US Gear D-Celerator E brake problems

[slmwilli]

Need ideas or suggestions before I call US Gear on Monday:

Just installed US Gear D-Celerator last week. First problem was it did not work at all. This was solved with call to US Gear and a new control module sent! The new module appeared to be the fix. Everything worked in the driveway and on a solo run around town and in the country. (The D-Feat control for the accelerator pedal was fiddly to fine tune. ) Put the fiver on for a weekend trip today and discovered the E Brake would come on and then immediately go off (Why?); tried a few times and same thing. Did not try again with E Brake. About 30 miles into trip, had severe loss of engine power after pulling through a town, noticed the EGT was 1100 so stopped on roadside, looked underneath and arm from solenoid to butterfly was hanging down. The quick release... . had released. I think the butterfly was being blown shut with the exhaust, but I wonder if the wastegate was shut too? Wired the butterfly open and went home.

Anybody with experience with US Gear D-Celerator? Any ideas? Thanks for any input... (exceptions... don't say I should have bought BD, Banks, Jacobs etc. it is too late now, I have to climb out of this hole!!)

Morgan Williams

 

[Steve Campbell]

I was wondering if....

you used large enough wire for the main feed to the unit. think the directions called for #10 or larger. Ground would be the next thing to check. If you did not solder the ends on that size wire, there will be trouble in your future.



As far as the butterfly arm, had the little "circlip" fallen off of the actuator?

 

[Sticks]

Ditto what slmwilli said. Also check your breaker, and relays, then your throttle "De-Feat" switch

discovered the E Brake would come on and then immediately go off

Mine will occasionally do the same thing, and it is because of my switches (I did a custom setup on my ETH/DEE - defeat switch on the clutch as well as the throttle, and my custom mounting bracket for the throttle is a little on the weak side) I am sure this is where your problem is. I think the control module senses the switch getting activated once, and stores a signal just long enough to activate the close relay, but the hold relay never gets the signal due to the switch on the throttle being open.



As for your quick release, make sure all the circlips and cotter pins are in, and your solenoid arm is still tuned for the main butterfly. Push the solenoid in, and move the butterfly into the closed position, and verify that the hole for the quick release pin lines up. While you are there, look around to see if there is anything that the pin could have snagged on when it is being activated to pop it out. The cotter pin may have fallen off on installation and the pin finally worked itself out of the assembly. I am willing to bet that you have lost some parts on the road, and will have to replace them.



I doubt that your EGT temperatures would have been the result of the butterfly being blown closed by the exhaust. You would have noticed right away that the e-brake was stuck in the closed position. No power, sounds different/loud.



Let us know how it goes. Try to solve the problem before you politely ask US-Gear to take their brake and shove it up their a$$. I am very happy with mine so far, and all of my problems are from my own doing.

 

[slmwilli]

Thanks much, Steve and Sticks, for your replies.

Since getting home and unhooking the fiver, I have been underneath after the exhaust was cold. I have put the quick disconnect ball connector back into its socket. There is a sliding collar that holds the ball in the socket. I assume that this was not properly forward during installation and I did not notice. However, the collar is kept forward by a spring. I cannot see cotter pins as noted by Sticks. I have looked again at the US Gear exploded jpg on their website, and it seems the spring is all that keeps the collar in position. The spring to keep the collar forward is really feeble. I can depress it with my thumbnail.

Today the brake and de-feat all function in the driveway!

I plan to road test tomorrow and take notes ready for US Gear! I will hook up the fiver also. I am very puzzled why the brake would work solo, but not with the fiver in tow. Comments on the switches, connections etc. are appreciated. I will try to work with these to see if there is a difference. Can I use the brake with the De-feat disconnected to see if the brake functions?

NB Sticks, your idea of also putting on a switch to the clutch pedal is good. How did you connect it all together?

NNB Does your brake heat shield and solenoid give a death rattle when the engine is turned off? The solenoid to heat shield connection has a lot of play.

Thanks a milllion!

Morgan

 

[rweis]

I put my D-Celerator on tommorrow, and am eagerly reading this thread.



Bob Weis

 

[Sticks]

Originally posted by slmwilli

I have put the quick disconnect ball connector back into its socket. There is a sliding collar that holds the ball in the socket. I assume that this was not properly forward during installation and I did not notice. However, the collar is kept forward by a spring. I cannot see cotter pins as noted by Sticks. I have looked again at the US Gear exploded jpg on their website, and it seems the spring is all that keeps the collar in position. The spring to keep the collar forward is really feeble. I can depress it with my thumbnail.

Oops, my bad. I have the older version of their Super Duty, so I have a arm with a two fingered bracket, and the butterfly shaft has the single finger that fits between the two on the arm and a pin and cotter pin holds it all together.



The clutch switch is wired directly into/in line with the throttle switch (Radio Shack). I made a custom bracket that bolts up to the metal framework under the knee plate that holds the lever switch against the side of the top of the clutch pedal arm. When the clutch is depressed 1" (seems like a lot, but there is pedal return spring before clutch diaphragm) it moves the top away from the switch which is wired to be open when depressed. This is how I need to revamp my throttle switch. I have found that the extra side to side play, as well as the up and down play can knock the throttle switch way out of alignment.

 

[slmwilli]

Road tested on Sunday without the trailer, and discovered that the trailer was not a factor. The brake would work well and hold from approx. 1500 rpm down, but not over 1500 rpm. This was true over time and different conditions, leaving time between so the breaker did not acitivate. On return home checked quick release connection and the collar had moved away from ball joint more than a sixteenth.

Called US Gear this am. They think the solenoid has not been set up correctly to hold the greater backpressure above 1500 rpm, and had never heard of the quick release collar backing off. They are sending a replacement unit (cast pipe; solenoid and housing; waste gate. I will undo the V-clamp and exchange). I hope that this will end the saga. I have liked the brake when it worked at low rpm. US Gear has been very cooperative so far.

Thanks guys for your support and interest. I hope this is a final sign-off!

Morgan Williams

 

[GOTSOOT]

US GEAR EXH Brake !

Gentleman: I have a U S Gear Exh. Brake on my `02 manual and I have set up to work off the ECM,like the pac-brake does. You leave it on all the time. ECM sends a signal to the switch via a relay and you have the brake working all the time. Works like a charm!!!

 

[Sticks]

Morgan,



Good to hear that they are doing the replacement for you. Let us know if the new one works as it should!



Sticks

 

[slmwilli]

Replaced Main Housing Assembly, needed to do some fine tuning of the solenoid shaft. Brake works fine in all rpms. US Gear tech support was very good. Now, I hope to enjoy the brake!

Thanks all,

Morgan Williams

 

[rweis]

I put my USG E brake on last weekend. All seems to work ok, have not tried it with rv yet, auto transmission probably would die.



Going to Tn to get DTT'ed this weekend then real testing starts.



I got the air version (put a air compressor in the bed) and it seems to function well with just driveway testing of throttle position. The air cylinder closes the diaphram with authority (regulated 60psi).



I was checking leaks with the diaphram closed and have some leakage where the downpipe mates to the turbine output with a V clamp. I was wondering if there is a flat rope asbestos seal available about 1" wide that would seal the turbo to downpipe better?



What torque on the turbo to downpipe V clamp do you think is ok without over torqueing it?



I'll report back after I get DTT'ed and tell how it went.



Bob Weis