spinning, pulled in clutch, pulled in front brake, rear wheel stopped. Not immediately but it stopped. I rode it a little bit (circled the parking lot a couple of times) there is braking in the rear, just not like it was before.  Front seems pretty good. I'm thinking maybe I should take it for a cautious 10 mile ride and do a re bleed. Also, a friend mentioned that using a 911 would activate the abs (as if braking in gravel) and would automatically bleed the abs unit. Don't own a 911, but Im in a pretty big BMW group here in Cincinnati, I think it's time to ask for some help. Dave

[dirtrider]

8 hours ago, Dave P said:

So I went back tonight and redid my test. Engine on, wheel spinning, pulled in clutch, pulled in front brake, rear wheel stopped. Not immediately but it stopped. I rode it a little bit (circled the parking lot a couple of times) there is braking in the rear, just not like it was before.  Front seems pretty good. I'm thinking maybe I should take it for a cautious 10 mile ride and do a re bleed. Also, a friend mentioned that using a 911 would activate the abs (as if braking in gravel) and would automatically bleed the abs unit. Don't own a 911, but Im in a pretty big BMW group here in Cincinnati, I think it's time to ask for some help. Dave

Morning Dave

 

It sounds like you might still have some air trapped in the rear system so a re-bleed would be a good place to start. 

 

As for a GS-911 allowing ABS valve/servo activation, yes it will do that. BUT, spinning the rear wheel with key on then using the front brake lever also exercises the rear ABS valve/servo activation.  

 

 

[Dave P]

Well I've still got plenty of Dot4 so I'll go with more rear bleeding. Ive got one of those Mity Vac pump things, maybe I'll try the MV along with a pedal pump at the same time. Try to blast bubbles out of there. D

[John Ranalletta]

19 hours ago, John Ranalletta said:

Just bought a unit on eBay.  Fingers crossed.

 

Appears the replacement unit will need dealer reprogramming.  Hope to receive it late week and get into the dealer ASAP.  We'll see.

 

I was surprised how relatively easily the m/c exploded into parts to reveal the ABS.  Being all thumbs with things mechanical, putting it all back together properly is another thing.  I learned a few things from watching @Boxflyer's work that might make it easier.  I'm a slow learner.

 

 

 

 

[dirtrider]

17 minutes ago, Dave P said:

Well I've still got plenty of Dot4 so I'll go with more rear bleeding. Ive got one of those Mity Vac pump things, maybe I'll try the MV along with a pedal pump at the same time. Try to blast bubbles out of there. D

Morning Dave

 

You are actually better off just bleeding by pumping the foot pedal. The Mity-Vac can suck in fluid & suck it through the system but moves the fluid so slowly that the fluid can just sneak under the air that is trapped in the high spots.

 

I usually just put a clear hose on the bleeder nipple, then put the open end into a container with some fluid in it (hose needs to terminate BELOW the container fluid level). Then open the bleeder nipple & give the pedal vigorous  (full stroke) pumps (leaving the bleeder nipple open). The hose ending below the fluid level will act as a check valve & prevent air getting sucked back in on the back-stroke. 

 

If you place the container slightly above the bleed screw height that will prevent those little small air bubbles that you see in the clear bleed hose. Those are just a little air pulled in at the bleed screw threads from the siphoning effect of fluid in the hose.  

 

Then after doing the initial bleeding (flushing) I close the bleed screw then pump the foot pedal to build full pressure, then do a quick follow-up  of pump the brake pedal, hold it, open the bleed screw to push some fluid out, then close the bleed screw & pump the pedal again. (repeat a couple of times).   The pressure build  can sometimes combine trapped smaller air bubbles into a larger air bubbles that bleed out easier.

 

 

[John Ranalletta]

Help me understand the symptoms that Dave and I seem to share. 

 

The ABS throws a code, the "brake failure" light comes on rendering the rear brake lever immovable and useless.

 

On the centerstand, with the key off, a couple of hard presses on the lever "breaks" it free and allows bleeding of the brake circuit.

 

How does the ABS function to freeze the pedal? IOW, what is different about the ABS with key off that allows the lever to function?

[dirtrider]

40 minutes ago, John Ranalletta said:

Help me understand the symptoms that Dave and I seem to share. 

 

The ABS throws a code, the "brake failure" light comes on rendering the rear brake lever immovable and useless.

 

On the centerstand, with the key off, a couple of hard presses on the lever "breaks" it free and allows bleeding of the brake circuit.

 

How does the ABS function to freeze the pedal? IOW, what is different about the ABS with key off that allows the lever to function?

Morning John

 

I don't believe that you & Dave have the same issues. You have a hard non functional pedal & Dave has pedal function but not enough rear braking performance from the pedal. 

 

On YOUR problem, obviously I can't say for sure as I haven't felt it or ridden the motorcycle, but it sort of sounds like the valve inside the ABS module is not  properly switching to allow rear pedal pressure to switch to the rear caliper so pedal pressure is just deadheaded. 

 

Your problem c-o-u-l-d be a defective (seized) rear master cylinder BUT you have a brake failure light & the ABS controller wouldn't know that until you used the rear  brake pedal & it retained pressure. This would most likely cause the rear brake staying on so not likely the issue. 

 

On the BMW linked ABS system it only has one rear caliper with one line going to it. That means that it can ONLY have one input to the caliper at a time (basic hydraulics circuit function).

 

So the system needs a way to allow just front or just rear pressure input into the rear caliper (as it can't have both at the same time).  

 

 

 

 

This thread shows one of the problems with 2 people posting in the same thread with similar sounding problems but different causes. The thread gets confusing & very difficult to keep up with. Especially if future posters jump in without reading the ENTIRE thread from the beginning.  

[Dave P]

John- here's a pic of my ABS failure- one of the brushes was stuck. It's now repaired and back in the bike. I think it's functioning properly but I'm thinking I still have some air in the rear circuit. I have rear brakes, just not where they should be yet. D

[Bernie]

@John Ranalletta, I recently heard of a RT that rear brake failure, because the hose between the rear master cylinder at the brake pedal and the reservoir was kinked or twisted. It caused a problem with the brake pressure not being able to bleed off after the brake pedal was released.

Another rider, adjust the rear brake lever and removed all the required play needed for the rear master cylinder. This caused a similar effect, not letting the brake pressure bleed back to the reservoir after releasing the brake pedal.

[dirtrider]

1 hour ago, Bernie said:

@John Ranalletta, I recently heard of a RT that rear brake failure, because the hose between the rear master cylinder at the brake pedal and the reservoir was kinked or twisted. It caused a problem with the brake pressure not being able to bleed off after the brake pedal was released.

Another rider, adjust the rear brake lever and removed all the required play needed for the rear master cylinder. This caused a similar effect, not letting the brake pressure bleed back to the reservoir after releasing the brake pedal.

Afternoon  Bernie

 

Both of those possibilities originally came to mind but both of those would cause the rear brake to stay engaged after the first rear brake apply & John rode the motorcycle back to his trailer with no mention of rear brake drag. 

[Dave P]

DR- well I just did another bleed. Wheel spin with ignition on. About 10x the did the open valve, bottle with fluid above the valve, firm pushed on the pedal. Did that about 25x topping up every 5 pumps. Then I did the ignition on wheel spin another few times.

 

One thing I have noticed is that when I push that pedal down, I hear a sort of squish squish sound. Like fluid moving around in there. Figured it would be silent. Seems a little peculiar to me. Maybe that's air squishing around in there? Wonder if maybe I need a new rear master cylinder?
 

Yeah Ive got rear brakes, but still doesn't seem real strong. Also noticed I when I just hit the rear brake the rear wheel skidded. I thought wheel skid didn't happen with functional abs. Not sure where I need to go with this. Dave

[John Ranalletta]

3 hours ago, dirtrider said:

Afternoon  Bernie

 

Both of those possibilities originally came to mind but both of those would cause the rear brake to stay engaged after the first rear brake apply & John rode the motorcycle back to his trailer with no mention of rear brake drag. 

That's correct.  Also, @Bernie, I inspected the hose for crimps.  It looks okay, plue, when I evacuated the ABS doing a bleed, the brake fluid flowed freely out of the circuit.

[dirtrider]

11 hours ago, Dave P said:

DR- well I just did another bleed. Wheel spin with ignition on. About 10x the did the open valve, bottle with fluid above the valve, firm pushed on the pedal. Did that about 25x topping up every 5 pumps. Then I did the ignition on wheel spin another few times.

 

One thing I have noticed is that when I push that pedal down, I hear a sort of squish squish sound. Like fluid moving around in there. Figured it would be silent. Seems a little peculiar to me. Maybe that's air squishing around in there? Wonder if maybe I need a new rear master cylinder?
 

Yeah Ive got rear brakes, but still doesn't seem real strong. Also noticed I when I just hit the rear brake the rear wheel skidded. I thought wheel skid didn't happen with functional abs. Not sure where I need to go with this. Dave

Morning Dave

 

How fast were you going when you got rear brake lock-up? At very low speeds the ABS cuts off so the brake can actually stop the motorcycle. I'm not sure what the low speed threshold is but you should have ABS on the rear wheel at over 10 mph (probably lower than that but at least by 10mph)

 

On the squishing sound, that does sound like a little air in the system but you shroud have it bled that out with all you have done. 

 

The front circuit has a accumulator so that can sometimes be a pain to get the air out of  but the rear (ABS-event)  make-up fluid is supplied by the servo pump so running the pump with the rear wheel spin & front lever usually purges that quickly.

 

With the motorcycle sitting (unused)  for a while how far does the rear pedal travel on the very first FIRM push. 

 

 

[Dave P]

Good morning DR, on that rear lock up I was going pretty slow, under 10 Im sure. As far as the squishy sound, I noticed that when I had the rear valve open so I guess maybe I'm hearing the fluid flowing through the lines. I'll have to go out and evaluate how far the pedal travels on the first push. First push with the valve closed, right?

[dirtrider]

43 minutes ago, Dave P said:

Good morning DR, on that rear lock up I was going pretty slow, under 10 Im sure. As far as the squishy sound, I noticed that when I had the rear valve open so I guess maybe I'm hearing the fluid flowing through the lines. I'll have to go out and evaluate how far the pedal travels on the first push. First push with the valve closed, right?

Morning Dave

 

 

First push with the valve closed, right? ----    Correct, just like a rear brake stop after riding for a while. 

 

[Dave P]

DR- one thing I thought of- I installed new "sintered" pads on the rear of the bike, should I have selected non sintered pads for the rear? Would that make any difference? Dave

[dirtrider]

9 minutes ago, Dave P said:

DR- one thing I thought of- I installed new "sintered" pads on the rear of the bike, should I have selected non sintered pads for the rear? Would that make any difference? Dave

Morning Dave

 

Yes, it can make a difference, depends on the pad friction & if they are fully burnished in.

 

If the rear brake still doesn't feel right then you might re-install the original rear pads just to see if that helps. You can re-install the new pads later after you  are sure the rear braking is working normally.  

[Dave P]

DR- Ive put probably 600 miles on the RT since reinstalling the ABS module and bleeding the lines. Ive bled the rear brakes several times including the engine off wheel spin, front brake pull like you suggested. The rear brakes work, but the pedal just doesn't feel rock solid firm like I feel it should. Don't know if there is still air in there, or maybe my rear master is weak/ worn. I think Ive followed your bleeding procedure carefully but it just feels soft. I happened to park next to a early hexhead RT at a meet last week and pressed the other bike's rear pedal. It felt solid. Any other things I could try? Dave

[dirtrider]

9 hours ago, Dave P said:

DR- Ive put probably 600 miles on the RT since reinstalling the ABS module and bleeding the lines. Ive bled the rear brakes several times including the engine off wheel spin, front brake pull like you suggested. The rear brakes work, but the pedal just doesn't feel rock solid firm like I feel it should. Don't know if there is still air in there, or maybe my rear master is weak/ worn. I think Ive followed your bleeding procedure carefully but it just feels soft. I happened to park next to a early hexhead RT at a meet last week and pressed the other bike's rear pedal. It felt solid. Any other things I could try? Dave

Morning Dave

 

At 600 miles it could still be the rear pads are not fully seated in yet. 

 

Or you might still have some air in the rear hydraulic circuit. 

 

You can just ride it some more to see if the air will work it's way to someplace where you can bleed it out. 

 

Or try bleeding it again with some different things to try. 

 

Try bleeding with bike on the side stand.

 

Maybe try (with key-on engine not running) have someone spin the rear wheel then with it spinning, quickly push the rear brake pedal as hard as you possibly can (all your weight + pulling on the handlebars) then hold it on hard for about 30 seconds--- This sort of simulates a GS-911 brake bleed test.

Do the above a few times THEN try a re-bleed of the rear using the rear pedal. 

 

If the above doesn't change anything get some help then put a folded blanket or old coat on the ground to protect the valve cover, then gently lay the motorcycle over on it's left hand valve cover. Then pump the brake pedal a few times (maybe even key-on & spin the rear wheel & hit the brake pedal a couple of times). 

 

Then stand it up & do another quick re-bleed. 

 

This doesn't always do anything but worth a try. Try hanging a heavy weight on the brake pedal, or use a ratchet strap to pull the pedal down with force, leave it like this overnight. Then next day do a quick re-bleed. The weight overnight can allow many small air bubbles in the fluid to combine into fewer larger air bubbles. 

 

If nothing changes maybe try putting the old rear brake pads back in to see if the brake feels more like it did before. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dave P]

DR- Ok, sounds like several ways I try the rear bleeding. I'll go through these one at a time. Ive also gently tapped both the hard and soft lines in the rear circuit. Front feels pretty good but not rock hard, probably need to bleed the front a bit more too. D

[dirtrider]

49 minutes ago, Dave P said:

DR- Ok, sounds like several ways I try the rear bleeding. I'll go through these one at a time. Ive also gently tapped both the hard and soft lines in the rear circuit. Front feels pretty good but not rock hard, probably need to bleed the front a bit more too. D

Morning Dave

 

If the front is still a bit soft then there is possibly still a little air in the accumulator. A GS-911 to cycle the valves, or few front wheel ABS stops,  will usually dislodge that air. Or just ride it as it will probably eventually work it's way out.

[Hosstage]

Dr, does it make sense to tie down the brake lever and foot pedal overnight as I have done with non-abs systems? This has almost always gotten rid of the softness in the controls.

[dirtrider]

33 minutes ago, Hosstage said:

Dr, does it make sense to tie down the brake lever and foot pedal overnight as I have done with non-abs systems? This has almost always gotten rid of the softness in the controls.

Afternoon Hosstage

 

As mentioned in my post above it can sometimes help, but only if the air is many small bubbles in the fluid, if the air (if there is any air) is already in large bubbles in the accumulator or in a high spot then it won't help. But worth a try as it is cheap & easy enough to do.

 

No matter what the system still has to be bled afterwards as the overnight pressure won't remove the trapped air it can only combine it so it is easier to bleed out.