GPS put me off on foothills pky in tn running in 4th gear had trk brakes smoking at bottom and nearly didn't stop. Seems like a gear lube smell too. Just put new pads on befor trip brake pedal feels soft now don't know if I trust it to get back to ohio now or not.

 

Did that once myself in heavy traffic. If the brake fluid is old, it probably got water in it. Water turns to steam when brakes get really hot. Once the truck cools over night it should go back to water. Brakes should feel OK, but you still need to change the fluid. Don't know about the oil smell, but burnt brake pads smell really bad.

 

Sucked resivoir out and replaced fluid before I left along with Wagner severe duty rear pads. Glad it got stopped then cloud of smoke enveloped truck I went oh hell FIRE get moving stupid cool them down. Had to air out camper inside stunk like burnt brakes.

 

When you get brakes that hot, there's usually enough heat around to wipe out the oil seals.

I see you blame your GPS. Usually when there's a long, steep or long and steep grade there'll be a sign warning truckers to gear down.

 

GPS did this to me when I was pulling the camper on Skyline Dr in VA. Smoked mine too and almost died!!!

 

These kinda threads should automatically be linked to some exhaust brake website.....

Install an exhaust brake and NEVER smoke your brakes again.

 

Too true KATOOM.

 

True dat. Diesels don't have throttle closed compression drag like a gasser because they don't have a throttle. There is, however, enough drag to get you down the hill if you gear down. 18% grade and a big load demands low gear and about 5 mph. It's boring as watching grass grow, but once you get rolling too fast for whatever stopping ability you have, there's no recovery without damage. Smoked brakes and burned oil seals are minor compared to what it could have been.

If you ever find yourself going over speed, which is defined as any downhill speed where you accelerate unless you apply significant brakes, don't hesitate. Immediately dynamite the brakes and bring it down to where you can get it into low gear. The quicker you can bring it down the less total heat you'll generate.

Exhaust brakes, (on our first gens) allow you to gear up a notch or two and still maintain control. If there's a Jake brake available for your engine, you can fly downhill with impunity.

 

Did you bleed the brakes as well? The most contaminated fluid is at the wheels..

 

I've always followed the old rule of go down hill one gear lower than what you were in when climbing it. Have never really gotten into trouble as long as i followed that rule. I've also learned to look at a map before every trip and have an idea of what routs I should be on and never fully trust a GPS. It is a tool that is very handy, but you still have to use a little common sense and be aware of where you are going.

 

I've been driving through the hills long before GPS, or even interstate highways. When you get to the top of a significant hill, there's always signage that usually says "Trucks use low gear".

 

I agree as well in the "lower gear" rule and watching for road signs but long before I knew about the advantages of an exhaust brake I found that if you had a large enough load back there then its easy to get yourself in a situation no matter what gear you're were in. Diesels simple offer too little resistance against the weight of the load and depending on the situation it becomes even more dangerous whereby possibly overspeeding an engine.

About a year after I bought my truck I got myself into a white knuckle ride while towing a large load of winter wood back down the mountain highway. Having a trailer tell me how fast I was going to travel, I thought there's no freaking way I'm doing that again unless I can find a way to maintain control. Thats when someone turned my attention to exhaust brakes. I was amazed at how well it worked and enabled me to haul considerable weight without the fear of careening down the highway as a trailer shoved me faster and faster.

I'm not one for more laws but if they're going to make any more laws for diesels then one should be that towing over "X" amount of weight requires an exhaust brake.

 

I lost my Exhaust brake two days before arriving back home from Alaska. 14,000 mile trip and no problems on some very interesting grades. WOW - - I had never run the truck without the use of the ebrake. I was lost. Kept reaching for it to slow down on interstates, hills, etc. I was sooooo happy when I fixed it on Thursday. It works like it did about 2 or 3 years ago. Did not know it had deteriorated that much - - slowly.

Highly recommend an exhaust brake if you are going to tow. Also recommend if you have the Jacobs unit with the vacuum pump, check all your vacuum hoses from it if it is more that 5 years old. Cost me a bunch of money and time because I did not.

Bob

 

I did Red Mountain Pass several times last week pulling my 32' GN that weighed in around 10k with contents.. I love my Jaaaaaaaaake Braaaaaaaaake brand exhaust brake

 

I'm with ya man. I am 24,000 pounds gross when loaded and full of fuel. Mountain? Oh yeh - - - I looooooovvveee my Ebrake.