Maxxforce 10 Exhaust Brake

[eddie0]

2013 HR 40DFT with Maxxforce 10 has an exhaust brake that doesn't hold work as wll as it did when I purchased the RV in 2014. It was in the shop a year ago for a month because exhaust brake wasn't engaging at all and finally the International dealer said it was ready. When I picked it up I was told by the Service Manager that I shouldn't expect it to perform like a 2 stage exhaust system because it really wasn't. I don't do a lot of hill driving but this last week I went down a 7% grade and it was very scary since I used the brakes more than I should have. Anyone have this problem and does anyone know a southern California shop that can fix it right? Southern Arizona is even okay.

[Scepter40]

Service guy was correct. It will not hold as good as a regular engine brake will. Couple of questions, assuming that the exhaust brake is closing all the way:

1. How fast were you going at the top of the hill? Generally, the consensus is that you should be at the same (or lower) speed and gear as you were when climbing the hill. If you're running 65 or higher at the top, you're too fast to go down.
2. Was the transmission shifting down? Was it trying to **** to 2nd?
3. What do you mean you used the brakes too much? You should be stabbing the brakes hard to get down to a manageable speed, which should allow the trans to shift down one or more gears. And then lay off them to let them cool. And don't let it back to the speed that was too fast. That's a bit sticky as sometimes it can be hard to maintain that without riding the brakes. I had several recent experiences that I used the brakes more than I wanted to. Luckily, I didn't heat them up and maintained control.

I've found (and recently) that a long 7 or 8% grade is much harder to deal with than a 5 or 6. On our previous trip west to Teton and Glacier, I was definitely schooled on those grades, even though I've been as far wet as Estes Park (CO) and all over the east coast and south to Savannah. It's a different animal.

Provided that the EB is closing all the way and the trans is hunting a lower gear, I'd say your systems are working as designed. After that, it's up to you. And it can be scary at times.

[eddie0]

Thanks for the reply Scepter40
When I topped the hill I was doing 40 in 3rd gear. I manually shifted to 3rd gear to keep it from upshifting. The tranny did not try to shift to a lower gear. My smart steering wheel has 3 different buttons for the engine brake and I know the 3rd one is no different than the 2nd. When I first got the coach there was a noticeable difference between the 1 and 2 but not anymore. I know the brakes are necessary to to keep from over taching but when you start smelling them you can find yourself in trouble if you need to come to a complete stop. Is there a way I can determine if the EB is closing all the way?

[Scepter40]

Interesting that you have a selectable number for the EB. I haven't seen that before and it doesn't indicate an exhaust brake. Instead it indicates a compression brake. So, I went and found the manual for your coach and it states that you do in fact have a compression brake. You can find that info on page 237 of the manual on the Holiday Rambler website. I think your service person fed you a bunch of crap or didn't know what they were talking about. Time for a new service center.

[Dennis_K]

I also think your service person fed you a bunch of crap. I have a 2012 Monaco with the MF10 and is has a 3 stage compression brake and it works very well. I live in the west and I am always in the mountains. I am always towing from 6-8000lbs.
I can confirm that over about 68 mph the compression brake will not do anything. I have gone down plenty of steep grades and rarely need to hit the brakes if I keep the speed down. The engine RPM needs to be high for maximum slowing power.
On flat ground, if I am at 65 mph and activate the compression brake in stage 3, the trans will downshift into 4th and the compression brake will slow me down until about 45 mph and then it will downshift into 3rd and then into 2nd when slow enough.
If you are not getting the downshifting then you still have a problem.

[eddie0]

Thanks Dennis
There aren't very many places that work on the International engines other than an International dealer and service center. I live in southern California and there are only 3 within 75 miles and one doesn't work on motorhomes.

[Dennis_K]

Originally Posted by eddie0

Thanks Dennis
There aren't very many places that work on the International engines other than an International dealer and service center. I live in southern California and there are only 3 within 75 miles and one doesn't work on motorhomes.

I am very familiar with the lack of good service dealers. My closest dealer that will work on a motorhome is about 200 miles from me so having 2 within 75 miles seams pretty nice to me.

[wolfe10]

What brand exhaust brake? Please let us know as some require MAINTENANCE/LUBRICATION.



Have you verified that it IS working?


Easy to do.


On a road with no traffic:


Down arrow the transmission to, say 3rd gear.
Accelerate to higher RPM range for your engine.
Let off the throttle and toggle between exhaust brake ON and OFF.


Since the transmission is in the same gear, particularly at higher RPM you should feel a real difference.

[eddie0]

Thanks for replying Wolfe.
Not sure whose brake it is. it does work however there's no difference between 1st and 2nd stage when I toggle between the two.

[Dandick]

For clarification, the MF10 has an exhaust brake and an engine brake(Jake brake, compression brake). The exhaust brake works with the emissions/after treatment system and is not user programmable.
The engine brake is indeed 3 stages. I leave mine on high whenever I travel. Sometimes I don’t have to use my service brakes until I’m going less than 10 MPH.
The engine brake and is also programmable through Servicemaxx or NEDs. Mine was originally programmed to only work when the service brakes were applied. This scenario didn’t help anything as the service brakes would get hot. It’s set now to come on when you let up on the throttle after a couple of seconds.

[eddie0]

Thanks for the response Dan.
The owners manual only mentions a 3 stage engine brake that really acts like a 2 stage since there's no difference between stage 2 and 3 or medium and high according to the manual

https://www.irv2.com/forums/attachme...1&d=1694105457. s

[Dandick]

Interesting that they changed the engine brake from 2012 to 2013. Here’s the page from my owner’s manual.