Hi,
My car is a 91 e30 318i. I recently swapped out my ABS pump.
Before I changed my ABS unit, the pedal tended to be much harder, i.e. very little brake travel was required to get the brakes clamping hard,a nd it felt firmer.
I changed my ABS unit and bled the brakes with a pressure bleeder. I then have driven a bit and did it a second time and didnt really notice any additional bubbles.
The pedal is softer now... I have to push further (not necessarily harder, because beyond a point the pedal will be rock-hard, but Ill also lock up the wheels or brake excessively hard) to get the desired braking effect. It is like there is more ability to modulate the pedal, becasue there is more room for travel.
If I turn the car off, after 4 or 5 pumps the pedal will be completely hard. Its not like it will go to the floor or anything, such as in situations where there are lots of air bubbles in there.
If I am driving fast, the pedal feels normal, it is a bit more firm, and less pushing travel causes as strong a braking effort then when Im going slow, but it still isnt as good as it used to be.
The thing is, my MB and my e30 (used to) feel this way: The pedal needs very little travel to get hard braking, and beyond there, it is rock hard and could lock the wheels easy. My truck, a 98 model that has never had the fluid bled, has felt like the bmw now does, since the factory. It has a lot of travel where the braking force is quite light, and after pushing in, itll brake very hard (and the pedal bayond a point will be hard as it ought to be). I had a chance to drive a friend's new civic this weekend, and it is a cross between the length of the bmw now and my truck and the hardness of the MB. So Im confused as to how the 'feel' of the pedal should be.
I like the pedal to be a bit firmer than it is now... Is there any way to do this? Ive already put almost 1L of ATE SL type 4 fluid in, through the power bleeder.
Thanks,
JMH