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Old 08-10-2014, 07:10 PM   #1
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Jake Brake

How long should you leave the jake break on. If you have six miles to the bottom, do you leave it on the entire time.

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Old 08-10-2014, 07:20 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adamson View Post
How long should you leave the jake break on. If you have six miles to the bottom, do you leave it on the entire time.

Thanks,

Wendell
07 Alfa See Ya
Did you break your brake? Probably not a jake brake but rather an exhaust brake but no damage either way, at least as long as you're not holding up traffic. Just came down a 6% 4 mile grade on I-84. Exhaust brake on the whole way.
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Old 08-10-2014, 08:55 PM   #3
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We have the true jake brake, not the exhaust brake. We leave it on 90% of the time whether coming down a mountain or on level ground.
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Old 08-10-2014, 09:08 PM   #4
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No limit to the time you can leave the Jake brake or exhaust brake on.
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Old 08-10-2014, 09:10 PM   #5
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We have had both Jake and currently Exhaust brake. I like the Jake much better, but the Exhaust brake works pretty well. We live in Nevada and have Mountains all around so it is a very handy option. I like leaving them on anytime we are around the mountains but turn them off the rest of the time. I am experimenting on using the Exhaust Brake more and my service brakes less just to save wear and tear on the brake linings. I think this might be a good plan and save me some money in the long run.
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Old 08-10-2014, 09:28 PM   #6
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Some Jake and exhaust brakes are set so the transmission downshifts to 4th. Ours is set so it downshifts to 2nd. When the Jake is working right, it allows us to come to a crawl (15MPH) before I need service brakes. Hardly need service brakes at all!
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Old 08-10-2014, 09:36 PM   #7
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I have a Jake Brake. When I went to Sequoyah national forest the campground where we stayed was at 4800 feet. Coming down from the campground the road was just switchback after switchback for a few miles. I used my jake brake and never had to hit my service brakes for the downgrade. Because I was idling down I had quite a lot of traiffic built up behind me. I pulled off at every emergency stopping area to let traffic pass by and then when it was clear I pulled back out to the road. I only used my service brakes when I stopped at the stopping area.
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Old 08-10-2014, 10:18 PM   #8
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Search on the internet for "snub braking technique" and you should get some good advice on getting to the bottom with yourself, passengers and your brakes cool and unruffled.

BTW, good technique doesn't mean you have to go down all the way slower than you need to. Brakes, engine brakes and the throttle are there to use appropriately.
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Old 08-11-2014, 11:27 AM   #9
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My jake brake is rarely ever turned off, and then only for brief periods. In any situation where you actually want to slow the coach down, it should always be on. And there is no harm to any component by doing so.
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Old 08-11-2014, 01:02 PM   #10
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Love my exhaust brake. Rarely use service brakes. Usually just to set speed for the Exhaust brake at the top of the grade.
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Old 08-20-2014, 01:18 PM   #11
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jake vs exhaust brakes

Ok, I have to ask, I have a 2000 Coachman Santara, V-10, is exhaust brake same as downshifting automatic transmission into lower gear?
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Old 08-20-2014, 01:23 PM   #12
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Ok, I have to ask, I have a 2000 Coachman Santara, V-10, is exhaust brake same as downshifting automatic transmission into lower gear?
The answer is no. Exhaust brakes and Jake brakes are equipped on diesel engines none that I know of for a gas engine.
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Old 08-20-2014, 01:50 PM   #13
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Ok, I have to ask, I have a 2000 Coachman Santara, V-10, is exhaust brake same as downshifting automatic transmission into lower gear?
Nope.....

An Exhaust Brake does two things when activated. It closes a baffle in the exhaust path which exerts back pressure in the exhaust. It also sets the downshift set point to 2nd gear but the Allison will not actually downshift until it is safely to do so. As the vehicle slows the Allison will downshift until it reaches 2nd gear.

A Jake brake uses a certain number of cylinders depending on whether you choose Stage one or two on your switch. The compression is done internal to the engine.

Read THIS document which is a good explanation of each system.

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Old 08-20-2014, 02:18 PM   #14
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Jake Brake

Quote:
Originally Posted by gemini5362 View Post
I have a Jake Brake. When I went to Sequoyah national forest the campground where we stayed was at 4800 feet. Coming down from the campground the road was just switchback after switchback for a few miles. I used my jake brake and never had to hit my service brakes for the downgrade. Because I was idling down I had quite a lot of traiffic built up behind me. I pulled off at every emergency stopping area to let traffic pass by and then when it was clear I pulled back out to the road. I only used my service brakes when I stopped at the stopping area.
Ok. Long story ahead about how I learned to go downhill thanks to the folks on iRV2!

On my rig, if I'm going around 60 MPH and turn on the Jake, it downshifts from 6th to 5th and slows me down to about 50 MPH. Then it downshifts to 4th and slows me to about 35 MPH. Then it downshifts to 3rd and slows me down to about 25 MPH, etc. Quickly!

Going downhill into Laughlin, NV with a 12 mile 6% downgrade, I let the Jake slow me to about 35 MPH, then turn off the Jake and speed back up to about 50 MPH and repeat. And I'd watch the tach and freak out cos it was sometimes going past the 2,300 RPM safe max (for a Cummins ISL 400) so I'd quickly shut off the Jake! Really stressful!

Since then, I've learned a lot about using the Jake properly. Most important (for me to know) was that while using the Jake it's ok for the RPMs to increase (briefly) to around 2,500. Read the Cummins manual.

Later, on the same trip, I applied this new wisdom on the up to 11% downgrades on I-5 in southern Oregon.

Pushing the throttle turns the Jake off. So, I pushed the throttle after the Jake had slowed me to around 52MPH. This would shut the Jake off before it downshifted. Then I'd speed up to around 55 MPH, then take my foot off the throttle. This reapplied the Jake, and then I'd just repeat this till I got to the bottom of the hill. I didn't slow traffic up (much), and I almost never had to use my service brakes. And no more stress! Again, thanks to the good folk here on iRV2!

Also, I discovered that on a 5% or less downgrade, just shifting to 5th gear will hold me at about 55 MPH without needing to apply the service brakes. I only use the Jake on downhills of 6% or greater. Incidentally, my Garmin shows grades so I check it frequently!

If you follow a semi-truck downhill you'll notice their brake lights hardly ever light up. Same thing if you followed me!
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