Frozen rear diff breather

I did the rear diff breather mod a few years ago, located the breather to the drivers side cubby - no issues. It’s been really cold here lately and my breather line must have gotten plugged with frost and ice. I toasted my rear driver side axle seal and the bearing on that side as well. Just a heads up if you live where it gets really really cold you might want to occasionally check your your diff breather. I did a 7 hour Hwy drive with temperatures around -35 Celsius plus wind. Stopping for gas I noticed diff fluid on my wheel.

 

a trip that long Condensation being pushed out the differential it froze in the long hose.

Differential temperature got hot enough it pushed out the water vapor

One of those Long drives do strange things

Normal drives around home it most likely would never have happened.

 

Yeah your probably right on that, its a case of a 10 dollar part costing me a few bucks!

 

not sure what size hose U might have used

if U think this might be a recurring issue

get a piece of old metal guitar ( bass 1/2 to 34 diameter) string

correct length run it back / forth a few times

keeps tubing clear

 

So you're suggesting a G string for his rear to be able to breathe correctly?

 

YES !!

 

I’ve had it happen to me.
I’m not an engineer, but there has got to be a better setup. I’ve seen this happen on more than one Tacoma.

Next time I replace mine. I am thinking about going with an open vent. Still haven’t thoroughly thought it out.

 

I'm probably going to use the stock breather for winters, if everything is frozen the heat from the diff should keep the little vent going vs the longer hose up to the bed with the breather which could freeze up due to no heat and frost build up. Its' a painful bill to replace the seals. This winter things were colder than normal, the two previous winters I had no issues.

 

truly does NOT rise to the level o desperation

if no high water creek crossings unlikely there is a need to extend the vent

 

Interesting. Never had that happen to me in those temperatures or lower.

 

Can't imagine there would be so much condensation to ice up and completely plug up a 5/16" hose, maybe at the breather where the gaps are smaller. Try a larger vent (like a Uni Filter) instead of the stock-shape breather with the small metal cap.

 

Pretty sure mine was the vent. If you can’t jiggle it, it’s stuck. (Best I can do to describe it)
I have had to twist/turn mine to free it up.

I have no conclusive evidence it is the vent causing the issue.
But the 1st time it leaked out the the seal, the vent was stuck.
I replaced vent and seal.

The 2nd time it leaked, the vent was stuck.
I did NOT replace the seal, I freed up the vent and it hasn’t leaked since.

(And yes, I know about the rear bearing being affected by the leak.
But that isn’t what I’m talking about here.)

Also, my vent is in the same place it was when it left the factory.
I have not extended it or modified it in any way.