Jake Exhaust Brake Pump Issues

[ColemanR]

Well I will give you my 2 cents:-laf My first JB that died was at 130k the counterman told me to check for a vacuum leak as that would kill the pump really fast sure enough found a leak,next one went out at 480k. I can live with that I carry a spare belt and pump. That reminds me I need to order a vacuum pump so I can put it behind my seat. :-laf I run anywhere from 18 to 20k GVW. I have never had a problem even on the passes in Colorado it will hold my truck at 55 in Direct.

 

[AH64ID]

Leaks are the #1 killer of vacuum pumps, and often people don't check for them when they replace a pump and pumps keep failing.

 

[DE Jeeper]

went through 3 pumps over 140k on my truck. i had no leaks just a crappy product. i junked the over prices mopar stuff in favor of the pac. it performs much better and i dont have to hear the vac pump make noise all the time. bottom line is you will find very few failures of the pac and a lot of failures of the mopar unit. they may not be recent failures but i suspect that is because the majority of the members have followed the advice of other members that already wasted money on the factory set up.



aaron

 

[ENafziger]

I paid big money for the Dodge dealer to install a Jacobs on my '06 before it even left the lot. I custom ordered the truck, and wanted everything done right, and under warranty.

First pump went out at 35k miles. I had a trailer in tow, and was stranded on the side of the interstate. When the vacuum pump locked up, it shredded the serpentine belt, melted rubber in to the pulley grooves that took hours for a tech to remove, snapped the belt tensioner and sent it into the back of the radiator, and broke the fan shroud. It was almost a week of down time waiting on the truck, and I had to get a rental vehicle, and arrange for a third party to come pick up the trailer. I was late for my speaking engagement, and somewhat deflated, as I had planned to show off my new shiny truck to all my friends.

The second dealer installed Jacobs pump went out at ~ 72k miles. This time, it took out the bearings, as the shaft was wobbling considerably and sounded like rattling marbles. I bypassed the Jacobs pump with a OEM belt (not an easy job with a pinned Fluidampr ), and bought a Pac Brake.

I was happy with the retarding power of the Jacobs. I was not happy that the truck needed its 3rd vacuum pump already at 72k miles. Maybe I got two duds in a row. At any rate, I wasn't comfortable installing another Jacobs before heading out on a 10,000 mile trip to Alaska.

--Eric

 

[CKelley1]

enafziger one of mine failed near pecos tx on a friday night in the summer pulling a trailer. vacationing four days in 110* heat was not my idea of fun.

 

[NDetoy]

I didn't know that everyone was having problems with Jacobs Mopar vacuume pump. Mine went out about 49K miles. It was knocking really loud. I went to closest dealer and got the verdict of what it was. They did not have the vacuume pump but another dealer had it so I drove to them bought part for $834. 00. They could not install it at that time, so drove back to other dealer and had it installed for $154. 00. So this exhaust brake has really been an expensive item. All this traveling I was pulling 32' 5vr.

 

[DE Jeeper]

wow, dont even think i payed that much for my original jake, hope that came with some lube.

aaron

 

[HBarlow]

The vacuum pump could have been purchased from a Cummins dealer for about $165 a few years ago. Its more than that now due to devaluation of our currency.

 

[ScottLewis]

My pump has gone out at about 67K miles. I'm in north Texas right now, far from home. Can anyone give me some tips on replacing the diaphram? How big a job is it?