Mercedes R230 - bleed SBC front brakes without STAR + different bleed methods

This video shows how it is possible to easily bleed a front brake line on an R230 Mercedes SL55 with an SBC pump without using a scanner or the Mercedes STAR diagnostic system.
The video briefly describes the 5 main brake bleed methods, giving the pros and cons of each technique.
As always, we finish the video giving part numbers and prices for things like brake bleed, nipples, hose and clips.

[@fredricholst5362]

Exelent, Very good teaching, it's always fun to be able to service my own car bye myself, you also get to know and understand your car better. you know exactly what different strange noises are and what errors they might be and repar it! Have a good summer 😎

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Thanks for you comment - I couldn't agree more. That groaning from the SBC pump had me perplexed when I first got the car...until I realised that all R230's make that sound...albeit at different volume levels and time intervals. Mike

[@Davidgcolhoun]

Excellent video! Subscribed and looking forward to more on this SL 👍🏻

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Thanks for your comment. Plenty coming up on this car....brakes - including SBC pump, transmission...and of course the ABC pump, lines and struts. Mike

[@v6powerjunkie]

Hi Mike just subbed, Thanx for the video and tips on the one way valves etc something I never thought of looking for all these years 🙄 great idea, also love that you actually take care of your replies... so helpful that's rare. 👍 have a slk myself coming up 2 yrs owning and stumbled across your channel. Keep up the good work Gaf 👌

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Thanks...When I am researching topics, I often find that the comments below a video hold many useful nuggets of info. I know that many subscribers to this channel know far more than I ever will... mike

[@v6powerjunkie]

Yeah I know what you mean, my Merc is modern compared to anything I've owned in the past, all this Star/stand alone management stuff scares me to death I be honest 😳 learning and getting there slooowly, principles are basically the same I find as far as servicing goes, I like the way you explain stuff and simplify it as you do 👍 great vid 👌

[@tomhudson4345]

Great tutorial. I have one of these cars and they are fantastic. I'm after some of those turbine wheels.

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Thanks for your kind comments. What model do you have? I'm not the greatest expert on the R230 but I think the wheels on this car were an option on the SL55. If you type "sl55 amg 22 spoke" you will see them for sale....not cheap mind! Mike

[@tomhudson4345]

​@@MikesMercsandothercarsDear Mike. It's exactly the same car as that though mine is an 04 with 68k miles. I have the larger AMG wheels. The car is maintained by a local mercades specalist and has no issues apart from a slight hissing sound under the seat that we think is a split vaccume hose, we're going to fix that ASAP. I'm driving it down to France in a couple of weeks time. Is there any way to contact you directly? I'll send you some more details of the car and maybe you some some ideas as to a few minor issues I have with it. All the best. Tom

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

@@tomhudson4345 Hi - In my last reply, I meant to say if you type "sl55 amg 22" into EBAY, you will find them. I hope you have a fine time in France - my parents have a house down there near Beziers. I am by no means an expert on these cars and if you have issues, a good merc specialist is the best person to contact. The best way to contact me if there is something you think I can help with, is this KZbin channel - that way other subscribers get to benefit from any useful information. Last but not least...I recently visited the R230 graveyard and persuaded the guy who disassembles R230 to start a KZbin channel: www.youtube.com/@DavidSmithSL This is a really good source for both info and parts you may need. Mike

[@tomhudson4345]

@@MikesMercsandothercars Expensive those, i'm on AMG 19's - I'll have to wait until a good set come up at a good price.

[@tomhudson4345]

​@@MikesMercsandothercars I just drove mine down to Saint-Émilion, it's a pleasure driving in France especially in an SL55. We used more fuel than Concorde though - that said, it was fully worth it.

[@commasNculture]

Thank you for taking the time to make this. But whilst reconnecting the SBC plug are there any other procedures to be done if you do not have a star device, to ensure so error messages on the dash ?

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Thanks for your comment. When I did this, it did not require a scanner/STAR to get rid of any messages. The big fat red SBC warning light you get when there is a lack of pressure in the brake system due to bleeding went away once the front brakes were reconnected.Mike

[@elmer9007]

Bought myself a w211 last week and changed brakepads yesterday on the car (they were down to max), then when I drove with it the brakes went warm. I did not disconnect the SBC module and didnt know merc had this system unfortunately. Will try to bleed the system and see if there is pressure on the system

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Hi - what do you mean by 'The brakes went warm'...do you mean the brake pads were rubbing in the discs? Which pads did you change - front , rear or both? Just bear in mind that you wont be able to bleed brakes on a car with SBC in the same way. If there was no brake pressure, you would have a big fat red warning light on the dash. the SBC automatically pressurises the system every time you open the door or turn on the car. Mike

[@yolo-cars]

Hey Mike, thank you for this video!! Please could you confirm that deactivating SBC is absolutely required when you are using either gravity bleeding method or 2-people method, right? And both gravity / 2-people methods only partially change fluid, right? Thank you.

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Thanks for your comment. Yes - you need to deactivate the SBC before you can use the two man method. If you don't do this, as soon as you open the car door or touch the brakes, SBC will come alive and try and pressurise the brake line. With bleed nipple open, system will sense that there is not enough pressure and you'll get a red SBC warning light. That is not necessarily a tragedy because the SBC pump will push fluid down the line and I think from memory the red light goes out one you close the bleed nipple and the system re-pressurises successfully. Remember, only the front brake lines are controlled by the back up brake cylinder. Undoing a rear brake nipple and pushing the brake pedal wont do anything. I suppose, in theory, you could gravity bleed brakes without deactivating SBC. You would undo bleed nipple, old fluid would drain out, and you would top up reservoir periodically. Once clean fluid starts coming down the line, you would simply close the bleed nipple. No need to touch brakes or open any doors. The only method that will completely change the brake fluid is using STAR or some other scanner that follows same process. This changes the fluid in the accumulator whereas other methods do not. You get about 85% fluid change with other methods. Best way to deactivate SBC is with a scan tool but you can also disconnect the plug on the SBC pump in the front of the car or disconnect the consumer battery in the rear. The latter method has other consequences...eg losing saved settings etc. Hope that all makes sense. Mike

[@yolo-cars]

@@MikesMercsandothercars Mike, thank you for your response. I appreciate it! I guess I'll have to shop for a brake bleeder that can hold the needed pressure. I think all these various pump bleeders may not work well, also most are rated only to 30PSI (2 Bar), and Mercedes requires pressure between 30 PSI and 35 PSI (2 to 2.5 Bar). I have STAR though obviously I never used it to flush the brakes on cars with SBC.

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

@@yolo-cars OK - let me know how you get on. Just remember if you are using STAR, that car has to be off the ground and you need easy access to all bleeders and you also need access to the STAR screen so that you can follow instructions. This is where a wireless system is useful. Mike

[@yolo-cars]

@@MikesMercsandothercars Thank you!! I need to find a pneumatic bleeder first, since any bleeder I saw can't hold the pressure. Also I have wired C3 multiplexer. I wish I had C4 wireless mux.

[@yolo-cars]

@@MikesMercsandothercars Mike, I'm still having trouble with finding a pneumatic pressure bleeder for a reasonable price, therefore I have few more questions. If you remember how to bleed brake fluid with STAR then please tell me if you should turn the engine on during the procedure? And I watched videos where the STAR told to keep pressure at least at 2.0 bar and not exceed 2.5 bar. I wonder what happens if you accidentally drop the pressure below 2.0 bar during this procedure? I'm also considering using pump bleeder (that is obviously cheaper), and I know I have to keep an eye on the pressure. That's why I wonder what happens if pressure accidentally drops? Will STAR give you an error and tell you to repeat the whole process? Thank you.

[@ronmower3694]

so i cant get any fluid out of the do i have to disdonect the battery

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

What car do you have - are you talking about front or rear brakes. Mike

[@torolekristoffersen2591]

Changed the lines on the rear. Is it the same as the front? If i disconect the pump, can i use the 2 person method on the rear? Got an w211

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Hi - if your car has SBC pump then the two man method wont work because on SBC cars, pressing the brake pedal will only pump fluid to the front lines. Ideally, to do the rear brakes on an SBC car, the system needs to be properly bled using STAR or some other compatible scanner. I have not tried this myself, BUT....it might be possible to bleed the rear brakes with STAR. When you open the door on your car, the SBC pump (if connected) will come into operation and try and pressurise the system. If you have a rear brake bleed nipple open, the pump will try and squirt brake fluid out (at very high pressure). The computer will sense a lack of pressure and immediately shut off the pump and you will get a red warning message on the dash.. You MIGHT be able to do this a few times to get fluid down the line and then close the bleed nipple and move onto the other side. Hopefully...once both lines are bled, the system will be able to hold pressure and the red warning light will disappear. If you do try this method...let me know how you get on. Be very careful because the system works at VERY hight pressure and mercdes use a special clamp to attach bleed tubes to the bleed nipples. Mike

[@styrkbreistein3502]

@@MikesMercsandothercars think i did that last part, first time i changed rear caliper, when i found out no pressure came to the rear, i waited for the pump to start, and it shot out to the other side of the car, did it 2-3 more times and tought there couldn’t be anymore air in there. Later reading alot about the sbc brake system i figurd i did i wrong and have had paranoia about air in the system and soft brake pedal, even tho it seems to work fine, and my understanding about the sbc is for it to make to braking more comfortble and less "locking" then standard mechanical brakes, so it should feel a little softer? To an extent? Anything spesific i should look for?

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

@@styrkbreistein3502 Ideally, you should bleed the rear brakes using the Mercedes STAR system or some similar diagnostic tool that do the job......although, I have heard of people using your method successfully to bleed the rear brakes. One of the reasons that cars like the SL55 AMG were so fast was the ability to vary the braking force on each wheel independently. For example, when cornering, the outside wheel is travelling a greater distance (and hence faster) than the inside wheel so ideally you would apply a difference braking force to each wheel. Similarly, if you are drive half on ice (or water) and half on tarmac, the SBC system will sence this and apply the correct force accordingly to stop you locking the wheels. Fanstastic when it works....If you have any doubts about your brakes, I would get an indy to do a full brake bleed via STAR. Mike

[@michaelmurray7379]

Hi Mike, i replaced the front hose on my brakes today, so i then bled them, however i did not disconnect the SBC system, and now the wheel is extremely hard to turn. If i disconnect the battery will this solve the problem. Thanks.

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Hi - what car do you have (R230?). Changing the brake hose/line shouldn't necessarily move the position of the pistons in the brake calipers...assuming that is what is stopping the wheel moving Removing the consumer battery in an R230 and reconnecting, wouldn't have any different effect to simply putting the keys in the ignition and turning the car on. The system would pressurise...and hopefully reset itself. Let me know how you get on. Mike

[@michaelmurray7379]

Hi Mike, is there any chance that i could call you, and talk you through the problem i have. My car is a 1999 sl500 r129. Thanks.@@MikesMercsandothercars

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Hi - I am no expert on brakes by any stretch of the imagination but if you drop me an email to [e-mail] with your number, I'll give you a call. Meanwhile, what did you just replace : Brake hose? Brake line? Brake pads? Mike@@michaelmurray7379

[@tonychavez2083]

also when red error message is present the E-throttle only allows about 10-15% throttle so you cannot drive at normal road speeds. it allows car to "limp home" about 25 mph.

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Thanks for your comment - I was not aware of that. I guess it makes sense not to be able to drive home at 100mph with no brakes! Mike

[@tonychavez2083]

@@MikesMercsandothercars the W211 was very advanced for its time.

[@cransaftvalve734]

My brake pedal sinks after changing the front brake calipers. They have changed the brake master cylinder, they have bled the ABS module with a scanner and it remains the same. I can't find the problem, any ideas?

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Hi sorry to hear about our brake issue. What make model and year car do you have? Mike

[@nasirakbar6185]

Hi there I've replaced rear brake pads on my 2005 w211 model and now rhe rear are locked intermittently any idea

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

Hi - when you changed the brake pads did you use a scanner to deactivate SBC? When you changed the brake pads, did you use a special tool to make sure the brake pistons all the way retracted. Does the car drive with an intermittent red brake warning light....or does the car permanently have a red warning light and not drive at all? Do you have a diagnostic scanner? If so what make/brand and model? Mike

[@nasirakbar6185]

No sorry I didn't what's the solution

[@MikesMercsandothercars]

The solutiopn depend on what question are you saying "No" to?@@nasirakbar6185 1.When you changed the brake pads did you use a scanner to deactivate SBC? 2. When you changed the brake pads, did you use a special tool to make sure the brake pistons all the way retracted. 3. Does the car drive with an intermittent red brake warning light.... 4. ...or does the car permanently have a red warning light and not drive at all? 5. Do you have a diagnostic scanner? If so what make/brand and model? Mike

[@nasirakbar6185]

@@MikesMercsandothercars car drives with rear brakes coming on I have bleed the system and used scanner to reset but no change it's not the 1st time I'm doing this but 1st time i have struck with such problem

[@nasirakbar6185]

@@MikesMercsandothercars I don't think the sbc was deactivated prior to change the pads.. what issues will this cause