Well my other truck (Iveco box truck with a Deutz 6-cyl. diesel) has an exhaust brake. The truck is getting retired, and sinjce I can't unload the engine on anyone, I am thinking about the exhaust brake. Its an air-actuated unit. I haven't followed the air hoses back yet, but I would think there must be an electric solenoid that operates the actuator that closes the valve. My question is, what would it take to hook this up on my truck? This is what I'm thinking:

-Wire up electric air solenoid to a throttle switch that I could install on the motor using a relay. I would wire this up through my mystery switch so that it only works if the TC is locked, and the throttle is completely released.

-Of course I would need an air source. I'm planning on hooking up on board air anyway (probably use the compressor off the Iveco diesel) and I'll have an air tank mounted under the bed of the truck. I want to be able to inflate tires and operate the occasional air tool if I need to.

-The exhaust brake valve is mounted in a simple flanged tube about 4" long. I think it would be quite easy to hook this up to my exhaust.

I don't see any reason this wouldn't work...any thoughts or suggestions? Things I haven't thought of?

Jim

 

I want to ad one to mine also , looking at your sig. you'll need to upgrade the trans. 1st to handle the extra load , at least thats what I found so far.

 

would work ok as long as it doesn't create too much backpressure, then you would need to have a way to adjust the maximum backpressure, such as a regulator.

 

agreed, and get 60lb valve springs that'll keep you safe a little longer.

What size exhaust is it for?

 

I'm not sure of the exhaust size...I just eyeballed it and started thinking about it. I should be back up at the shop tomorrow, so I'll measure it then. By eye it was at least 3", so it should work fine (as far as size).

About the trans...what needs to be upgraded to use the exhaust brake? I have the mystery switch...that will keep the TC locked to make the brake effective (at least while in 3rd and OD, the only place I'd use the brake anyway).

I'm just learning this stuff. I have good mechanical ability, so I can work through the basics on my own, but I need advice from those who have done it to keep my pointed in the right line.

Jim

 

Well I pulled the exhaust brake today, and it looks almost exactly like a Pacbrake! Its just a short tube about 3" long, with a taper in the casting at each end to accept a flanged pipe. The ID is a bit over 3", so it should work fine on my truck. Unfortunately, both sides are flanged the same, so either end would mate up to the downpipe, but neither end will mate directly to the turbo. BUT...I'm wondering if I can either cut my downpipe and have the 2 pieces flanged to match, OR have the exhaust brake machined to fit over the turbo's flange. Its kind of hard to see in the bag, but it looks almost exactly like this one, with both ends looking like the end you can see here:



I also pulled the electric solenoid that actuates the piston that operates the valve. I just need to get the on board air installed and hook the whole thing up. Not bad for a free-bee from a scrap truck!

Jim