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Thinking about an exhaust brake? My thoughts, after action report.

Flyinbowtie

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About 4 months ago I found a truck. Wasn't really chasing one but have been looking, kind of, for several months. I bought a 2007 Dodge 3500HD 4x4 with the 5.9 Cummins and a 6 speed manual trans. For years I wanted a legit exhaust brake. We tow up and over Donner Pass then down a 2 lane state hwy from 5000 ft. to 2000 ft. when we make our trips to Nevada. My dear friends are former Log Truck owner operators and I've been on the road with them.
When we got this truck one of the first things we did was decide on a E-brake.
There are several out there.
The Jacobs model was a factory option on these trucks. It uses a belt driven vacuum pump.
The BD Brake and the PAC brake both use compressed air and their kits offer a small compressor.
My friends have had good luck with the Jacobs, so that is what I went with.
Parts, as in replacement parts, are readily available via Dodge or Cummins or Jacobs.
Actual kits, however, are not. Using my VIN to search for the correct kit we found two, one in Denver and one in the east.
We got the one from Denver. The product can be ordered, but would have to be pieced together to get everything. The installation, while straightforward, is a tedious process and the book shows 7 hours. That is legit, for one guy it is a 7 hour job. The unit ties into the ECM and the brake disengages when you touch the service brake pedal. No matter what you have the switch set at.
A word on switches.
The kit comes with a rocker switch that you are supposed to drill a hole in the dash to install. Dodge/Cummins/Jake used to offer a push pull switch for shifter mounting on manual trans trucks, but they discontinued it. I searched around and found that the BD rocker switch would work for my application. It mounts to the shifter. As it should be on a manual trans truck.

My eldest son was in the process of buying a slightly used 2016 Dutchmen Voltage triple slide 5er toyhauler, and his truck needs to have the lift pulled off of it to get under this thing, so he had asked to use my truck to go get the trailer. The trailer was at Point Mugu in Ventura Co. They arrived back in NorCal today, and were able to sneak over the pass to Reno between storms. when he got home he gave me a call.

He has never driven a exhaust brake equipped truck with a load on it.
He is now a believer. The run from Donner Summit down into the town of Truckee is from about 7250 ft. down to 5800 or so in about 5 miles. Pretty good drop. His new trailer has an advertised empty weight of about 13500. He put the truck in 5th gear and set the cruise at 60.
He told me he never had to touch the service brake pedal. The exhaust brake, working in conjunction with the cruise control and the ECM, held the truck at the speed set by the cruise.
That, to my way of thinking, is awesome. Much less stressful crossing of the pass.
He said that he could run at 60 in 6th on the less steep portion of the pass east of Truckee and the E-brake would engage when needed, but when he touched the gas pedal or the service brake it disengaged.
They came home via 101 to 46 then onto 41 over to 5. There are some good little up and downs on the 46 and the 41, and he couldn't say enough about the added control and overall drive ability of the truck-trailer combo. He has a few things to do to his truck but he sees a e-brake in his future.

The trick to get maximum effectiveness out of these things is to get the engine into an RPM range where you get max braking, son said for the Cummins gearing tire combo in my truck it was happy at about 2200 RPM. more RPM was more braking, the brake was effective down to about 1600, but not where it was doing a lot of good. My family members with these 3rd gen Dodge trucks tow very heavy and with the jake they find their service brakes are wearing about 40% less than without, which makes sense. They can hold 35 MPH down a 2 lane lotsa corner road, riding in 4th on the exhaust brake, no service brake use at all.
If I couldn't get a Jake I would look first to the new Pac Brake PXRB models, they have variable orifices in them that gets you more braking power into the lower RPM range.
I know a lot of you guys tow heavy up Cajon pass, and out through Indio on the 10. I honestly don't think I will every own a truck that I tow heavy with that isn't equipped with an exhaust brake.
I kick myself in the ass for not doing this long ago to my Ford. Waterjunky, if you are reading this, look into a legit brake of some kind for the Ford. You wont be sorry.

Here are a couple of pics.
They call the trailer a 3805.
A tape measure says it is 41'6"


new trailer2.jpg


new trailer.jpg
 

Yellowboat

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had one on my old truck, loved it too death.


just watch your egt. if you are running hot it can make them go up.
 

Flyinbowtie

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Can you list the parts needed?


That would be difficult.

For my 07 dodge the part number for the full kit via Cummins is 2881840.
They use your VIN and sometimes your engine number to select it. Mopar will have their own part number for the kit.
If you are looking for a Jacobs product for a 03-07 dodge then my suggestion would be to call your local Mopar dealer and give them your VIN, and ask them to put a kit together.
Just off the top of my head you will need
-Vac. Pump, and pump mount.
-new serpentine belt
-Brake assembly that mounts in exhaust
-wiring harness
-gaskets
-vacuum solenoid
--switch assembly and switch harness
-V-band clamps and other misc. stuff
 

spectra3279

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I will have to do that. I deleted my muffler and now in 6th gear coasting down hill, I might as well be in nuetral. Never realized the muffler had that much back pressure.
 

fishing fool

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I have a SCT tuner on my ford and it has a option to turn it on. I tried it once (not towing) and did not like it. I just like the firmer shifts.
 

pronstar

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I have a SCT tuner on my ford and it has a option to turn it on. I tried it once (not towing) and did not like it. I just like the firmer shifts.

An exhaust brake shouldn't affect how your truck shifts...?
 

Flyinbowtie

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Pronstar I think he is saying he likes the firmer shifts the tuner provides but not the e-brake effect.
Fishing fool if you are using the Ford warm up valve (EBPV) as an exhaust brake and the tuner commands it to close the EBPV and lock the converter in your automatic trans then I wasn't thrilled with how it worked on my 7.3 either.

Look in to a stand alone exhaust brake for your truck from one of the aftermarket suppliers. Banks, BD Diesel and PacBrake are the three I know of, I believe Jacobs only builds one for the Cummins engines in pickups.

Spectra...If there is a Kenworth facility in your area that services Cummins Engines you might try them. My brake was about $200 less from Kenworth than it was from Cummins West Sacramento...and Kenworth got it from Cummins Intermountain in Denver..
 

JD D05

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I have a SCT tuner on my ford and it has a option to turn it on. I tried it once (not towing) and did not like it. I just like the firmer shifts.

That is a tuning issue. See if SCT has an update or get a new tuner.
 

pronstar

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Yeah an EB alone shouldn't affect shifting. It's the best thing you can add to a towing diesel that's not already equipped with one IMHO
 

spectra3279

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Pronstar I think he is saying he likes the firmer shifts the tuner provides but not the e-brake effect.
Fishing fool if you are using the Ford warm up valve (EBPV) as an exhaust brake and the tuner commands it to close the EBPV and lock the converter in your automatic trans then I wasn't thrilled with how it worked on my 7.3 either.

Look in to a stand alone exhaust brake for your truck from one of the aftermarket suppliers. Banks, BD Diesel and PacBrake are the three I know of, I believe Jacobs only builds one for the Cummins engines in pickups.

Spectra...If there is a Kenworth facility in your area that services Cummins Engines you might try them. My brake was about $200 less from Kenworth than it was from Cummins West Sacramento...and Kenworth got it from Cummins Intermountain in Denver..
Thanks. I'll check.
 

Quicksilver

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I have a 2005 Ram 3500 and have wondered about an exhaust brake since I tow heavy. My problem is the 48re transmission. I think I would need a switch to lock the torque converter. Anyone have one of these exhaust brakes on an auto equipped truck?
 

pronstar

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I have a 2005 Ram 3500 and have wondered about an exhaust brake since I tow heavy. My problem is the 48re transmission. I think I would need a switch to lock the torque converter. Anyone have one of these exhaust brakes on an auto equipped truck?

Just get the PacBrake and be done with it. The install includes a plug that lets your ECU know there's an exhaust brake installed.

They thought of everything for you. Just install and go.

There's a MOPAR/Cummins EB but it doesn't work nearly as well.
 
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