There are 20 freaking pages of search dealing with brake or light,so I might as well get this one going, so that a search of "Brake Lights Don't Work" will bring up what the searcher needs quickly.
Ok, now that that is out of the way, MY DADGUM BRAKE LIGHTS DON'T WORK!!!!!

The blinkers work, the running lights work, the tail lights work, but when you press the brake pedal, NOTHING gets brighter. That would be okay if i were trying to get someone to rear end me, but my car comes out of the paint bay tomorrow and I dont want it totalled, because my brake lights dont work.
Are the bulbs a two stage bulb, where one does the tail lights and one the brake lights, could both be out at the same time? I dont know how long this has been going on, because i have never followed behind my car until the other night.
Is there a fuse, fuse link or is it those rubber bumpers on the top of the brake pedal? Or something else? If it is the rubber bumpers on the sensors, can those be purchased from dealer or does a parts store have them for half the price of the dealer? Thanks a million...

I would start from the back and work my way to the pedal. Make sure the bulbs are in there...if so make sure they are connected or not blown....check the fuses....check the switch on the pedal. If that don't fix the problem,
Give me the car

Brake switch... or fuse

and search for important words only:

https://www.zdriver.com/forums/showt...ghlight=switch

https://www.zdriver.com/forums/showt...ghlight=switch

Check the switch at the pedal. Just like cruise it can loose it's lil spacer thing. if so. just drop in a bolt and nut. Check there first. cause all you have to do is drop you head under the dash.

Thxone,
Read my Sooo Pumped thread, It'll be hard for me to give it to you right now!
My love / hate relationship with my Z is in LOVE MODE right now.
Lemme catch a ride with ya to MSA in LA, you buy the gas going and on the way back, I'll buy the gas using your debit card. Fair enough?

Nismopick & Fubar,
Thanks for your help, y'all always come through ! Now, my brake light does not stay on, it doesnt come on at all, is this the same problem as the ones who have lights that stay on all the time?

yep... check the switch & fuse.

your problem is diff then mine. my brake lights work. but my blinker's don't. Hazard switch is out. Need replacment.

ya well i have blinkers brakes headlights, no hazards and no tail lights.. anyone want to give it a shot?

how do you have brake lights if you have no tail lights? And if it's Just the blinker's and stops that work bac there. check the stop light bulds. there a 2 wire type bulb

im pretty sure i had the same prob in my Z i replaced the lights an they where fine.... my driving lights worked fine but the brake lights didnt they burnt out when i checked out the bulbs it had two lights inside and the top was burnt but the bottom wasnt so if u just change them they should be fine

My son removed the under dash panel and crawled under the dash. He pressed on the brakes and said that it was engaging the switch. He said that there were (2 switches?, IS THAT RIGHT?) for the brake pedal. We also replaced the 4 bulbs with 4 from my parts car but that solved nothing. My fuse is good. Are there any other brake light related relays besides the fuse in the pass kick panel? Tonight we are testing the switches with a test meter to make sure that power is going into and out of the switches. I did not know that there were 2 switches for the brake pedal. My son said there was some sort of sensor under the passenger seat, mentioned in Hayes manual. What is that and could that be the problem?
The painter had also removed the taillight cover to paint the car and maybe some wires got pulled loose or something. I am checking that also. The blinkers and running lights work, so power is getting to the bulb for the running light part of the bulb. Everyone elses brake lights seem to stay on, mine wont come on. I dont know how long this problem has been going on, since i have never followed my car until the other night and noticed no brake lights.
I dont need this crap, the car has ran great since the motor swap and got it out of the paint bay Tuesday and it looks great. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

yes two switches. One if for lights. one for cruise control

Well I am not sure if this will help but when I got my 280zx my brake lights would not work and it was due to having a single element bulb instead of as dual element that is needed....

Jim
North Carolina
1983 280ZX

I wish that was it, but i have new two filament bulbs in all 4 brake light connections. My car came from North Carolina also, up around Charlotte, near the speedway. I have a guy who is going to look at it for me this week.

It was as previous posts suggested, the brake light switch.
I bypassed the switch with a gem clip and the brakes worked. So I pulled the brake switch from my parts car (the car that my wife gripes about being under a car cover at the rear of the yard, that is, until i pull a part from it, saving money) and it works great! Now i am hoping that the cruise is the same switch problem, since my two yellowish rubber stops on the brake look new. Thanks for the help, pics of the car will be coming as soon as new carpet arrives.

hot dammmm--now when they hit you you can get real money--watch out for mercedes bends.......

Glad it's now working. I have a Z and the tail lights stayed on constantely. I got the gromits fm dealer and just snaped them in to fix prob. You can also take a small pice of tin, fold & make an indation then slip it over the hole so the sensor's don't activate until you depress the pedel. Have a good one.