I need help !! Lost 4th & 5th gear braking when Ford flashed computer for
emission recall in 1/04. Have been working with dealer, there is nothing they
can do. So far calling Ford hasn't helped. Any suggestions ??

03 f350

 

I think the 4th & 5th gear engine braking will kick in when you apply the brakes with the latest flash.

 

Thanks SBV45 but mine does'nt do anything until about 48 mph when 3rd kicks in.

 

I'll make sure not to try that at about 70. Thanks for checking it out. It was a capability that was there with earlier flashes.

 

You could always get an exhaust brake. Check here.

 

I have heard that an exhaust brake is a definite no on the 6.0L. Can anybody confirm or deny that?

 

All I can confirm is that I've heard it was a no-no too :P

 

It is either in the owners manual or it was my dealer, but the 6.0L PSD motor was not designed for an exhaust brake. This is due to the fact that the seals and other vital components are not designed to handle the "back-pressure" of an exhaust brake.

"Big Rig" trucks are designed to handle this back-pressure and have components and seals that can withstand the pressure.

Thanks,

 

If you have a predator and a friend with an older flash and a predator, he can save his older flash to disk and give it to you.

 

If on release of throtle the torque converter clutch releases and the engine
speed drops almost to idle RPM an exhaust brake will do no good!!! After the Dec flash (RC8) this is what happened to mine also. Have writter Bill Ford but as usual he and FMC could care less if they screwed up my or your truck.

 

The Cummins in a Dodge is designed strong enough to handle an exhaust brake.....They just can't put a decent auto behind it to hold it (exhaust brake or not).

Back to the topic, the Dec reflash sounds ridiculous. The engine braking is needed most when you are at cruising speed down a long grade. If you don't have it in the higher gears, what is the point?

 

The reason the exhaust brake is a no-no is because the 6.0 throttle is controled by the variable vanes on the turbo. If you will check, the throttle body has no butterfly plate(removed early in 03.) The turbo vanes in the turbine housing are pretty fragile so a build op of heat and back pressure could damage them.

The Predator has the ability to save stock flashes to disk and reinstall them later. What would be wrong with borrowing an older uncorrupted flash from some friend?

 

I believe I remember hearing that it was the variable pitch turbo blades that created an issue with an exhaust brake. The EGR may also have concerns with an engine brake. I read BD's product desciption of their 6.0 exhaust brake and they have an electronic control kit that communicates with the Variable Geometry Turbo and the EGR valve. I would guess that it would tell the turbo to minimize the angle of the blades and close the EGR valve during exhaust braking. Does anyone else know more about this?

 

I think I would be desperate for braking and running near max GVW before I would consider a "Jake Brake", if that is what they are called.

 

I have always liked the sound of the "Jake Brake" (short for Jacobs exhaust brake) when driving big trucks, but have never heard one on a pick-up truck yet.