Bleeding rear Brembo, '82 RS
 

I'm having difficulty in bleeding the back brakes on my 1982 R100RS having renewed the tube and hose. I've tried it as per the BMW workshop manual, the Haynes manual and the Rider's Handbook by means of a tube from the bleed nipple with the other end in a jar of fresh Dot4 . I've tried forcing the fluid back from the bleed nipple on the caliper with a syringe and also tried to suck it through to the nipple using the syringe. I've even tried to blow it through by putting my mouth over the reservoir and blowing. Nothing seems to work. I did this job four(?) years ago and I remember having a heck of a job, but how I managed it is a mystery.

Is it me, or is this really an awkward job? Any suggestions, please?

Things are getting worse. I seperated the two halves of the caliper to see if there was anything stopping me from reversing the hose and nipple connections to the caliper (try and bleed the system on an '82 RS and you will soon see the benefit of such a move- it's to do with accessibility) and when I was about to put them back together I realised there must be some sort of sealing washer or O-ring between the two halves to seal the passage for the fluid between them. I've looked everywhere, and I can't find anything that might have dropped out.

A slightly worrying thing is that I still have the instructions that came with the overhaul kit that I used a few years ago, there is no mention there of splitting the two halves, so now I'm wondering if doing so is an absolute no-no. On the other hand, perhaps the reason it wasn't mentioned was that it simply isn't neccessary to split them normally.

I have spoken to my local BMW agent, Chester Motorrad, they didn't think that there was any reason not to split them, but I declined their offer to order an overhaul kit for me, I thought I'd better ask here first.

So, the questions are,

#1 where can I get this sealing washer?
#2 where can I find a list of Brembo parts on the web?

If you can't find the O'ring (very important it's fitted), then call Sherlocks for a replacement.

Read this thread re: brake bleeding:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...t-brakes-50344

...ROWL !

Ok - seriously; yes, it is a bit of a awkward thingy...

Wonder what the BMW engineers were thinkning when they made that brake solution/contruction...

Here is how to do it:
- unbolt the rear caliper.
- turn it upside down.
- slide anything with a fair thickness between the brakepads to keep the pistons inside the caplier when you bleed the brake.

It -is- a two man work...

Solution - rebuild the caliper; place the bleeding nipple at the top instead of at the bottom of the caliper.