Doing Brake work and using a Pedal Depressor

[TyzToyz]

Going to be removing my DSC/ABS module shortly and have read about using a brake pedal depressor to partially engage the brakes.
Has anyone performed this procedure with success (does it really prevent the mess of all the fluid draining out of the system)?
How far does the pedal get depressed, half way?
I will be bleeding the brakes and adding new fluid when I reinstall the unit, I just don't want it to drip out of where the module used to be while it is off being repaired.

Tye

[Rekla]

I saw someone using tire valve caps on the opened up brake lines. If you can share some details of the process you followed that be great. Looking to tackle this myself soon.

[TyzToyz]

I made the $12 Home Depot tool from an idea that I found on Youtube (google pedal depressor tool, it's a 3 part video).
Going to tackle it on the weekend. I will post on how it goes.

Tye

[Rekla]

I saw on the E90 forum a video of this brake valve replacement and he used these wire shelf end caps (2 small and 2 large) to cap the brake lines after disconnecting them from the unit. You can get them on Amazon:

ClosetMaid 75355 Wire Shelf End Caps, 24 Large and 60 Small, 84 Pack, White

[inTgr8r]

Yes brake pedal depressor is SOP for this type of work.
I also have a box of rubber end caps for the line ends that I picked up from Amazon.
I don't recall what they're called but will check next time out in the shop.


[edit]
...here ya go, on Amazon

[wdb]

Not sure what the brake pedal depressor is for. I've done two DCS units and only plugged the lines and bled the brakes upon reinstall.

[TyzToyz]

I have read that depressing the brake pedal partially, it blocks off some ports which prevents fluid from draining from the system.
I believe it worked, because only a small amount of fluid was lost when I removed all the fittings from the DSC module.
I am also switching to SS brake lines while the system is open.
Really hoping Module Master can repair my unit and it eliminates those pesky lights so it will pass inspection.
I need to get out and drive this thing!

Tye

[Rekla]

Anything you can share on this DYI? I started to look at this myself but am unsure if there is adequate clearance for all the wrenches (especially the brake lines connecting to the unit) without removing a bunch of unrelated (like the coolant fluid reservoir) stuff.

[TyzToyz]

Mine is not an "M", so I cannot say for sure what you will expect, but I only had to remove the fender liner. As I said, there was only minimal brake fluid leakage during the whole process (even during the SS line replacement). I can only attribute that to the pedal depressor, as any other work I have done without it resulted in a huge mess and leaking fluid constantly. I did not even cap any lines and it has not leaked a drop in 2 days.

Tye

[wdb]

Thanks for the pedal depressor information! What a great idea. I siphoned out the reservoirs so not much mess, and I was flushing the system anyway so no great loss. But it is a good trick to keep in mind for other jobs.

I did mine from the top. I loosened and moved the coolant tank but did not disconnect any lines. I bought metric line wrenches with pivoting heads, made the job pretty easy. There was some brake fluid loss which I mostly caught with shop rags. Cleaned up the rest immediately with brakleen.