Engine Braking?

[jspence1]

In the jumping off the diesel bandwagon someone mentioned the lack of the ability to brake with the engine on diesels.

1. Is this true?
2. How do you control your speed on descents without the engine slowing you?

[Supreme_Oppress]

Newer diesels should have it built in. My 6.0 brakes not tooo bad in tow/haul mode. Most Ford and Chevy built in the last decade or so can have modules installed that use the variable vane turbo's to do it (Bank's spped brake comes to mind). I have heard of people wiring up the damper plate in the exhaust of the 7.3 (used to help warm up a cold engine) to use as an exhaust brake as well.

[Bionic_Man]

I installed a Jacobs on my 2003 Ram, and have the built in one on my 2012, and tow between 12,000 - 17,000 pounds. Personally, I would not be without one, but I live in the mountains.

[45Ricochet]

I won't argue about it, but my TV is worthless down any grade with the RV hitched up without the exhaust brake on. It's a " run away " waiting to happen, or I would smoke my brakes. EB on and drop gears it holds 35 without touching the service brakes :B
Speak of smoking brakes, ah forget it IB :B

[Terryallan]

jspence1 wrote:
In the jumping off the diesel bandwagon someone mentioned the lack of the ability to brake with the engine on diesels.

1. Is this true?
2. How do you control your speed on descents without the engine slowing you?

That is why Exhaust brakes were invented. To give diesels the same type engine braking as a gas engine. However now there are other types of diesel braking. Some come with a trany brake, and others use a non exhaust engine brake.

The only time you really need a engine brake is in the mountains. Then they are priceless. If you don't have one. It would be one of the best things you could ever install on a diesel. After having driven diesels with out one. I wouldn't have a diesel unless it did have one.

[carringb]

I have the Ford V10 with the 4-speed transmission. On a 7% grade, downshifting to 2nd will slow me down and hold about 55 MPH, even with 15,000 pounds in tow. The vast majority of the time just turning off Overdrive is sufficient to control my speed on the freeeway. The newer transmissions with tow-haul mode will to the downshifting automatically.

[jspence1]

I have a diesel and I'm positive I don't have an exhaust brake. Do I need to be concerned about controlling my speeds? I live in a fairly flat area but am going to be traveling through the Rockies this summer and want to be prepared. I don't want to be making my brakes glow on the way down.

[KD4UPL]

You can brake with the engine on a diesel, just not nearly as well as a gas engine. That's why most diesels have exhaust brakes.

[Halmfamily]

My GMC 3500 has the Duramax/Allison combination. We keep the truck in tow/haul mode whenever towing. On downhill grades the transmission locks the torque converter and then downshifts to maintain speed. I just tap the brake as needed and the will downshift to maintain speed. I believe the turbo also acts as an exhaust brake while in tow haul, someone correct me if I'm wrong. I can keep speed on long grades without having to worry, have actually had excelerate at times to maintain speed.

[Desert_Captain]

I don't tow "heavy" with the V-10 in my 2012 24' Class C but am here to tell you that V-10 is an awesome brake on the often long downhills. It is as much a function of the 5 speed Torque Shift transmission as the engine. I can cruise down a 6+% grade for ten or twelve miles and never touch the brake pedal. All that is required is to shift into the "Tow Haul" mode which locks out the 5 gear/overdrive. This holds the coach at 50-55 at around 3,000 rpm and the best part is we are not burning a drop of fuel!

If you run into more hill than that simply down shift into third (thus eliminating 4th gear), and the rpm will climb but the coach will hold at around 40 to 50 and you are again not burning any fuel. You can get much the same effect on older models (that do not have the tow haul option), by locking out overdrive. You will never harm a V-10 by inducing 3,000 to even 5,000 rpm... they are built to do that.

Don't buy into the nonsense that you have to have a diesel to get effective, efficient engine braking. I always laugh when I pass a rig who has been riding their brakes so hard that I can smell them. It's just s a shame they don't know how to drive.

:C

[Me_Again]

Gas engines that have throttle plates provide some amount of compression braking providing they lock up the torque converter. Diesel pickups use exhaust brakes to retard speed on downhills,as they do not have throttle plates. Some of the new direct injection gas engines do not have throttle plates.

As more people buy HD pickups with the new generation on high output gas engines we will learn more.

However those that towed heavy with V10 Fords should be able to chime in now.

Chris