Quote:
Originally Posted by mtbtim
Well, something is happening with the gear oil to turn it a darker color and I'm having a hard time believing it can be attributed to dirt finding it's way into the breather. That breather hole is small and covered with that cap so I'm thinking very little dirt could find it's way into there, and if it did, it's not going to be enough to change the color of the gear oil. If it's true that much dirt can enter the diff breather, I'm definitely going to do the breather mod and run it up to the gas tank fill tube. I drive dirt roads quite a bit but I haven't had the need to cross any deep creeks so I haven't bothered with that mod yet.
I agree there's nothing really wearable in the axle tube other than maybe the axle seals and bearings, BUT, there's definitely wearable parts in the differential. The drain plug is magnetized and I find a small amount of metal debris attached to it every time I change the gear oil so there's definite wear happening.
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In regards to the breather valve, I just bought a new oem breather and I tested it by blowing through it. A new or correctly functioning breater will only allow air to escape and will NOT allow air into the diff., which is good to know. I decided to replace mine at 295,000 miles because I recently replaced my rear bearings and seals and wanted to make sure everything stays perfect. Also, the breather costs less than $7!
