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Topic: Adding a Jake brake  (Read 4914 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #40 –
Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart –
With a 4 stroke, every other stroke. I would be interesting to put two engines of the same displacement with one a two stroke and the other a four stroke and see which one developed the more braking effect.

Pierce

My experience back in the 70's hauling lumber in PNW with 80,000lbs. 1st. trucks I could afford had 2 stroke Detroit's ~~ 8v71@318h.p. & 8v92@435 later years 4 stroke Cummins ntc400 & Cat 3406@425,  hands down the 4 stroke inline 6's had more braking affect than 2 strokes. Granite the inline-6's were 14 liter vs 12 and smaller on the V's.

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #41 –
Well I've finally got to try out the Jake Brake. At around 1300 RPM it feels like an exhaust brake and when I shift down and the
RPM goes up it really pulls the coach down. It will be awhile before I get to try it on big long hills.

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #42 –
When you finally got to try it out was that using three or six cylinder position. Really looking forward to a review once you have operated it on some larger downhills. Total hours install estimate, and a ball park cost to perform installation. More is always better when it comes to stopping. What a great addition to your coach. IMO
Scott

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #43 –
It took me around 5 hours to remove it from the old truck and I know putting it in the coach was way easier. I did it by myself but
if you had a partner for setting the valve, injectors and the Jake that part would take 1/4 of the time. 2 wires need to be added to
the ECU so I went to Cummins for the wire pigtails ( part # 3822919). The pigtails go into the EUC plug and the Jake wiring is right
where its needed. Then I had to find 3 wires to go up to the dash. I could have probably could have got away with 2 as it is a
common ground, but you can never have to much ground and the other 2 go to the on and off switch and the other when to
the switch that give 3 or 6 cylinders. The foot peddle goes on the incoming side of the on off switch. If I did it again it would be a
lot quicker. The actual time it took was probably 8 hours.

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #44 –
Also I never had  to go to Cummins to have it set up which made me happy. The trip so far there hasn't been any hills.

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #45 –
Again a great addition to your coach. I think it will make the end of my long list, but I definitely like it. Was getting a doner  truck Difficult to find? Any idea what a ballpark cost would be?
Scott

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #46 –
I know when I was looking Vander Haag's had them on for $1890.00. I bought mine for $2000.00 Canadian which I found through
Craigs List. I didn't mine removing it as I learned a lot from taking the old on out. I took the switches so the only thing I had
to buy was the 2 connectors for the EUC. I think they were $12 each. I had been looking for about 6 months. I wanted to find the
Jake in Canada to save on import charges. 

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #47 –
Been thinking about adding a jake for a long time. Thanks for your post.

On second thought I probably would just go faster down grades. 

I like the part about really pulling the coach down at revs.

Do you have stock exhaust?

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #48 –
A retarder and a Jake. Now that's what I call a sweet setup. On our last rig we had a one stage Jake which I changed to a two stage. I found the 3 cylinder setting going down those looong but not too steep hills was perfect. Now you just need to add hydraulic jacks to complement your air leveling system!
jor

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #49 –
I don't ever remember turning our Jake off. Noise with the stock muffler is fine anywhere.

Pierce

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #50 –
Our retarder does not have the joystick,only the rocker switch,works great,have never seen temps higher then 205,never up to 210
and that's to Alaska and back,from what Iv'e seen on the forum the ones with the joystick get hotter,and yes the gauge is reading right.On the jake,if you have a few thou to spend then go ahead,one thing for sure it's not going to make you engine last longer by
any means and you can't compare them to the big rigs because they carry alot more weight and need all the stopping power they can get,guess what I'm saying is for me with my engine and coach the retarder works great for my use.

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #51 –
I have a stock muffler and I can hardly hear it. Jor before I got this coach I wanted to do hydraulic leveling jacks but I think it would
just be too much work and I probably only use them to jack up the coach to work on it. The air leveling works great and if I can't
get it level I have a residential fridge so it won't be important.

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #52 –
Well I went to Gold River and it has lots of corners. The Jake break quit for that trip so I had to slow down so not to cook the
retarder. Coming down Island it started to work again so the retarder temp did not climb. In cruise it seems to work if I have the
switch on but the roads I was on are mostly flat at so I didn't to check it out much. Maybe next trip.

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #53 –
Quote from: oldguy –
Well I went to Gold River and it has lots of corners. The Jake break quit for that trip so I had to slow down so not to cook the
retarder. Coming down Island it started to work again so the retarder temp did not climb. In cruise it seems to work if I have the
switch on but the roads I was on are mostly flat at so I didn't to check it out much. Maybe next trip.
Just got home after a week in June Lake in the Sierras. Lots of grades but the Jake kept my foot off the brakes except for a few times. Don't think I've turned the switch off since we bought it 12 years ago. What a great invention. History: Jacobs Vehicle Systems - Wikipedia

Pierce

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #54 –
I went to Whistler Sunday night and Monday morning so I got to try out the Jake Brake a quite bit. It was in the three cylinder
position which was adequate. When I apply the Jake brake I have to manual shift it down and I would like to put in another
foot switch which will tell the transmission to call for 2nd gear so I won't have to manually shift the trans down. This way I would have
3 choices, one would be foot off throttle, one would be push switch and have to manually switch down and one would be push other.
switch and trans would automatically shit down. I sure like having both. This morning driving down a hill I use the retarder as there
was snow on the road and it is easier to control.

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #55 –
Does a Jake brake perform best at high engine RPM?

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #56 –
The higher the RPM the better it works the same as an exhaust brake.

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #57 –
Does anyone know were the trans computer is located and does anyone know how to wire it so it would get the signal to shift
down.

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #58 –
As the "old guy" says, the higher the RPM, the better it works. I leave it in all cylinder position all of the time. When I need less Jake, I just shift into a higher gear. The Allison leaves a lot to be desired in second and second lockup heading downgrade. Never know what it's going to do. Sometimes it just coasts along picking up speed like it's in neutral and then suddenly grabs a gear. . I usually stop at the top of a steep hill and then go through the lower gears.

Pierce

Re: Adding a Jake brake

Reply #59 –
When I had a Monaco Dynasty with an exhaust brake it would call for 2nd gear and it would shift down to second without a miss
according to the RPM.