Exhaust brake goes on tomorrow...Info please

[PGiannetto]

My truck goes in tomorrow to have the Jacobs exhaust brake put on it. Any info from guys who have it on how to drive with it & what to watch for? any info would be great. I was pulling a trailer in the mtns coming down a very steep long grade. i had to stop twice to let the brakes cool. my trailer weighed about 16,000lbs. this is why i decided to go with the exhaust brake. did i make the right decision? Thanks!

 

[GFrance]

You'll love it. I had one on my last truck & plan on getting one for my new truck. You don't want to use it below I believe 1700 rpms for the Jacobs. I had a banks on my 01 & it worked good down to 1500 rpms.

 

[LesStallings]

Go to the Cummins website and search around for Jake brake. They have downloadable PDFs that describe operation with their brake. It never hurts to have the driving/operating instructions the manufacturer provides.

 

[Doubleclutch]

I believe there is a note in the literature to keep the brake OFF on snow/ icy roads. Got a PacBrake going on my '04. 5 next week... I hope. Plan on using it all the time, with/without trailer. Good for the brake to be exercised, doesn't wear anything out, and saves a little service brake. You tell us whether you made the right decision the next time you have 1600# chasing you down a 6% grade.

Greg

 

[yogibear]

Make sure and keep the original serpentine belt for your CTD, and keep it with you, that way if it ever gives you trouble on the rd. , you can bypass the vacuume pump and get home, or somewhere to get repairs. Bearing went out on my pump at about 90K mi. , have 235K on now, and no problems since. It went out on me in Hillsboro, Or. , and I got back home to Kansas where I got it repaired for less than half what they wanted up there.



Larry

 

[bighornram]

The exhaust brake is the smartest $$ you will ever spend on your truck. I had a pacbrake in my 02' and was able to decend into Provo UT. 6. 5% grade for like 30+ miles in 6th gear, pacbrake on, pulling 13k fiver. Stayed right at 65mph and I never had to touch my service brake! I just finished my slow (-50mph) breakin pull with my 05' but it felt similar to my 02' navigating the San Juan Mtns. of SW Colorado.

 

[amsoilman]

You will love the Jacobs E-Brake! Have had mine on for a couple years and about 35,000 miles with NO problems at all. I would suggest as Yogi does, to keep the OEM belt for a spare in case you need one on the road you can by-pass the Vacuum pump.



Wayne

amsoilman

 

[jelag]

I'm sittin in a motel in Southern Ca with a 18,000 lb trailer behind my 2004... I came down I-5 from Portland through the Siskiyou's and the grapevine... . in each case I down shifted to either 5th or 4th and turned on the exhaust brake... On the 6-7% grades on this road... . I came down at a respectable speed without using the service brakes..... cycling the exhaust brake... . This 04 now has 140K miles and when we checked the brakes at 120K miles the pads were at 50%.



This truck pulls 95% of the time through the pacific northwest... . with loads from 15K to 22K lbs... .



If you have specific questions pm me..... even though you've decided on the Jacobs I'm more than willing to share what I know..... the more informed you are... the better results you'll get.....

 

[PGiannetto]

I am getting ready to leave for town to take my dodge into the shop. thanks a bunch for all the info. i am sure i will have a ton of questions when i get it out. one that comes to mind is: it says it has something on it to hook up a pyrometer. i am assuming then the turbo gets a little hot if you use it too much??

 

[LDobie]

I'm sittin in a motel in Southern Ca with a 18,000 lb trailer behind my 2004... I came down I-5 from Portland through the Siskiyou's and the grapevine... . in each case I down shifted to either 5th or 4th and turned on the exhaust brake... On the 6-7% grades on this road... . I came down at a respectable speed without using the service brakes..... cycling the exhaust brake... . This 04 now has 140K miles and when we checked the brakes at 120K miles the pads were at 50%.



This truck pulls 95% of the time through the pacific northwest... . with loads from 15K to 22K lbs... .

QUOTE]





That just absolutely blows my mind. 120K on original brake pads, which are still at 50% AND humping those kind of loads 95% of the time!! Guess I need to get up into the real world and real trucks. Most of the stuff I routinely see doesn't get 140K miles in their lifetime, let alone 2 years, and they are replacing pads and rotors at usually 15K miles Wow, those HD's are nice!!

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

The jake was undoubtably the best mod on my 02 and 04. Like was previously mentioned - keep the original serpentine just in case. Bugs me the early 3Gen engines didn't come vacum ready.



Jonsing for one for my 97, but I will need to replace the valve springs too. I find myself still hunting for the gear shift e-brake knob. :-laf

 

[PGiannetto]

well dealer called and said they would need more time putting it on. they quoted me 2. 5 hours. they said it is more like 5 hours. service mgn said that they would still only charge me the 2. 5 hours. thats alright by me.

 

[yogibear]

LDobie, mine has 234K, and about 25% of OE pads left. Have new pads & rotors ordered.



Larry

 

[RockinJ]

PGiannetto,



Your dealer's SM is correct. I'm a retired dealership tech, did my own install 2 weeks ago and it took about 4 hours (+/-). I wasn't flat rating it . . . just took my time. The portion of the install that deserves careful attention; however, is the handling and aligning that graphite coated shim steel gasket between the turbo and the Jake. I agree with our fellow members, an e-brake is probably the best upgrade you can make to any towing rig. Beside exceptionally good brake retarding, the Cummins shifter stalk switch that comes with the Jake is pretty slick.

 

[klenger]

A comment on the pyro port. The exhaust brake does not raise EGTs, and certainly not when in use as no fuel is being burned when the brake is engaged. The port is a convenience feature so that you can add a post turbo pyro if you want to. Big debate over whether pre or post trubo is better, but if and when I ever install one in my truck, it will be post turbo using the exhaust brake port.

 

[MacHaggis]

Me fourth (or fifth) on saving your old belt. I see you've got a short cab, but mine tucks real slick up behind the rear seatback, right there with the 1/2" breaker bar.



That gasket is a touchy/fragile thing. Somebody mentioned that the other night, and I've got a thread kicking around here somewhere about all my woes after Cummins shipped the kit to the dealer, but shorted the gasket, and what I encountered puttin' it in later myself.



For operation, look up that Jacobs lit. With my driving, it's worked best above 1700-1750. I try and keep above 2000 when I know I'm going to need it. It may seem obvious, but the higher the gear you're in, the higher the rpm you'll want to get the best out of it. I'll drop down to fifth at 60-62 with the jake in to get onto a tight ramp. It works well enough in that kind of situation, that I'm not much longer goin' down some more. If you stay wound up in the lower gears coming to a stop, it'll throw you into the shoulder belt.



Last word from me -- when the jake is really working, don't forget to use your service brake (or at least the pedal) enough to let the folks behind you know that you're slowing down.

 

[PGiannetto]

got truck back. yippee! i have not really got to play with it yet. I am going to take some pics and post them up right here.

 

[PGiannetto]

i saved the belt like everyone said. thanks a bunch. i am starting a new thread with pictures of exhaust brake.

 

[formula]

Couple of things on driving techniques... .



Watch out for sand on the road. It can get you right sideways in a flash



When downshifting while using the brake, I find it best to double-clutch. This gets the engine, trans and clutch up to speed and allows you enough time to get it into gear before the brake engages again. You don't really want to slip the clutch against the exh brake when downshifting agressively.



I like to turn it off when doing slow maneuvering like backing up a trailer, etc. or it gets really annoying turning on and off on its own.



Sean