Talking to a diesel tech about engine braking changed my whole view

Old guy at the parts counter last Tuesday was ranting about jake brakes in pickups. Said most guys don't realize you're just wearing out your valve train for no gain under 45 mph. He showed me his own truck had 380k miles on original valves because he only used it downhill loaded. Honestly never thought about it that deep. Been paying way more attention to my braking habits since then. Anyone else get a random tip from a grizzled tech that stuck with you?

3 comments

3 Comments

king.wyatt24d agoMost Upvoted

Well, I'll be. That old timer hit the nail on the head. I learned a similar lesson the hard way back when I was young and thought I knew everything. Tried to jake brake my old F250 every chance I got, and ended up replacing a rocker arm before 150k miles. My wallet still remembers that mistake, and it definitely taught me to pick my battles with the engine brake.

jakel3624d ago

You ever figure out it was the constant jake braking that did the damage, or was it a slow realization over time? I used to think running the engine brake hard was just part of the deal, like it didn't matter as long as the oil was hot. But seeing you mention a rocker arm going that early makes me second guess my old habits. I was always heavy on the jake in my last truck, and now I'm wondering if that's why the valvetrain got noisy around 180k.

lucashart24d ago

Bet your wallet learned more than you did that day.