The dash on my KW. How many have ever come across the two lower left guages 🤔
Posted by Ozdriver@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 24 comments
It’s an Australian build K124CR
Posted by Ozdriver@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 24 comments
It’s an Australian build K124CR
WillBilly_Thehic@reddit
For some reason retarders are rare in the states outside of busses. The only time I see them every get a large-ish roll out is on old 3408 trucks because you couldn't get those with Jake's. How does the wear work on those? Do the veins/impellers ever wear out or just the oil go bad?
Ozdriver@reddit (OP)
Same in Australia where this is. My truck has a CAT 3408 so no Jakes. As long as you don’t let the BrakeSaver oil temp go in the red you are sweet. The engine has a massive oil cooler which combines engine oil with the BrakeSaver so oil temps never go high unless you are going down a long grade with the BrakeSaver at max. It never goes bad unless it is abused. Nothing can really wear out except oil seals. There is a diaphragm in the control housing that needs replacing every couple of years but that only takes an hour if the oil is drained.
Some six cylinder 3406 and C15 had Jakes and Brakesaver which had huge braking power but like I said you can’t get Jakes on a 3408.
StaffordMagnus@reddit
Why did the 3408s not have Jake brakes?
Ozdriver@reddit (OP)
That question was asked on one of the Caterpillar engine forums and it looks like not enough of them were made to warrant development of Jakes on the 3408 V8, and the valve configuration would have made it difficult compared to the 3406. The Brakesaver was developed before Jakes became common on CATs so they stuck with it.
StaffordMagnus@reddit
Ah ok, it's not an inherent issue with the V8 then.
IIRC the old Mack V8s have Jakes?
Ozdriver@reddit (OP)
They’ve got the Dynatard which is their own version of Jakes, not all that effective though.
Frenchie1001@reddit
Did these only come on the 3408? I am not huge on the older stuff but have driven a few and never seen it
FlappyJ1979@reddit
It came on the 3406 as well.
Frenchie1001@reddit
Never seen one on a c15 either
Ozdriver@reddit (OP)
Kenworth in Australia made around 30 trucks with the 3408, most had BrakeSavers but they were expensive and heavy so some that were working triples in the north didn’t have them. They reckoned they didn’t need them in mainly flat terrain and they were an expensive option.
Frenchie1001@reddit
I'm not sure I've even seen a cab over with a 08 so that makes sense
kit_eubanks@reddit
Yeah I have a new appreciation for electronic dash now.... I forgot how ugly old school dashes were
HowlingWolven@reddit
I wish we got a TRB.
Ozdriver@reddit (OP)
TRB?
HowlingWolven@reddit
Transmission retarders.
steveteeg1@reddit
Flywheel retarder. Common on older cats. Drove one in the 80’s
Fit_Hospital2423@reddit
There is something like eight or 10 gauges on the dash that most modern American trucks don’t have.
Medium-Big-4143@reddit
I’ve driven a couple trucks with brake savers. Newest one was a 2007 KW with a C15 Cat motor, this truck had an engine brake and a brake saver.
They’re a really interesting feature but I’m told that they leak oil and have to be resealed pretty often.
My dad has a w900a that was built with a 3408, brake saver and some sort of air shift 4x4 spicer trans. The 3408 is still there but the brake saver was removed and the trans replaced with a 13 speed.
Ozdriver@reddit (OP)
I’ve never had trouble with oil leaks on the BrakeSaver on mine but there are a lot of O rings on the external oil lines. You should do a bearing roll on the engine around every 5,000 hours and to do that you’ve got to remove the oil pan and all of the BrakeSaver oil lines, so naturally you replace the O rings with new ones. It’s probably when all those O rings get old that they leak, but that means guys haven’t done bearing rolls like they should.
greenchazm@reddit
It's the pyrometer gage I had to Google
ConsequenceSweaty241@reddit
It's for the jake brake
whitecollarpizzaman@reddit
Jake doesn’t use oil. It’s for a retarder, which adds resistance to the driveshaft or transmission. Not very common.
ToeSimilar5163@reddit
Just a brake PSI and oil temp gauge? Or you mean the particular style?
Ozdriver@reddit (OP)
It’s a Caterpillar BrakeSaver. Hydraulic retarder on the back of the engine. You regulate the pressure with the hand piece , that’s what the pressure guage is for, and you keep an eye on the BrakeSaver oil temperature.