Engine brake - trainer never told me what is it

When i was in training i was told by my trainer never to use the engine brake. And when i am driving i see signs that says do not use engine brake ... So there must be something bad about engine brake? If so what is it? Also, what is an engine brake? How does it work and what does it do for me? It also has 3 levels of engine brake in my truck...

Anyways, now that i have a year of experience on the road i want to know more about my truck?

There is also a no/off switch for "ADL off road", again my trainer said nothing about it. Again how do that work?

 

The engine brake is used to slow the truck down without using the foot brake. Mine has 3 levels as well and the higher the level, the more resistance the engine uses to slow the truck down. The reason for "No Engine Brake" signs is usually in residential areas, because they can potentially make a LOT of noise. Ever hear a truck coming off an exit with a loud semi-baffled sound seeming to come from the exhaust? That's the engine brake. It's good for heavy loads and/or going down a steep grade.

As far as what exactly causes the engine to do what it does, I don't know the specifics. So I can't go into that. But as stated before, its main purpose is to slow the truck down at a quicker rate than just using the foot brake. Also helps with wear and tear on the brakes as you should only have to use them intermittently when going down a grade with the engine brake on.

Hope this helps.

 

The purpose of an engine brake is to slow the truck down usually on steep grades. Basically it uses the exhaust to create back pressure on the engine. There are three levels or stages which create more or less of a brake. The signs you see that prohibit you from using it are usually in populated areas, like residential areas and sometimes where rock slides can occur. There is nothing bad about the engine brake it just makes a lot of noise and some drivers seem to just like the sound of it and use it all the time for slowing down. Also known as the jake brake.

My question to you is how the hell have you been driving for a year in Canada no less and don't know what a Jake brake is?

 

Sorry DJ we must have been typing at the same time!

 

The engine brake is the compression or "Jake" brake. It's there to assist you in maintaining speed on downgrades or slowing down without using the service brakes. The engine brake only operates during zero throttle, when no fuel is being fed into the engine. When its activated, instead of injecting fuel, the camshaft pops open the exhaust valve during the end of the compression stroke in the engine. With no ignition cycle, the drag of the engine pistons slows the truck down through the drivetrain. The higher the RPM of the engine, the more effective the engine brake is. The levels are the amount of cylinders activated. When the first level is selected, only 2 cylinders are activated, on the 2nd level, 4 cylinders are activated and on the third level, all 6 are activated. Some engines, like the ISX, allowed for 6 levels of engine braking.

The signs are due to the noise generated from engine brakes, as the release of the compressed air in the cylinder produces that loud popping noise. But many laws were written when trucks were running non-turbo engines and straight pipes, which produces the most noise when using an engine brake. Todays modern turbocharged engines with mufflers and DPF's and such aren't quite so loud but the laws remain.

I think the ADL is the axle differential lock, which gives you extra traction in low traction conditions. Normally, a tandem drive axle truck only drives through the forward drive axle, the rear axle is only activated when the lock is selected. Only use it in slippery conditions, using on dry pavement can cause excessive wear on the tires and drivetrain.

FYI, the engine brake was invented by Clessie Cummins, the founder of Cummins. He was unable to get his company to invest in the idea of the compression brake (believe it or not they saw no money in the idea) so he sold it to a company called Jacobs Manufacturing and the rest is history.

 

No worries. I didn't know the part about the back pressure to the engine.

 

+1 on this...

 

Here you go
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl3NLWrj_sA[/ame]

 

Wasn't an insult just very curious.

On that note while in the land of the Canucks do not use your Jake when it's raining or icy roads.

Yes, this is where the Jake can be dangerous!

 

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When was that film,looks like early 80's???

Also it seems tankers drivers used it a lot,I was next to a tanker the other day and the guy was using every time he came up to a light.This was on a city street not on a highway.Also I should state he was on his cell phone while driving!