submerged differential

So if I submerge my differentials in water on a 2011 tacoma(stock) need I change my diff oil? Has it got a vent? Any way to avoid this unfortunate shortcoming?

 

It has a vent. The vent is near the top of the housing.
You can relocate the vent to the fuel door area.
There's a "cheap/free mods" sticky that outlines how to do it.

 

I would change it just to be safe. There is a vent on the differential housing. If you are interested there is a post under the Mod section on how to install remote vent with a hose and a couple of fittings inside the fuel door.
Gear oil is cheaper than a differential! Go with Synthetic Oil.

 

OP , search diff breather relocate or diff breather mod

 

May be easier to install one of these, no hoses to route.

 

Is that like a floatswitch for the breather ?

 

No. It's just a bellows that expands and contracts to accommodate air displaced from the diff. Remember the diff doesn't need to "breathe" per se. The air inside the diff simply needs a place to go when the diff fluid expands/contracts with temperature. Click on the picture for more info.

 

That's cool , kinda like an expansion tank concept . So essentially that makes it a closed system ?

 

Wow, I'm gonna have to make that mod quick. Is this a Gen2 thing? I've had my Gen1 diff submerged many times.

 

Yep, the Creeper Breather makes it a closed system. At just over $20 it isn't more expensive than getting the unions and breather from a Toyota parts counter to do the breather relocation mod.
US: http://www.trail-gear.com/creeper-breather
CAD: http://www.trail-gear.ca/default.cfm?fa=products&ProdCategoryID=146

 

Awesome

Thanks for the link

 

I've read bad things about those. I'd stick to re-routing the breather higher up.

 

I have those on the MonkeyCrawler..you can get em at trail-gear.com

 

Such as ?

 

Really!?

 

HA! thats a great thing there, that bellows deal. Thanks for the info I appreciate it alot! I think I'll have to get ahold of one of those

 

You can at least take of the fill plug using a 24mm socket and stick your pinky finger inside to check for water intrusion..

 

The water will drop to the bottom.

Would need to check immediately after a moderate drive to check for the milky appearance.

But really... mod the breather and change the juice. $60 for the breather mod and new oil is cheaper than a new rear end.

 

Yeah either on TTORA or Pirate dudes were attributing oil leaks to them (lack of volume), quite a few in fact. I'll look and see what I can come up with.


edit:

http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=74409.0

http://forum.ih8mud.com/79-95-toyota-truck-tech/341422-axle-breather-creeper-breather.html

every thread is the same story

 

Maybe that why I have leaks from the pinion seals