Adding a Jake Brake to a 2005 Fleetwood Discovery

[tjstrain]

I'm new here and looking at a 2005 Fleetwood Discovery with no Jake Brake. At least that's what the person selling the RV says. I Don't see a switch for it like I've seen on other rigs. If it's not an option on this rig, can the system be added? Thanks. I've been spending days at a time reading and learning here.
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Life is one long weekend!

[porscheracer]

If it's got a turbo-diesel, an exhaust brake is an option - even if aftermarket. The active types are better, but significantly more expensive.

Check with Banks or Jacobs or any of the many retailers/manufacturers. One caveat - it WILL NOT be cheap!
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Norm & Janet
'08 Winnebago View 24H / '09 Escape XLT AWD toad
'05 Winnebago Vectra 36RD / '03 Dakota QC 4x4 toad, or a 24' trailer with another car;
Probably somewhere in NA - or maybe on another continent.

[tjstrain]

Is a "retarder" the Jake brake? There is a switch for that. I'm waiting for the owner to call to find out what this unit actually has on it. It is sitting at a local used car lot. They're selling it for a friend of the car lot's owner.
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Life is one long weekend!

[firegal]

An engine retarder is basically the same as a Jake brake but works from a different area of the engine than a Jake brake. Most semi drivers like a Jake better because in their opinion it is a better acting device to slow the trucks, it rumbles very loudly and "it's cool."

The best way to test it out is find a small hill and go down it. Turn on the retarder switch. You should notice your vehicle slowing slightly, almost like you downshifted and let off the gas pedal.
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1987 Itasca 32RQ Sunflyer
2005 Chrysler Crossfire
1998 Ford Bronco

[porscheracer]

A retarder (like a PacBrake), which is more common on engines under ~9 liters, is a passive device. A Jake brake actually makes the engine try to run in reverse (a very rudimentary illustration), and does a better job -but is very noisy, and is illegal in an increasing number of cities.

Most diesel motorhomes have a retarder (if they have anything).
_________________
Norm & Janet
'08 Winnebago View 24H / '09 Escape XLT AWD toad
'05 Winnebago Vectra 36RD / '03 Dakota QC 4x4 toad, or a 24' trailer with another car;
Probably somewhere in NA - or maybe on another continent.

[BrianSue]

There are actually a number of different types of exhaust brakes or retarders. What you can do to your engine depends a lot on what engine you have. The "Jake" brake works by changing the amount of time the exhaust valves are open or closed. Instead of opening for much of a cycle, the valves stay closed until the very end of the cycle. In simple terms this turns the engine into a compressor. It is my understanding that when the switch is in one position, the "Jake" is limiting the opening of valves on three cylinders and in the other position, it is limiting all six cylinders. This is a simple explanation and not intended to tell the whole story. Other systems can work along the same lines - like the Pac-Brake. Installing a "Jake" means opening the valve covers and changing each exhaust valve and how it works - not the right words I know - simplification. The cost can be considerable. An exhaust brake puts a valve on the exhaust system rather than each individual exhaust valve - that is it restricts the flow of all exhaust through the exhaust pipe as it comes off the engine. This is a simpler and cheaper conversion but probably does not cause as much compression in the engine as a "Jake" (short for Jacobs which is the company that designed the system).

As far as laws regarding use of exhaust brakes - this mostly applies to truckers who do not have mufflers and like to make a lot of noise. A muffled "Jake" does not really make that much noise. When we hear a truck rapping, it is because they have little or no muffler. The law in Colorado is that you must have a muffler. This is more of a noise restriction than anything else. We have let our "Jake" engage while going through a tunnel to see how much noise it makes. Ours is very quiet and barely noticable.

We leave our "Jake" on all the time in the lower compression position and switch to higher compression if conditions require more stopping power. Leaving your "Jake' off all the time can mean you will find yourself in a situation where it is needed and you will not have time to turn it on.