Smart exhaust brake

[PC12Driver]

Of course, I'm totally disregarding the fact that as soon as you put a trailer on nobody pays attention to your tail lights anyway. And the distance they maintain from you is inversely proportional to the size of that trailer...

 

[mpaulson]

The nice feature of the Smart Break is that the break lights come on when you use it. It's nice to let the guy behind you know that your slowing down.... I find that when you use it with the Tow/ Haul the smart break works awesome, better than the engine break that the 2012 had.

Bummer! I like scaring the living turds out of the bone heads that tailgate me by letting the e-brake slow me quickly without the brake lights and make the idiot crap him/herself when they see my big drawbar closing in on their rad.:-laf

 

[AH64ID]

Do the brake lights come on with both brake settings or just smart brake?

 

[Hoefler]

Having the brake lights come on with the exhaust brake would have an after market brake controller going nuts!

 

[AH64ID]

Having the brake lights come on with the exhaust brake would have an after market brake controller going nuts!

I doubt it would on a truck with a dedicated controller harness.

 

[Jim W]

What year did the ex brake feature start from the factory?

The exhaust brake was an early attachment with the 6.7L engine for the 7.5MY trucks, if I remember correctly. The brake was there with the slide sleeve on the VGT but the switch had to be added and wiring, the ECM had to be enabled for the first ones. I believe some time in the late build for the 7.5MY trucks the switch and wiring was made standard and for all other MY years. The brake still needed to be enabled by the dealer for no charge in most case for the exhaust brake to function.

Jim W.

 

[AH64ID]

All 6.7's pickups have had it, the early C&C's had it as an option.

 

[EDankievitch]

I find that the Smart break does not turn on the break lights when coasting and maintaining speed. If you want to slow down more as soon as you tap the break peddle (in smart mode) it will turn on the Engine break and light the lamps. I know it can be fun to scare that *** following too close but it keeps my rear bumper from getting all twisted when that guy texting in his BMW does not notice my slowing with out the lamps.

 

[GSonnek]

Thank you for all the info, It is really helping with my shopping!

 

[RikDavis]

How do you you turn on smart brake as opposed to conventional exhaust brake? Do I even have 2 modes on my low end 2013 tradesman? Is there an indicator that tells you which mode it is in.? My owners manual doesn't seem to be much help. I really like the exhaust brake but may not be using it to maximum advantage

 

[Dieselnerd]

How do you you turn on smart brake as opposed to conventional exhaust brake? Do I even have 2 modes on my low end 2013 tradesman? Is there an indicator that tells you which mode it is in.? My owners manual doesn't seem to be much help. I really like the exhaust brake but may not be using it to maximum advantage

You press the exhaust brake button once for full exhaust brake, twice for Smart Brake and a third time to turn it off. There is an indicator at the bottom of the EVIC that shows which mode you are in.

 

[RikDavis]

Thanks Ron. Will give it a try next time out. That may explain why it seemed to behave differently at different times.

 

[TimothyLong]

Thanks Ron. Will give it a try next time out. That may explain why it seemed to behave differently at different times.

The indicator in the EVIC will be yellow when the exhaust brake is in normal mode and green when it is in smart mode.

 

[RikDavis]

The indicator in the EVIC will be yellow when the exhaust brake is in normal mode and green when it is in smart mode.

I finally found that in the book however:
My truck is a 2013 Tradesman, which kind of the work truck model.. I took it out to play with the EB today and this is what I found. On this model the light does not turn green on the second push although the brake behaves as it should.
After several tries I noticed that an Exhaust Brake symbol would appear in the middle of the EVIC screen and say AUTO. It is only there for about a second so that is why I missed it before. The EVIC screen is much smaller in the tradesman than in the fancier models.
I am assuming this is the way it is supposed to be on this truck but I will ask the dealer when I have to go for something else

 

[PC12Driver]

I just ran across the write up in an older Cummins email newsletter about the smart mode of the exhaust brake. Basically, in smart mode it takes a snapshot of your speed when you let off the throttle pedal or brake pedal and then turns on and off to maintain that speed. Nothing mentioned about variable braking, just on and off.