Brakes Wheels 2nd Gen Tires Help figuring out elusive R53 brake problem

Discussion in '2nd Generation: 2007+ R55 through R61' started by Tom2112, Feb 9, 2012.

  1. Tom2112

    Tom2112 New Member

    Mar 16, 2010
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    OK, I am at my wits end, and I'm about to get rid of my R53 because it is going to get me killed.

    My 2005 R53 has 48,000 miles on it, and over the last couple months the brakes have become mushy and inconsistent. I've been getting a LOT more brake pedal travel for the same amount of braking, but not always the same amount. Also, under heavy braking (like when someone does something stupid in front of you in traffic), the car becomes unstable. It isn't pulling to one side or the other. The car feels like it will go into a spin-out. I always lay-off the brake before that happens, but it scares the crap out of ya. It's not even consistent which way it wants to spin.

    So, what have I done about it?
    I replaced my pads - fronts in November, backs in December. When I did the backs, I noticed that the back driver's side pads were unevenly worn. The inside pad was down to nothing and the outside pad had over a 1/4 inch of pad left. Also that caliper's piston was very difficult to compress to put the new pad in. I asked my dealership about it and they said "Oh, yeah. That happens. It's pretty common." WTF!?!

    In December, I had the car in for service for an electrical problem. It ended up being the coil pack, which had burnt one of the connectors to the plug wires. So a new coil pack, plug wires and plugs later, it was running OK. While it was at the dealership I told them about my brake problems. They flushed my brakes to the tune of $200 and it made no difference. (As a side note, I had a lot of trouble with the dealer over this repair, and won't be returning to them - ever. Shame on you MINI of Pittsburgh.)

    So I took it to a friend of mine that is a mechanic. He doesn't normally work on MINIs, but he took pity on me. I asked him to bleed the brakes, check them over for problems, and while he was at it, put steel lines and upgraded fluid in. When I got it back from him, the mushy brake problem was worse! I've only had it back one day, but I'm getting a lot more pedal travel than before. The braking seems more consistent now, but I need to put more miles on it to be sure. He's at a loss. I'm at a loss.

    Anyone have suggestions before I trade this car in?
     
  2. minimark

    minimark Well-Known Member

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    #2 minimark, Feb 9, 2012
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2012
    You may have a bad caliper sucking air and or a bad master cylinder.. Would seem to have been found when bleeding by the so called experts though.. 2cents

    I see you are in PA, how far are you from Helix in Philly? If it's not to far, I'd call Eric at Helix and take it to them, they'll get it straightened out.
     
  3. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    ^x2
     
  4. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    Sounds like a master cylinder......and :Thumbsup: to Helix
     
  5. quikmni

    quikmni Moderator

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    I agree with maybe the master cylinder leaking. Since the brakes have been bled and it sounds like people have inspected the system for any leaks, I would also guess that you still have air in the brake system, such as in the ABS where it can be hard to get the air out of the ABS. It might take multiple bleedings to get the air out of the ABS block. It would be best to take the car to a shop that can properly cycle the ABS while bleeding the system.
     
  6. k-huevo

    k-huevo Club Coordinator

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    The rear brake pistons must be fully screwed in when changing pads. If fluid weeps around the bleeder nipple instead of only through bleeder valve when opening, could be a cross thread or galled nipple. As for uneven wear, there could be a kink in the P-brake cable.
     
  7. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    If your rear caliper is sticking it could be overheating the fluid causing it to boil giving you a mushy pedal and causing inconsistant stopping. I'd take a good look at that rear caliper before I'd replace the master cylinder.

    The clues are there if you're paying attention.....
     
  8. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

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    Could be a few things, but to me it sounds like the master cyl has an internal leak. I think I'd look into that.
     
  9. Jason Montague

    Jason Montague New Member
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    :cornut: With all of the above advice................Go to Eric @ Helix in Philly:Thumbsup:

    Jason
     
  10. geowit

    geowit New Member

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    If he's going to MINI of Pittsburgh, that's the other end of the state from Helix. I would also try to contact PittStop MINI to see if anyone local can recommend a good alternative to the dealer.
     
  11. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

    Mar 30, 2009
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    For those that are a little geographically challenged Pittsburgh is in the western end of PA and Philly is pretty much as far east as you can go in PA. It's like 300 miles from one to the other. The route is a toll road too, one of the most expensive per mile in the US.

    But, If you can get to Helix I'd say go for it.
     
  12. Tom2112

    Tom2112 New Member

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    Thanks for the input guys.

    I will check into the master cylinder and the ABS unit.

    As for Helix, I wish they were closer. I like Eric and he did a great job when he tuned/upgraded my R53 two years ago. But I live on the Penn/Ohio border - almost as far as you can get from Helix and still be in PA. I'm 80 miles north of Pittsburgh even.

    Maybe I'll try the Cleveland, OH dealership... does anyone know anything about them? "Classic BMW MINI" in Willoughby Hills, OH?
     
  13. minimark

    minimark Well-Known Member

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    Surely there is at least a good independent BMW shop in your area?
     
  14. Tom2112

    Tom2112 New Member

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    MiniDave:
    When looking at the rear caliper what am I looking for?

    Sorry, I'm not a mechanic, so you'll have to use small words.

    How do I tell if there's something wrong with it functionally? I looked fine when I changed the pads. It looked exactly like the one on the other side of the car. No evidence of leaks, just lots of brake dust. The rubber seal around the piston looked fine too. The only difference between the two calipers was the uneven wear and the piston was hard to compress. How hard? I was cranking and cranking and cranking away on it, so much so that my arm was sore the next day. (It doesn't help that there's very little play in the brake line and you can't really get any leverage on it.)
     
  15. minimark

    minimark Well-Known Member

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    Did you rotate the piston as you compressed, on the rear calipers?
     
  16. Tom2112

    Tom2112 New Member

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  17. minimark

    minimark Well-Known Member

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    If you were rotating the piston as you compressed, it shouldn't have been that hard to compress. Was it hard to compress both rears or just one?
     
  18. Tom2112

    Tom2112 New Member

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    Just the driver's side. The passenger side went as easy as the fronts.
     
  19. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Tom, since you had the pad completely gone on the inside, chances are you just weren't getting the piston back on the threaded part of the rod so that it would go back in.....I've seen that before. You need to push really hard while you turn just to get it started, once it starts it should go back in easily with the HF tool. Sometimes the tool binds also, then you just need to turn the nut the threaded part goes thru to loosen it up.

    The fact that one side was worn completely and one wasn't means either the caliper is sticking and not retracting when you let off the pedal, or the handbrake was left on (was the other side worn the same way? If not, the handbrake was not left on) or the handbrake mechanism is sticking. But again, as it was the inside pad that was worn out, if it was dragging it could have overheated the fluid due to heating the piston, causing the fluid to boil and the pedal to go long and the car to act squirrely....that's what it sounds like to me, given all of your clues.

    I doubt there's anything you can do to fix the caliper except replace it - if that's where the trouble is, but based on your description that's what it sounds like to me. Did you clean and lube the slider pins when you replaced the pads?

    Same with the master cylinder, only it will probably be more expensive. Check Real OEM for relative prices....

    EDIT: According to Real OEM the m/c and caliper are about the same price
     
  20. Tom2112

    Tom2112 New Member

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    Thanks Dave & Mark.

    You wouldn't happen to have the caliper part number handy, would you?
     

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