I was curious if anyone had an engine brake from Jacob's on their diesels and how they like them and if they are worth the price. I got $1,600.00 installed the last time I called the dealer.

 

Never used one on something as small as the Ram Cummins, but I have used one on a Marine Corps MTVR with a Cat C12. In that application it was more then worth it, going down hills it saved on the service brakes, if I needed to slow down for speed bumps I could just engage the Jake Brake and slow down enough for the ditch without hitting the brake pedal, I was only going about 20 mph when I did that, and to really slow down you just hit the service brake and the Jake Brake at the same time.

All that being said, an Exhaust Brake will not replace the service brakes, and it will not bring you to a stop by itself, and they are designed to be used in hilly areas due to the tendency of diesels to "runaway" going downhill. A Jake Brake specifically is sometimes not allowed to be used in certain towns because it is very noisy due to the way that it works. I personally love the sound of a Jake Brake, but not everyone does, and if you can deal with the noise then I say it's worth the money to help extend your Service Brake life, and give you better braking power.

 

I live in Colorado and have a 32 ft fifth wheel travel trailer that I tow to go camping and looking to add a small trailer behind that. I have a lot of experience with them on the big trucks ie semi's and they work well, I know that they stopped putting them in for a while but never heard why. When I bought my 04.5 last year in sept. they weren't putting them on at that time do to a problem but I never heard for what.

 

everyone that I talk to that pulls a good sized trailer and has one absolutely loves the thing. yes, it wont stop you, but it does assist in slowing you down without burning your brakes up.

only downside is that the exhaust brake that I know of is only good on manuals and the new 06 auto's.

to me, if I was pulling alot it would be a wise investment. but I dont pull enough right now to warrant having one.

 

I have a 05 3500 SRW 4x4 cummins w/6spd. The amount of torque in the 05 cummins plus the 6 spd tranny has proven to me that if you really know what your doing you don't need a "Jake Brake", it does sound SOOOOO COOOOL! You can get them installed on a 2005 right from the dealer for around $1600.00, only for 6spd tranny, not too sure about older models. Most that I have talked too have not really noticed that much of a difference. I.E. when you hit the engine brake in a semi, you notice a big change, it slows you down alot. On your dodge you may not notice it as much. To me it sounds like it might be a $1,600.00 upgrade with no real practical use. But it does sound cool!

 

make sure you arent confusing the cummins available exhaust brake and a true jake brake. jake brakes on big equipment actually work the exhaust valves where as the exhaust brake closes the exhaust.

 

Jacobs does make an exhaust brake for the Cummins, as well as PACBrake and BDExhaust. the Jake brake on OTR trucks is built into the valve train of the engine. this just fits in behind the turbo and increases the back pressure to help you slow down.

just like when you are accelerating, the more RPM's you turn the more power your putting out, this works the same way with and engine/exhaust brake. the more RPM's you turn the more brakeing power you have.

 

I have used them numerous times on semi's. I was curious if anyone had them and how they worked. I live in Colorado and do a lot of mountain towing with my fifth wheel, gooseneck flat beds and cattle trailers. I was curious if they were worth it. I have no problem stopping my truck. It's the other idiots on the highway sometimes make you have to slam on your brakes going down hill and they get really hot. I have an 04.5 with a six speed.

 

Well then my advice is you seem to be doing just fine, and appear to know what your doing. Myself having lived in Colorado, and experieced OTR Trucker, you should have no problem without the $1,600.00 noise maker you can buy for your Dodge.

 

[quote]ORIGINAL: Drew
everyone that I talk to that pulls a good sized trailer and has one absolutely loves the thing. yes, it wont stop you, but it does assist in slowing you down without burning your brakes up.

Drew, I have a PacBrake, to improve the braking effect the larger hole in the flapper has been filled in, and the remaining hole drilled out slightly. It works great, BUT I have heard that possible valve damage can be done unless stronger exhaust valve springs are installed. Apparently the back pressure can be high enough to equal the spring pressure, and "float" the exhaust valves, this results in piston/valve interfearance and bent valves. Do you have any information on this subject. Should I have stronger valve springs installed in my 12 Valve?. For now I am not using my PacBrake very much, and if I use it, I try to limit my rpm to <2,000 going down hill.

Ralph