Slightly Panicked: Brake Pedal Travel?

[KDMatt]

I need to know how far the brake pedal should be traveling.

I've been getting ready to take the Z out into the spring-time weather during the past week or so, and so I took an opportunity, as I'm sure we all have done at one point or another, to sit in the driver's seat and just visualize...

Anyway, for one reason or another I ended up depressing both the clutch and brake pedals.

The clutch will go to the floor... but the brake pedal seems oddly stiff. It seems like I can only push it down a few inches, and I can't tell if this is normal or not. I remember the Z having very "tight" brakes in comparison to both of my parents' cars (especially my mother's Honda, which feels like 9 inches of travel, or more)... so I can't tell if it's "unusually" (aka: something's wrong) stiff, or if it's just me being used to a lot of brake travel from so much time in another car.

It would give me pressure as far down as I could depress it, then just sort of "flop" up after I let go. I didn't have anything to measure with, but it felt like it may have only been traveling something like 3 or 4 inches.

Bear in mind: the engine was off when I did this.

Is there a way to tell if the brakes aren't working? ... I mean I would assume that if I lifted the hood and had somebody squeeze the brake I'd be able to see fluid level going down in the cylinder reservoirs, correct?

Also, the fluid's been brown for a while.

Input is greatly appreciated! (Thinking about this was keeping me from sleeping)

[spdkilz02]

If you kept pumping the brake pedal did it get even stiffer? If so I believe that would be because the engine was off, I'm sure that with the engine running it would not have been as stiff. You should have constant pressure the whole way.

[KDMatt]

Yes, there was pressure the whole way, but I reached a point at which the pedal didn't want to travel any further down.

Parking brake position didn't make a difference either. Up or down it seemed to feel the same.

I can't even dream of putting the brake to the floor. Though I suppose I should try with the engine running next time.

[Curtis240Z]

The brake pedal will feel hard and the travel will be shorter than normal when you "play" with it with the engine off. The Master Vac (vacuum booster) is not helping you when the engine is off thus you will get the unusual symptoms.

[KDMatt]

Ah! Thank you Curtis!

That's precisely what I needed to hear

... man... the things I don't know about power brakes...