as recommonded by a veteran member's response to my last thread, i've searched for this answer and can't really find a straightforward one. i've read that using the stock EBPV (or EBV, whichever you prefer) can lead to transmission problems (or death), especially in automatics. again, my first diesel will be a late '99 (made july of '99) 7.3 auto F-250 4WD with 3.73s and i'm wanting to get this decel tune. my question is, has anyone had any personal bad experiences with this setup? i've read a lot of praise about it, but haven't really found anyone claiming that it broke their tranny. i have a new baby and new house and can't afford to put a new trans in my truck just for some braking power and a neat sound. i drove tractor trailers for four years before becoming a career fire fighter, and the freightliner business class fire engine that i drove every third day is equipped with an aftermarket jacobs exhaust brake (unfortunately, not an engine brake), and while not nearly as strong as a true jake brake, it's still better than nothing. i mainly plan on using the decel tune with daily driving, NOT under a load, for just a little added power, but if it's gonna kill my trans, then forget it. however, i will be towing my parent's 36' 9500 lb. upright camper about 50 miles each trip, 6 times a year. should i NOT use the exhaust brake while towing and only around town, or is it ok for both, or not at all? does anybody have any input other that just opinions? again, thanks in advance...

 

Ok, several things to note, the stock EBPV takes a couple seconds to activate and doesn't provide really any braking under 2K RPM, so it's basically useless in daily driving. It works pretty well while towing on grades, though. I use it when decending long grades like passing through mountains on the way to GA.

Using the warmup valve as a brake without locking the converter will cause the transmission temps to increase from excessive slippage, and not provide any braking as the auto's have coast clutches. DP's brake tune keeps this from happening by locking the converter, forcing to stay in gear, and raising line pressure IIRC, so no transmission damage can occur.

If you run around empty alot and want supplimental braking, I suggest a good true exhaust brake, like PACbrake. Works better and activates immediately.

 

Locking the Converter and Coast Clutch, while effective, may also lead to trans failure if you're not careful. The Coast Clutch pack in a stock 4R100 is not designed for excessive negative torque and can fairly easily be burned up from the use of exhaust brakes with even moderate loads. This is the reason we don't currently offer E/B programs on stock trans equipped trucks.

If I'm not mistaken, most rebuilders will increase the friction elements in the Coast Clutch to 4 in order to provide more positive hold of the clutch pack and prevent failure. I know Suncoast does. You can read about it here... Ford 4R100 Trans

As Highboosted said, if you're serious about an exhaust brake, there are a number of good ones to choose from including PAC-Brake, BD, and Banks. Just be prepared to open your wallet wide.

Take care.

 

thank you guys greatly, really... i appreciate all the replies from my "newbie" posts

 

The TransGo Tugger kit also helps with this by increasing the holding pressures when you downshift manually reducing slipping. You can read about it here:
4R100 Tugger shift kit,Transgo Performance reprogramming kit,4R100 valve body kit