My Differential Breather Mod Photos

Good job!

 

All!

Just a word of advice. (I apologize if this has already been covered).

every couple weeks, make sure your breather is open and you can "spin" the top cap, so it's still able to "breathe."

I didn't and let it go all winter without checking, it seized up, blocked the breather and I had to replace an axle seal (pressure's gotta go somewhere).

When I checked the breather, I twisted it, and it was like opening a beer with all the pressure built up in the diff.

Cheers!

 

It isn't the spinning, but ice in the end of the tub if it doesn't breathe... and not spinning would indicate clogging from something I suppose? It is just a screen to reduce the opening for dirt to stay out.

Do you suspect that it doesn't happen on the front diff hose, because of engine warmth or at the back on the diff because of heat from it?

Thank you for your cold weather report on this... sounds VERY important for folks living in the north or high elevation/ freezing areas! For sure there is no heat in the cubby in the back of the truck (or gas cap area)!

 

Maybe I misunderstood? Since this is in my thread on getting rid of the factory breather (really a spring loaded vent valve) on the rear diff and locating a new breather (the same as used on the front diff), I assumed he was saying that silver cap was clogged in some way? I don't recall mine spinning.

Thank you DoorDing!

 

Sorry, I should be more specific.

What happened was I did this mod several years ago and the differential breather, the one used for this mod (not the stock) fused together.

The metal "cap" on the breather (plastic), pushed into each other and corrosion on the cap cause an air-tight lock.

I do not blame this on ice, but the cap and the materials it's made out of.

The location also had a part in it. Mine was located in the fuel cap area, so I believe I inadvertently pushed the metal cap into the plastic of the body in the breather during fill-ups contributing to the air-block.

Now on my new Tacoma (sold the 07 for a 13), I put it in the bed, as I have a cap/sleeping platform which is more out of the elements and hopefully will last longer (not that 6 years in the gas cap was bad).

Since I blew a seal I just check on my breather it every time I fill the tank.

Hope this was helpful.

 

Good to hear... that my choice to put it in the cubby of the bed was better than in the fuel bay, as done in the other thread on this mod. In either case, a K&N or other true breather filter would be superior to the breather cap Toyota uses on the front and we use for the mod on the back.

 

Does anybody know if the breather valve threads on the differential are the same on both 1st and 2nd Gen tacomas . I just ordered the part numbers at the beginning of this thread then realized that 1st gen might have a different thread size as the 2nd gen

 

Should be the same.

I just threaded my stock diff breather cap from my 2013 Tacoma onto a 2000 4runner

 

thank you for the response

 

and the to do list lengthens

 

Why cant u just run a hose off the breather up to the rear compartment?

 

The reason the stock 'breather' causes water/mud to get into the differential is not where it is located (on the diff), but is because it is NOT a breather, but rather a one way check valve vent.

A true breather (as Toyota uses on the front diff) will prevent a vacuum condition which can suck muddy water into the diff through the axle seals. This happens when you dunk a hot diff into water... happened to me when my truck was just 6 months old... and never again since I did the mod, shown on page one of this thread.

Being a true breather (2 way gas/air flow), it needs to be up high, above any water...

The stock breather is not where water gets into the diff unless the check valve inside is stuck.

 

Love this

 

I'm going to do this mod, but should I also drain, flush, and replace the fluid in my rear diff? I have 15k miles on my '14. I've submerged the diff a dozen times or so while launching my boat.

 

Pretty sure Toyota recommends every 15k miles if you're towing, dunking, or driving in dusty conditions a lot (off road). So I'd go ahead and do it.

Easy to do yourself if you have the tools.

 

I do all three of those things, so I better replace the fluid. Thanks and welcome to TW.

 

This is one of the first mods anyone should do living in the Pacific northwest. The idea never crossed my mind till I read this post. Awesome write up. I'll be doing this mod this weekend. Thank you

 

Thank you and welcome to Tacoma World!

 

Subd, my next mod has been found... Thanks for the great write up and awesome pics to follow.