My Differential Breather Mod Photos

GOOD JOB! New color tube looks great!

 

Thanks David! Yup, as advertised Lowes no longer carries the yellow high pressure hose, just the bright red/orange.. Thanks again for all the notes & pictures. Super helpful! It's a very useful & easy mod, now I can run through stream & river crossings with confidence! (While still using common sense )

 

I know someone with a Toyota Land Cruiser that got his rear diff fluid water contaminated from just one time crossing a deep muddy creek, the same one that got me, in Baja, when my truck was new.

DON'T DELAY, DO THE REAR DIFF BREATHER MOD TODAY!

 

We had flash flooding here the other day and I had a few involuntary water crossings (on roads) up to my rockers. I had no worries with this mod, completed last summer.

 

I need to get this done asap.

 

Some of you may be interested in this little devil. It has a "cool" factor to it: http://www.arb.com.au/products/arb-air-lockers-accessories/differential-breather-kits.php

This kit is intended to replace your factory breathers and contains enough fittings and tubing to connect at least two drivetrain assemblies. More tubing and push-in fittings can be purchased separately to connect up to four assemblies to the central manifold (Part Number 170113).

FEATURES

• The axle breather manifold is machined from billet aluminum and anodized, making it lightweight and resistant to the elements.
• The manifold has 4 axle breather ports allowing for between 1 and 4 breather lines to be connected. It is very compact allowing it to be installed in virtually any location.
• The kit comes with self tapping screws, but the manifold mounting holes are large enough to allow mounting using an M6 (1/4 inch) bolt or stud, which is the common size in most vehicle engine bays.
• The air filter is the ARB compressor air filter, which is a splash resistant air filter with a washable high flow sintered bronze filter cartridge.
• 8mm Polyethylene tubing is flexible, oil resistant, water resistant and heat resistant.
• 8mm tubing has been selected over the standard 6mm tubing to improve the air flow and reduced the chance of oil blockages in long breather lines.
• The 8mm push-in fittings make the installation simple and fast.

KIT CONTENTS:

• Anodized Aluminum Manifold with 5 ports and 2 mounting holes
• 4 x 1/8"BSP ports for connecting up to 4 breather lines
• 1 x 1/4" NPT ports for the air filter
• Air filter assembly
• 4 x 8mm-1/8"BSP push-in fittings
• 3 x 1/8"BSP plugs for plugging unused ports
• 8m x 8mm polyethylene tubing
• 2 x self-tapping screws

 

Doing mine tommorow. I sucked a bunch of water in mine also. Changing the fluid tonite with some supertech synthetic from walmart to clean out the diff then doing a full 4x4 system change

 

Good idea, better late than never (and have your rear end cease on you)!

It will impress me to no end to see the next gen 4WD Tacoma have a true two-way breather on the rear differential as they already do on the front! I don't get that they put the correct one up front, up high, but leave the rear vulnerable to water contamination???

 

I got a little behind on maintance after I got out of the airforce. By the time summer is over my truck will be ready for lift and some bumpers

 

This will be the next mod on my list! Can't believe these trucks didn't come with a breather from the factory!

 

That's basically what I was thinking of. I just used a bunch of Watts fittings to accomplish the same thing. Manifold makes it cleaner, and the ARB logo is interesting. Price. I could do something with that money


If you price out the components I used though, price got up there quick.

 

Found this too.

 

That fluid in my rear end was nasty as hell. Now on to the breather mod today

 

It will look milky when water has contaminated the gear oil. Good thing you got to it before a breakdown!

I run Mobil 1, 75/140 in the rear and 75/90 in the front and transfer case, at the recommendation of Speed Freek (Jason).

 

Why the different weights?

 

Sub'd for future mod. Thanks for the info and the GREAT post.

 

I was working on mine this weekend and found the new breather plug seems to be a bit smaller in diameter than the union plug. So the 3/8" ID tube fits okay on the union (not real tight), but is fairly loose on the breather. Is that to be expected and I should just tighten it down with the hose clamp? Or should I find another tube that fits tighter or has a smaller (1/4") ID?

 

I don't remember there being any noticeable difference in the barb/tube connection between the two. In either case, they get a hose clamp... and this is not under any king of pressure... the true breather is not spring loaded like the one way valve Toyota puts on the rear differential. The tube in this mod is just a vent tube. A fancier breather could be the tiny air filter unit (K&N or ?) instead of the one made for the front differential that we are using here for the rear.

 

I just ordered the parts from the dealer, they will be here Tuesday!