I have a 1999 3/4 and I pull a 30 ft fifth wheel. I've been told I can't add an exhaust brake because it's a turbo. Is this correct or is there a brake which works with the 24v turbo??

 

They ALL have turbos. You can still use an exhaust brake. Do you have an auto or manual transmission? That is the bigger question when you are talking exhaust brakes. If manual, you are all set, go for it. If auto, it's possible, but a little more complicated.

Chris

 

Of course they are all turbo...brain cramp..It's automatic

 

OK, you probably aren't going to want to hear this, but you'll need a new transmission and a TC (torque converter) controller. The stocker is not strong enough to be used with an exhaust brake. By this I mean the torque converter, mostly.

Extended explanation:
When the TC locks up you have a direct mechanical connection between the engine and the wheels, like engaging the clutch on a manual transmission. When the TC is unlocked, your link between the wheels is only a fluid coupling. The fluid coupling will not be very efficient in helping you slow down.

The problems:
While the clutches inside the tranny are OK, the stock valve body does not maintain enough pressure on those clutches to keep them from slipping for very long when using an exhaust brake or upping the HP of your engine; second, the TC lockup clutches are too weak to handle the pressure for very long, much like the internal clutches of the tranny, but the TC, I believe, is the weaker point in this discussion. The TC lockup weakness is also a victim of the low pressures coming out of the valve body.

Next, you'll notice when you let off the accelarator pedal the TC unlocks and the engine drops to an idle, disenaging from the transmission altogether. This is stock behavior. Once your tranny is upgraded you will need to get one of the following to make your TC stay locked up when you want to use the exhaust brake:
1. a manual switch that when turned on, causes the TC to lock. This can be OK, but you must be on your toes when coming to a stop using the exhaust brake because you must disengage the TC lockup of you will stall the engine or break something in the transmission. The exhaust brake will likely come with or require number 2 or 3 in this list, so you probably don't need to worry about this anyway.
Note: The stock transmission cannot handle shifting, up or down, with the TC locked up. This will also factor into using the manual switch with the exhaust brake because you will have to unlock it then lock it again when you have shifted. If you have a built tranny, ATS, Suncout, DTT, etc. it will be able to handle shifting with the TC locked up.
2. a TC controller. These wire into the truck's existing wiring and use sensors from the computer to control engagement of the exhaust brake and TC lockup. You can adjust these to have the TC lock up at almost any speed. Again, this is something that should not be used with a stock tranny.
3. An Emjay Strategy Controller. I don't know a heck of a lot about this unit, but there are articles in the tech section of this site about one of the staff's review of it. It is a computer programmable TC controller that allows you to specify more options in how you want your TC lockup and exhaust brake to act. As I said, I don't know much about this one, but someone hear will speak up if I misinterpretted what it does.


Hope this helps.

Chris

 

Stamey, you have taken a lot of time and have been very helpful. Thanks very much for your valuable imput.