Why is my exhaust brake weak on my Ram Cummins when towing heavy?

[Sofia_W]

I’ve been running a 2019 Ram 3500 with the high-output Cummins for a few years now, and lately I’ve noticed the exhaust brake feels significantly weaker, especially when I’m towing my gooseneck loaded near capacity down a long grade. It just doesn’t hold back like it used to, and I’m wondering if this is a common wear item or if something specific tends to fail first.

[Adam.J]

I have a 2019 Ram with the high output Cummins and lately the exhaust brake feels weaker when I am towing near capacity. It used to hold on the long grade but now it just loses grip and I have to use more throttle. I started chasing simple stuff like vacuum lines and the actuator. I found a stiff vacuum hose that was leaking a bit. Replacing that helped a touch, but it did not bring it back to the old feel.

[Thomas.L]

I have owned the truck for a few years and it is not super confident that this is a wear item. Sometimes it acts fine after a cold start then seems weak after a long run. Maybe heat soak changes something or the valve deposits need cleaning.

[Savannah_S]

I tried to troubleshoot by watching the grade and the speed while letting it do its job. It seems consistent across cold and warm but the pressure in the line would vary sometimes under load. I did not replace anything big yet. I keep meaning to check the intercooler check valve but that might be overthinking.

[Brandon75]

Could this be the real problem or are we chasing the wrong thing entirely like transmission braking or engine management settings? Do you think the gooseneck weight distribution could be changing how it behaves?