my brakes go to the floor

You have lost brake fluid and there is insufficient pressure to work the brakes. Do not drive the car!

First step to do is determine the cause of the leak. It could be a fractured brake line, hose, or a blown seal on the master cylinder, etc.

The real problem that you should be concerned with is that you know nothing about cars. Your life (and the life of others) depends on your brakes.

Basically, this is not a do-it-alone project for you.

You have two choices. One, get a friend that is experienced to help and show you how to fix it. Two, have the car towed to a respectable shop or the local dealer and pay for the repair.

The integrity of your hydraulic brake system has been compromised, most likely a seal has failed somewhere. Do NOT drive that car.

Have it towed to a reputable mechanic and be prepared to open your wallet.

I also have a NA 300ZX. There are four likely causes of your fluid loss.

1) brake caliper leaking. (likely)

2) brake hose ruptured. (possible)

3) steel brake line rotted out. (possible because of age)

4) master cylinder leaking. (likely)

All of the causes require the same action by you. GET SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT.

You can try to find the cause if you want. You can even help if you want. But unless you can have a good understanding of the workings of automotive brake systems this is a job for an experienced brake tech. Good luck, and be safe.

Dude. Your brakes are about to fail and someone is going to die. Take it to a gararge

The brakes already did fail. What do you think "the pedal went to the floor" means?

Have it TOWED to a garage that is recommended by friends whose opinion you value.

Sounds like you need to replace the master cylinder.

You had better learn about cars enough to keep proper fluid amounts in critical components. "There is a leak, I know nothing!"

Sensible stupid people refill vessels that have leaked out important fluids.

Oh, I've cut my arm off and I'm bleeding a lot, do I need a transfusion?

The batteries in my radio, have gone dead, do I need new batteries?

My brain doesn't work, can I have yours?

I at least give the original poster credit for asking the question and the guts to admit that they do not know, which was the sensible response!

Unfortunately, that would disqualify them from holding public office.

You are correct AH. I was being a bit of a snot.

But many people have strokes and illness which stop them from driving while it does not stop them from playing Doctor or other things in our society. Their lobbys are so strong with lawyers few would challenge them.

actually I would argue the point on doctors. A good friend of mine had a stroke not quite a year ago. She is a dentist. She lost feeling in two fingers on her right hand, her memory is no longer what it once was either. But thankfully she has recovered from where she started, paralyzed and unable to speak. She was required to give up her license to practice until she could show proof to her neurologist that she was able to do so safely. she now manages the practice and sticks to supervising hygenists and other low risk work and has hired a dentist to come in and do the actual dentistry.

in the words of Clint Eastwood, "A man has got to know his limitations."

I wish we had those people here. We have seen Doctor reconver for months in their offices while the Nurses ran the show. Actually the patients got better care from the nurses. We had to complain before the state even knew. Tennessee is kind of slow taking action,.

Apparently not in politics.

Any pedal resistance felt on second or third consecutive pressing? Any slow redraw on constant pressing? If yes your master cylinder is dead. Replace it with a genuine and of cource all fluid with a good quality one. AVOID any immitation parts on your brake system

As already posted, get it towed to a professional. Do not try and fix it yourself. Brakes are a safety item, what you don't know can kill you.....or someone else.....

It will probably not be so expensive......

Dude!

If you know nothing about cars and can not identify the fluid, you are definitely not qualified to be making brake repairs yourself. Call your service shop or a good brake shop and have the Z TOWED in and fixed. (You might want to get an estimate first... a 90 is almost 20 years old and I doubt that it has any value as a classic or collector car)

since you know nothing about cars, & brakes are the most important system in a car, I would suggest calling a tow truck and having your car towed to a competent shop where the correct repairs to your brakes system could be made.

Bring it over to Yancy's Garage with a six-pack an Ill fix it right up for you.

Wev'e got the best stop leak addative on the market and youll be good as new.

It carrys the Good CR4 Housekeeping seal of aproval.

TOW! DO NOT DRIVE the car to a competent mechanic to have your brakes repaired. You are losing brake fluid from somewhere, that means that you cannot apply the brakes because with a leak in the system, you cannot maintain pressure in the brake lines. either a seal has failed, a connection has come unscrewed, or something (or someone) has cut your brake line.

Ther's a job for detective Monk right here

It is not as uncommon as you might imagine. People going through divorces and such with angry vindictive soon to be ex-spouses often have these sorts of problems. Everybody has seen the 007 movies and the gangster movies where the brake line gets cut so it is a commonly attempted way of trying to kill somebody while trying to make it look like an accident, but most all cops and accident investigators know to look for that too. Amateurs are usually caught quickly. They are either seen by somebody or they leave evidence behind, or they talk too much to the wrong people. Better to simply loosen the bleed screw/valve a little bit and let the fluid ooze out slowly over several days..... more plausable as an accident that way.....=b

I prefer to remove the brake line at both fronts, and one rear. Then install a BB in each line and replace.

This gives a good feel to the brakes. When asked to stop, the car will likely lock up the one working wheel and swap ends. Have a wonderful day.

yeah, but it is hard to explain the existence of the BB to the accident investigators...

Make a note of the type of seating upholstery so you can tell the emergency room and they can use the proper equipment to pull it from ...

This is in the case you do not listen to everyone else, the pedal goes to the floor - and that's all that happens!

I once survived a sudden failure in an old pick-up. It felt like the truck sped up the moment I applied the brake. Just perceived.

I tend to agree, you've likely got some failure in your brake system. It could be a costly master cylinder or brake caliper - or a 50 cent copper gasket between the caliper and the brake hose.

Regardless of what the culprit is, after a repair to the bake line it is essential that the line gets bled properly to remove any air that gets trapped in the system, a proceedure that can vary in difficulty from car to car depending on the barke setup and the components involved.

To avoid jumping the gun any further, what color is the fluid dripping under the car? Everyone here just assumed it would be brake fluid and hasnt considered it might be a secondary problem. If its clear or transparent "gold" colored and oily, its likely brake/hydraulic clutch (assuming you have a manual transmission) fluid. If its green or red (usally green though) and watery, its coolant and you should have your radiator, hoses and gaskets checked. If its thick brown/black and oily, its oil - have your gaskets checked. If its clear and watery, its probably just A/C condensate (and perfectly normal). If its red and oily, its likely power steering fluid or transmission (if an automatic) fluid.

If the fluid you see is anything BUT brake fluid, then its likely you might just have some air trapped in the brake line requireing only that your seals and fittings be checked and the air bled out (which is a heck of alot cheaper). All the same though, you should get the car checked out as it is indicitive of a problem on the horizon.

Dripping brake fluid, brake pedal to the floor! See a qualified mechanic immediately!!!