My buddy and I installed a BBK - lines, rotors, calipers - on his 05 5at coupe. All of the OEM fluid was flushed and the lines were bled. The fluid level is just below MAX in the reservoir.

The problem is that his "BRAKE" light in the instrument panel stays lit. At first, I thought it was because the reservoir had a little too much fluid in it - it was above MAX - but I suctioned it out down to just below the MAX level?

The service manual states "Before working, turn ignition switch OFF and disconnect connectors of VDC actuator and control unit or battery negative terminal." We didn't do this. But the VDC/SLIP/ABS lights aren't on, which would seem to indicate the ABS module was not damaged.

Could this just be an issue with the fluid level in the reservoir or an issue with the parking brake switch? We made no adjustments to the emergency brake system.

 

i don't think so....a low fluid level in the mas cyliner will just make the light come on, usually just intermittently when you are driving around and the fluid sloshes around in there.

maybe try to just disconnect the battery to reset the light.

 

how did you bleed the brakes,it should be r/r,l/r,r/f,l/f...the metering valve might not have reset to its correct position.how does the pedal feel.

 

That's the order that I bled them. My buddy says the pedal feels soft. I plan to bleed them again. It's just the stupid brake light.

 

Did you ever figure out what this was?

 

We bled it again and the light eventually went out. I don't know what tripped it.

 

OK thanks.

I don't have the light issue but mine are a little soft at first. I have bled them three times and think it is just because of the size of the front calipers.

 

I found the bite to get better with use, but yours should have bedded in pretty well by now.

I drove Ron's (roncfpz) Z to a show last week and it has the same calipers up front as yours. The brakes felt great. He has had some track time on them though.

 

Maybe that's it. They do work great but for daily driving I found them to be soft and unpredictable for the first 10% petal travel. Sometimes they are instant and you only need 5-10 to stop and other times you need 20-25% at the same speed and distance. I am fine with them now but every time I drive another car with more linear brakes I have to get used to it all over.

 

Do you drive many twisty roads or curves? Because of the size of the pads, there is a pad knockback phenomenon. Rotora is about to release springs for that though. Pump the pedal once and there is a lot of travel but then it's rock solid.

 

hey guys kinda off topic question. i'm getting a BBK soon and how many bottles of brake fluid do i need? and can you recommend some brands. i see the Motul RBF 600 is a very popular choice. its good i read this thread, i didn't know that you had to bleed the brakes in a specific order. good to know.

 

1 liter is good for the stock system, but with a BBK, you'll need more. Flush all of the old fluid out while youre at it. Motul is good, but for normal street use, I like the Valvoline Syn, which is available at the local parts store for about $6 a quart. It has a high wet and dry boiling point too.

 

1 liter is good, which allows for a good flush and bleeding of a BBK install. more if you are overly concerned with flushing.

yeah....pad knockback sucks, and something you learn to live with. when i'm on the track, i give my pedal a quick tap before coming into a braking zone to be sure i'm ready for the real braking.

 

Yeah that is what I am getting. If you hear that the springs come out please let me know!

 

I'm learning to do that on the street too.