Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) exhaust brake

[firefighter]

can I put an exhaust brake on my 2001 wth an automatic if yes where can I find dealer info. thanks.

 

[SnoKing]

Yes and no. You need a smart controller to lock the torque converter clutch up when on the exhaust brake. I did a complete DTT custom transmission with their smart controller, billet input and 2nd gear cage. If you have a controller that does lock to lock shifts then a stock transmission is not going to like that for very long. I have 60k on my setup without any issues. I had a thread https://www.turbodieselregister.com...002/114893-building-2001-5-auto-tow-stop.html that covers a lot of the details.



SNOKING

 

[Chasweaver]

I have a pac brake vacuum operated on my 99 auto trans. I use the mystery switch and have no problems. . Any exhaust brake mfg will give you a dealers name. . If I were to do it again I would get the one operated by air then you would have an onboard compressor. Charlie

 

[CKelley1]

bd makes the best brake and they have the lockup needed

 

[SnoKing]

So BD makes the best brake because? For second gen's I thought Banks was the only one with a full 4" turbo mounted brake? That's what I have, so it must be the best. Chasweaver most likely would say like many others that the PacBrake is the best.



SNOKING :-{}::-laf:-laf

 

[RolandJ]

I have BD inline and I love it. I would do an inline if you ever plan to do any Mods . If you do a turbo mount and change turbo it becomes a paper weight. Ask me how I know .

 

[Ram4Sam]

Wrong Snoking, BD is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!That makes three BD's to your one lonely Banks brake..... :-laf:-laf:-laf



Sam

 

[Chasweaver]

Whoa, I will not say the Pac Brake is the best as I have never tried the others.

I will say that after installing it I find that going downhill with 12,000 lb of 5th wheel behind me a click of the magic switch and I can relax and enjoy the ride. I don't think it could get any better. Charlie

 

[SnoKing]

Whoa, I will not say the Pac Brake is the best as I have never tried the others.

I will say that after installing it I find that going downhill with 12,000 lb of 5th wheel behind me a click of the magic switch and I can relax and enjoy the ride. I don't think it could get any better. Charlie

Kinda the point I was driving at. I never have been a fan of BD stuff, however I have never owned any either. Banks is generally over priced. My step son was a Banks wholesaler at the time, so I got a very good price on it.



I can not imagine towing my 12+K 5er without the EB.



SNOKING

 

[CKelley1]

let me qualify my answer. we run a fleet of dodges with bd, pac ,jake, us gear and banks. the pac and bd hold 60 psi back pressure down to idle and has a huge amount of stoping power over the jake and older banks. the pac and bd achieve it in different ways for patient infringment reasons. the reason bd is better than the pac is because of where they mount the compressor. if you get a pac you need to relocate the compressor or you will have failures, that is what we had to do along with many other users. we bought a lot of our trucks used that had the brakes on them. on the third gen we replace the jake with the bd when the jake vacuum pump fails. to start off with we bought pac and bd. we slowly made all purchases bd. you will not go wrong with either but if you go pac relocate the compressor to get it away from the heat and engine vibration

 

[SnoKing]

A lot of braking at low RPM is not necessarily to best thing for an auto transmission truck. At lower RPM's the line pressure can get low also. With the DTT setup I can effectively use my EB in 2nd, 3rd and OD.



Is it like the new generation trucks, no! Does it work well for what it is, YES!



At 92k I am on the original brakes. 60-70 percent towing miles.



Only issue is I have to clean the control solenoid every couple years.



SNOKING

 

[Pacbrake]

Firefighter, despite a few misconceptions posted, Pacbrake has many options to suit your current needs and if you have future modifications planned we can advise you on your best retarder options. Direct mount brakes like our 4" Max-flow elbow are the preferred choice for many reasons, although as someone pointed out already that if you change your turbocharger for more HP later, a direct mount exhaust brake most likely won't fit. This statement is correct, therefore an inline mounted exhaust brake would be the correct choice if a turbo upgrade is planned for future HP gains.

Pacbrake's performance exhaust brake "PRXB" is a mechanical way of holding the engines maximum allowable back-pressure to low RPM, another manufacturers way of doing it is electrical, cycling the exhaust brake off and on rapidly as a means of regulation. The electrical cycling method relies on a pressure switch in the exhaust system which when it plugs up with soot will overpressure the engine.

Pacbrake kits for automatic transmission vehicles includes a torque converter lock-up controller, if you want to save money you could purchase a kit for a manual transmission vehicle and do the mystery switch torque converter lock-up as some customers do, although doing it that way requires more driver interaction.

The Pacbrake PRXB system uses an air compressor to apply the exhaust brake, with this system you get on board air which can be used to operate accessories like an air horn, fill air springs or top up a tire. As for the comment on the location of the air compressor it is NOT mounted on the engine on 2nd gen trucks.

The subscribers to this site are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about their trucks and choice of accessories. My advise is to read and listen to what they have to say, then make a list of questions you feel are important to you and your needs. Then call the manufacturers of the product you are considering to ask the questions that are important to you. I'm sure the choice of who's exhaust brake to install will become clear.

 

[ewcmr2]

Does Pacbrake make an inline 4" vacuum operated PRXB?

I have no need for onboard air...

 

[Troubleshooter]

I would suggest that you ensure that there is a factory-authorized repair shop nearby for whatever make of exhaust brake you buy. If the time ever comes that you cannot diagnose a problem on your own, the manufacturer might not work as closely with a local shop as with one of its regular dealers. You may have to ask the manufacturer, as some do not list their dealers on their websites.



In my case, the exhaust brake locked up and would not release. With the nearest dealer about 3 hours away, I took it in to a well-respected local diesel performance shop (the same shop which originally installed the exhaust brake). We've been fiddle-farting with the manufacturer for well over four months now, trying to determine the source of the problem and how to go about fixing it. Currently waiting for a second replacement electrical controller that we THINK might solve the problem, but won't know until it gets here -- and it's already been a month since this one was returned to the manufacturer. They claim that they will send a replacement once they bench-test this one, and it just arrived in their testing facility this week -- or last week -- or a couple of weeks ago, depending on who you speak with on the phone.



My point is that a regular dealer might have saved some time in being able to diagnose the original problem, due to access to wiring diagrams and that sort of thing. So look around and consider how you will get service after the sale as well.

 

[Pacbrake]

ewcmr2, sorry a 4" vacuum operated exhaust brake is not available due the force required to open a butterfly that large.