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    An exhaust brake is a big help where we in the mountains of Virgina. Winding mountain roads can eat brake pads quickly, toast wheel bearings, and warp rotors and drums. The diesel engine with no throttle input operates at atmospheric pressure on the intake and exhaust side, producing far less braking than an equivelant gasoline engine. Sue had not been driving her new 01 diesel for long before she was wishing for an exhaust brake.

An exhaust brake uses a vacuum operated butterfly in the exhaust stream, which acts like a potato up the exhaust pipe to build backpressure against the engine. This backpressure produces considerable braking power.

As the installer, it was left to me to choose a product. On the TDR forum, a special group purchase of any of the major brakes was offered through Bully Dog Technologies. The price was very attractive and I jumped on the deal. Of the models offered, I chose the Pacbrake from past experience with the Pac on my 1994 Ram, the companies assistance with a problem I had encountered, and the lower cost of the Pacbrake compared to other products. My experience with the Pac on my 94, information about competing models, and links to manufacturers are posted on my other Exhaust Brake page.

Installation - page under construction

Installing the brake itself requires disconnecting the exhaust pipe from the turbocharge elbow, removing the elbow, installing an adapter in place of the elbow, attaching the brake to the adapter, and connecting the exhaust pipe to the brake.

Turbo elbow	Rear of turbo with elbow removed	Pacbrake mounted

Pacbrake offers a choice of operating options - PCM activation or Throttle switch activation. I chose the throttle switch because it works very well in my 1994 Ram. The PCM has a 2 second delay before the brake is activated after the throttle returns to idle. The throttle switch mounts easily under the dash by removing a nut, placing the swith bracket over a stud, and then reinstalling the nut.

Switch and bracket	nut to be removed	switch mounted

John S. installed the BD E-Brake switch for his '01 2500 6sp 3.54 below the ignition switch.

Last Update August 28, 2000