Exhaust brake.

[Southernspeed]

My first truck with an exhaust brake. Watching the gauge , it looks like it can apply a few hundred horsepower of braking force. Question is, is it detrimental to the engine? How much extra wear does it cause (if any)? Initially I only used it when hauling but have since found it a great driver aid for every day driving. So is it good, bad or indifferent to my engine?

 

[Brutal_HO]

IMHO, The Cummins is indifferent to the EB.

I also believe the VVT turbo and actuator assembly are better off being used.

I'd say most of us keep them on almost all the time.

 

[MEGA HO]

It's not at all detrimental to the engine or any other components. In fact it is good for the turbo and will save your breaks. I wish there was an option from the factory to remember the last state of the EB so you didn't need to turn it on each time manually.

 

[Gadgetguru]

My first truck with an exhaust brake. Watching the gauge , it looks like it can apply a few hundred horsepower of braking force. Question is, is it detrimental to the engine? How much extra wear does it cause (if any)? Initially I only used it when hauling but have since found it a great driver aid for every day driving. So is it good, bad or indifferent to my engine?

It's a "turbo brake", uses the vanes in the turbo to create backpressure. How much braking force seems to depend on a number of things, RPM, gear, tow/haul mode. You can always lock out a higher gear and have it downshift sooner to get a higher RPM, more engine braking, and more exhaust braking. Like a lot of folks, I use mine every time I drive the truck.

 

[John Jensen]

It's not at all detrimental to the engine or any other components. In fact it is good for the turbo and will save your breaks. I wish there was an option from the factory to remember the last state of the EB so you didn't need to turn it on each time manually.

Calibrated Power's tune turns on the EB automatically and remembers your setting, full or auto. You only use the EB switch if you want to turn it off. It's a great feature for those of us that want it on all the time.

With no tune you can fool the truck into keeping it on all the time.
Trick your truck into thinking a trailer is in tow.
Use a blank 7 pin RV plug and wire a 12 ohm 8-10 watt resistor to the trailer brake and ground wire slots.
The Rear Park sensors will be disabled.
The Exhaust Brake will always be "On"
Sometimes when restarting a truck that has been off for a while, the EB will be "off". Just push EB button to turn back "on"
The towing mileage can be reset to zero anytime.

 

[Brutal_HO]

Calibrated Power's tune turns on the EB automatically and remembers your setting, full or auto. You only use the EB switch if you want to turn it off. It's a great feature for those of us that want it on all the time.

With no tune you can fool the truck into keeping it on all the time.
Trick your truck into thinking a trailer is in tow.
Use a blank 7 pin RV plug and wire a 12 ohm 8-10 watt resistor to the trailer brake and ground wire slots.
The Rear Park sensors will be disabled.
The Exhaust Brake will always be "On"
Sometimes when restarting a truck that has been off for a while, the EB will be "off". Just push EB button to turn back "on"
The towing mileage can be reset to zero anytime.

Trailer fooler plug also messes up the truck BSM. Sets to a minimum 20' trailer if it cannot detect as I recall.

 

[John Jensen]

Trailer fooler plug also messes up the truck BSM. Sets to a minimum 20' trailer if it cannot detect as I recall.

I don't know. My brother and I ran with a trailer plug for about 9 mos and never had a problem when using it or when we stopped using it

 

[gimmie11s]

Good info John. I also use mine every time i drive the truck.

In the 2nd gen cummins trucks, you could harm the engine if you used the wrong plate in the exhaust brake (auto and manual trans trucks used different sized holes in the EB plate). The 12 valve trucks also required a valve spring upgrade in order to use the brake to keep from damaging the motor.

I dont think it's accurate to say the brake "doesnt effect" the engine at all. Im sure it does, but not enough to worry about it with the current cylinder head and turbocharger technology.

 

[Brutal_HO]

Good info John. I also use mine every time i drive the truck.

In the 2nd gen cummins trucks, you could harm the engine if you used the wrong plate in the exhaust brake (auto and manual trans trucks used different sized holes in the EB plate). The 12 valve trucks also required a valve spring upgrade in order to use the brake to keep from damaging the motor.

I dont think it's accurate to say the brake "doesnt effect" the engine at all. Im sure it does, but not enough to worry about it with the current cylinder head and turbocharger technology.

Most 12V owners I know that added an EB studded the head.

 

[gimmie11s]

Most 12V owners I know that added an EB studded the head.

That’s right.

Massive amounts of exhaust pressure are great for engine braking but not exactly great for the engine LOL.

 

[RJenkins1581]

The older trucks that didn't have a "exhaust brake" suffered from two issues. The first and largest issues was that the exhaust valves were never set up for the back pressure. So they weren't strong enough causing the valve to float/lift and kiss the piston. The second was the heads lifting. Newer engines that were designed and equipped with "exhaust brakes" are equipped with stiffer valve springs.

 

[John Jensen]

The older trucks that didn't have a "exhaust brake" suffered from two issues. The first and largest issues was that the exhaust valves were never set up for the back pressure. So they weren't strong enough causing the valve to float/lift and kiss the piston. The second was the heads lifting. Newer engines that were designed and equipped with "exhaust brakes" are equipped with stiffer valve springs.

Aren't the newer trucks' exhaust brakes really turbo brakes, not engine brakes?

 

[ConstablePD]

Aren't the newer trucks' exhaust brakes really turbo brakes, not engine brakes?

From what I understand it takes a VGT turbo for exhaust breaking. The term engine brake to me would refer to "jakes"