Adding gear oil through breather

My fill plug is toast, but I can get the drain plug off. I have read about adding oil through the breather, but there are two under the hood and i can’t trace which is the diff. Please help. The truck is an 03 Tacoma with ADD and rear locker. This is for the front diff. Thanks!

 

I’d try welding a socket to the fill plug or a nut or something. After I got it out, I’d replace it with a new one.

 

Yeah, I know that’s the best fix, but I’m in a time crunch, and my welding skills are non existent. I had to edit my first post, I can’t see which breather is which. I was hoping someone who may have extended theirs, knows for sure. I think I might be able to drain the old fluid and then jack up the truck enough to use the drain as the fill. Anyone have thoughts on that approach?

 

That line is about 1/4 - 3/8 inch. Adding 75-90 (?) gear oil into the dif will take forever. The back pressure will not let you pour the oil in.

 

Does the breather thread into the differential like on second gens? If it does unscrew the breather from the case and fill through the hole rather than trying to pour heavy weight oil down a couple feet of narrow diameter tubing.

 

I can’t really see how it connects. I started this part of the project at 2AM and I was seeing double by that point. I had read about other people using the breather, so I am considering my options. With the limited space in front of the fill hole to work with, I’m leaning toward jacking the truck up and using the drain. Might work?

 

If like the Tundra, I believe the two in the front are for the front diff and the transfer case. The diff breather in the back is a stubby one right on top the left side of the pumpkin as you look at it from the back.

Can you trace the transfer case?

 

I'd find a way to get the fill plug off or you could be opening a real can of worms.

 

Weejub, I’ll try and trace the one from the transfer case, to see if that’s it. Like others have said, filling through the breather might be slow, or impossible. However, I can see taking 4 hours of driving around for parts and cussing at the bolt and still not having it break loose. I can drink a lot of beer baby sitting a slow fill through a breather, if possible.

 

I had a stripped bolt like that on my manual trans fill bolt, stop in one of those Express lube places and asked the dude if he had any special tools to get it off, he had some kind of kit for overly torqued or stripped bolts and he busted mine loose, threw him a $20 bill and we were both happy

 

BillsSR5, that’s a good idea. They probably do encounter that often. I do have a place that I take my truck to for Inspections and I would trust them.

 

do it usually they will be helpful, I slipped the dude a $20 just cause I was so happy he broke it free without drilling or welding, these places having stripped or over torqued bolts are common place things.

 

What are the chances a neighbor has a welder?

But yeah, if you have a shop you trust nearby, I'd stop by there and see if they can help. Maybe bring a 12 pack in the bed and ask them if they know how you can get rid of it, too...

 

I got it, and it was not nearly as difficult as I thought. I took a few suggestions and started with the least difficult and costly and it worked. I took the 10mm bit I had and I ground down the edge on it so it was flat and not beveled. I cleaned out the hole with degreaser and a pick. Grinding the bit down also gave me enough clearance to pound the bit in with a brass drift. I put my wrench on it and with one hit from my mallet, it popped. FIRST TIME EVER that I caught a break on a problem child like that. Thank you all for the suggestions. Picking up a new plug tomorrow, but this one still works.

 

Glad you got the plug out. Good thinking to grind the end of your bit flat.

I don't think your method would work on my 1998 though - IIRC there's not enough room there to swing a hammer to drive the bit into the plug. Or?

 

I borrowed the bit grinding idea from another post. This was the fill plug on the front. A bit more room to work with than the drain plug.

 

I would be fearful of washing down whatever gunk built up in those breather tubes right into my diff.
You dont have any buddies that can weld?
Even my local muffler shop would do side weld stuff like this give them a shot.
Have it clean and a new nut ready and they will likely do it.