BrakeSwitch
Your Guardian Angle of Exhaust Braking


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BrakeSwitch Installation Instructions
6 Wire Brakeswitch

    Before starting: Make sure your Aux Brake System is in good working order.
This instruction sheet is what is found on most coaches, with electric engines, and is only to be used as a guide for the installation of BrakeSwitch.

    There are several wires in the harness leading to cockpit exhaust brake switch. There are only 4 wires of interest to us. They control the operation of the system. These four wires complete two separate circuits. One circuit is from power supply (IGN switched Buss) and the other is information from the ECM at the engine. The switch is a simple double pole single throw switch, which means it is either ON or OFF, and it controls two circuits.

    This is a typical pin socket base on an Aux Brake Switch. Slots 9 & 10 are perpendicular (commonly used for switch light) and 1 thru 8 is either blank or horizontal. Most builders use pins 5 and 6 as the connection pins. When information is feed into pin 5 it will usually come out on pin 1 when switch is turned ON. Information feed into pin 6 will usually come out on pin 2.

 

  WITH SWITCH ON  
5-1 Connected 6-2 Connected

With a continuity checker you can check this. With switch OFF Select Pin 5 NO other pin has continuity, with switch ON ONLY completed circuit will have continuity. Then select Pin 6 again only the matching pin will complete the circuit.

The color of wires from BrakeSwitch is for connivance only. NOT a standard color code. The Red and White pairs of wires are to be used to divert information bound for the cockpit switch into and out of our control box. Purple was selected to go to brake light source because in some applications the wire is fed thru a large bundle of other wires and Purple is very easy to see when close to other wires. (If your coach has a brake light source in the cockpit use it.) * NOTE [Freightliner chassis users see Freightliner supplement.] If no source is found in cockpit we usually go to brake light switch. The brake switches (2) have power to one side and when brake is applied (power) is then available to other side of switch. This is where we want to connect to the purple wire (remember these switches are air switches and air must be up to complete circuit) NOW connect the black wire to any GOOD ground.

Road Test: speed above 15 MPH apply brakes, your transmission should shift to lower gear and exhaust brake will close A touch of throttle will open Exhaust Brake. If you use the Exhaust Brake to reduce speed to stop the exhaust brake will release around 8 MPH.

Freightliner Note:
There is a bundle of wires coming up the steering column. It is the bundle going to turn signal. In this group is a red wire with 36E on it. I am told this is a brake light source and can be used to connect to the Purple wire. The black wire goes to GND.

An alternate method of installation on Freightliner Chassis
  • Circuit C3
  • Freightliner Circuit E5
  • One Stage Brakeswitch Wiring
  • Two Stage Brakeswitch Wiring
  • Click Here for a Printable version of this page.
    Click Here for the Wiring Diagram

     

     

    Brake Switch
    Mooresville, NC 28117
    Phone 888-349-5414  |  Fax 704-696-0125  |  Email:
    hhawks@msn.com 

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