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Jake Rebuilt
Last year coming down Rabbitt Ear Pass into Steamboat Springs Colorado, a long 7% grade, my Jake was not working properly and I got my brake very hot. I had the Jake checked in Oregon and confirmed it was not functioning the way it should. Carefully we crossed the Rockies on the way home. I had had a retarder on previous Foretravel coaches and preferred the retarders to the Jake.
I had American Fleet rebuild the retarder and adjust the valves while they had the engine pulled. They also changed all hoses and sensors. Today we climbed out of Denver on I-70 over the mountain and down into Dillon. Again a 7% down grade. The Jake worked. We were towing a 8,000 pound trailer and only touched the brakes once. Then we were actually slowing down. The Jake was impressive. It was safe. I am very pleased. The control was equal to the retarder and I did not have to watch the transmission temperature. I still like retarders, but a functioning Jake works as well or better.
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11 Replies
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Glad that having that work done showed significant improvements for you…
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Be interested to know what specifically fails or goes out of adjustment when a Jake is working but less than 100%
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We had solenoid issues which needed replaced
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Pull the engine to adjust the valves and fix the jake????????? Sounds pricey.
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And unnecessary!
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Why do you say unnecessary?
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My guess here is you have a choice , go in the bedroom or drop the engine . While at Prevost Jack in June the manager told me they can drop it in 4 hrs . I think I would do the same rather than have the mechanic working in my bedroom . I guess it is a choice .
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Al is correct in noting work can be done to an extent from inside the bedroom over the engine, or as an alternative, pulling the engine.
The extent of the required work will influence the manner in which the engine will be accessed. Both approaches have risks, and those risks are influenced by the floor plan of the coach, how it was converted especially in the area around the engine access panel, and how the coach can be protected.
Working with the engine in place on a coach with a north south bed, access beneath the bed and on an 8V92 is a no brainer. In fact on an 8V92 there is almost nothing that requires access from the removeable panel.
With a Series 60, an east west bed, cabinetry over the engine access panel and an XL or XLII just to remove the valve cover a whole lot of cabinetry has to be disassembled, or the engine needs to be pulled back.
So the risks are damage to cabinetry and possible grease on interior surfaces like carpeting or fabrics that cannot be cleaned. Pulling an engine has its associated risks such as damaged electrical cables on the converter portion, as well as the potential to end up with systems not working like mis-installed Webasto hoses.
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I certainly don;t claim to have the mechanical experience as others here. I too was concerned about having my engine removed for the valve job. But I think it all depends on where you go. I took it to American Fleet in Springfield and these guys do this all the time. In fact they wouldn’t do the job in frame as potential for expenses and damages inside in their opinion outweigh the risks of pulling. Out and back in with no drama. Another advantage is they replaced every single piece of hose and several other items I don’t recall while it was out that would have been difficult in frame. Just my two cents worth.
Bill
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Agreed American Fleet did ours and it was the best option for our coach. And they did a good job
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Unlike other RV s Prevost knew the coach could not sit idle for long so they engineered the coach for a easy engine replacement or repair . Just a guess here but would make sense if true .
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