Oh my god the difference with the ABS unit removed!

[Liquidity]

I bled and bled and bled, vacuum bled, nothing mattered. I had to pump the brakes like I was driving my grandfathers old pick up truck. I was starting to think this was just the way it was with this car until I happened across this thread.

(really needs to be stickied, I only found out about this accidentally)

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=251112

I don't have $80 for the bypass kit this guy has

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=275819

so I started cutting and bending brake lines except for the rear. Turns out, all you have to do for the rear line is bend it back and plug it right into the master. It has the exact same fitting and flare on it. The front I had to put a T in.

I actually haven't even bled this yet and already the brakes feel better. Unreal.

[jlevie]

If you simply ran the rear line into the master cylinder you eliminated the brake bias valve. That may make the brakes "feel" better, but the first time you get into the brakes hard or are on a slippery surface you will find that the rear brakes lock up and the car will want to swap ends.

The way the ABS unit works on an E30 removing it will have no affect on brake feel. Air in the system will, but not the ABS unit.

[Liquidity]

The bias valve is after the ABS unit. It's still exactly where it was and is still in the system. As far as the way the ABS works, I'm sure when this car was new 30 years ago the ABS unit didn't have any air in it. But now it's full of it and I see no point in trying to get it out.

I'm also not sure what you're trying to tell me - that my brake pedal didn't just change from super soft mush that I needed to pump to get a pedal, to a normal feel? This isn't a debate here. If I knew someone was going to try to tell me I didn't just feel this change, I would have taken a video of it first.

[E30SPDFRK]

He's saying that the difference in brake feel is because you weren't bleeding correctly before.

[Andy.B]

But now it's full of it and I see no point in trying to get it out.

It can be a pain to properly bleed the ABS unit on these cars. After countless unsuccessful attempts using a traditional method, I ended up succeeding by having the car running, in gear, and then spinning the front wheels as quickly as I could before having a helper hit the brakes to get the ABS to engage while bleeding it. This method thankfully worked, and allowed me to maintain ABS in my car.

[jim325]

With the above poster. In cars now to bleed the abs module/pump you have to actuate the pump. Newer cars you can do it with a scan tool. E30's well I'm not sure. But to properly bleed the abs pump you have to be able to make it pump.