Transfer Case, Transmission and Front Diff Breathers Stock location on the 2017?

Heyo everyone! First posts around here so sorry if i'm in the wrong section for this but I figured I'd give the 3'd gen boys a shout since this is kinda a 3d gen question. I just picked up a 2017 TRD off-road and I am wanting to fit all 2-way filters and raise the height of anything that needs to be raised. I ordered the joiner piece for the back diff and that is easy but I am kinda confused about what is going on with the transfer case, IFS diff, and transmission and I can't really tell without dropping pretty much all of my skids. The trouble is I need to know where all of those lines run in order to make sure I'm replacing the right valve (moreover I need to figure out how many to order). Yes, I could just drop my skids but I am hoping to only do that once when I go to put it on. I have scoured the web and asked everyone I know and heard varying things about their location and pattern. I have located one breather for what I suspect is the front diff behind the engine block to the left of the brake cylinder as your standing facing the front of the truck. I will throw a picture down below of this. The trouble is I still need to find where the transmission and transfer case breather comes up? So in conclusion, (sorry for the long post) I was just wondering if any other 3d gen guys have been here and done this before n if so any knowledge you'd have would be wonderful if you could throw it my way.

 

No one has moved their transfer case or diff breather?

 

Update to anyone following my struggle bus here, I cracked the mystery. I dropped my skids, front breather in the engine bay is for my front diff like I expected, and the other 2 for the transfer case and transmission are on top of the transmission housing... with no way that I can see to access them without dropping the trans. Welp, Looks like I'm just gonna have to change the fluid every 15k cause I sure as shit ain't pullin that big momma out. Is this the case on everyone's truck??? Absurd they don't go for the extra 2 bucks of tubbing from the factory. I am enraged, I just ordered a snorkel and now I can't even really use it.

 

This is good info. I'm surprised nobody has commented on this at all. I was wondering the same thing. Thanks.

 

thanks for following up and posting

 

I've seen posts of starters and front diff actuators going capoot from taking a swim...just fwi

 

Sorry I forgot to update this read I've been crazy busy recently, a full write up of how I am pretty much waterproofing my undercarriage is soon to come if anyone is interested?

 

Oh ya starters will do that to ya for sure, most of the time u can just swap the solenoid from what I've heard though. The real problem that people run into with their diffs is that even the front diff on the thrid gens is extended to the engine bay so they think they are ready to swim. WRONG! The stock breathers Toyota puts on there is ONE WAY, they only suck in, not blow out. I am sure there is a reason they designed it that way but if you have a stock breather fitted and your driveline is hot, you splash through a little river, think about what will happen, the air/gears/oil inside will rapidly cool down and compress, and when that happens you will either blow out your breather leaving a hole in your diff or shoot oil outta your axel seals. So what you gotta get is a 2-way breather so that diff can breathe at its own pace without sucking water in or blowing oil out.

 

As someone else mentioned the real problem seems to be keeping the inside of the ADD Actuator dry. If it gets water inside you loose 4WD. A quick search on this site will bring-up many examples.

I’m not sure how you’d just ‘swap-out’ the Solenoid on the Starter as it’s basically built onto the Starter motor it’s self. They are super easy to replace the Brushes on which is nice and they seem pretty well-sealed from the factory. Better to focus on bomb-proofing that ADD Actuator or switching-over to manual hubs...

 

I have heard about that but other than manual hubs and maybe spraying the 4wd actuator down with wd40 or something I am not sure what you could do about it. Maybe try and jam some silicone glue or something down where the wires go in... might see what I can do tomorrow about it, I hadn't really given it much thought but there has gotta be a solution now that I think about it. It's the black computer thingy on the driver's side of the front diff correct? Also, I just bought my third-gen so not sure if the solenoid is built-in or not on all our trucks so I'll take ya word for it, I know on many cars it is replaceable though.

 

On Toyota’s the Starter Solenoid is basically integral to the Starter, however it is easily rebuilt. The last time I bought a rebuild kit for one it was $15

 

Why does the add even need a fuckin breather? Imma cram mine full of dielectric grease one of these days

 

Every time I find a new connection I do this.

 

I use it so much haha. The red tube with the nozzel works pretty well.

 

That is the way to go for sure, definitely better advice than WD40. and 2 reasons I'm adding the breather but not too worried about my 4WD. The first being my truck is a camping/fishing rig that is also my daily (don't drive that much I work from home) we just go out, cruise some light trails and drink some beers, the agenda does not usually include intentionally seeking out hard trails to fuck up our trucks. Second is my truck is my daily and I want that diff to last me a long long time, even mud puddles can clog it! Also, my skids do cover my 4WD from splashes for the most part.

 

Snorkels are miss leading name, they're for dust not water, yes they help with water but there's quite a few more mods you need to do and plenty of things to seal up, plus if you attempt to ford water any deeper than your frame you're going to get your carpet wet and that's no fun.

 

Would that not be the other way around? If you differential gets cooled of quickly and the air contracts it would create a vacuum which could draw water in through your axle seals. So if the breather allows air to be sucked in it eliminates the vacuum in the differential. I believe the problem would be if the breather was too low and ended up underwater.