Rear diff breather location?

[RDOOGZ89]

Does anyone have any pictures of where the factory rear diff breather is located? I can't find anything helpful.

 

[mjotrainbrain]

Does anyone have any pictures of where the factory rear diff breather is located? I can't find anything helpful.

I can get one, but if you crawl underneath it isn't hard to find. If you're behind the axle, it's on top of the pumpkin just to the left of center.

 

[RDOOGZ89]

I can get one, but if you crawl underneath it isn't hard to find. If you're behind the axle, it's on top of the pumpkin just to the left of center.

I found it doing exactly that. Pretty rusty and crusty. I actually just did my first drain and fill on the rear diff and I was wondering why there was a pressure release when I cracked the fill plug.

Does that mean the breather is shot? I was driving through some deep water but that was a couple weeks ago. Wouldn't the pressure have been re-regulated by now?

 

[AuSeeker]

Does anyone have any pictures of where the factory rear diff breather is located? I can't find anything helpful.

In the linked topic below he did a diff breather re-location, in other word he remove the diff breather and re-located it via a rubber hose to a higher point on the T4R so if the original diff location were to ever get submerged under water the water can't get into the diif via the original breather, in his first step by step post you can see the original location in the 3rd to last photo, he has a pipe nipple in the original location to connect the rubber hose to, the breather location is on top of the axle/diff tube.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-g...ferential-breather-mod-photos-tail-light.html

Edit:
If you had pressure then yes the breather is bad and needs to be repleced, but since you do drive through water you may want to do the breather re-loaction that I linked above, if you get water in your diff you can damge it badly, you're sorta lucky that your breater is bad or you could have already done damage by getting water in the diff!!

 

[RDOOGZ89]

In the linked topic below he did a diff breather re-location, in other word he remove the diff breather and re-located it via a rubber hose to a higher point on the T4R so if the original diff location were to ever get submerged under water the water can't get into the diif via the original breather, in his first step by step post you can see the original location in the 3rd to last photo, he has a pipe nipple in the original location to connect the rubber hose to, the breather location is on top of the axle/diff tube.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-g...ferential-breather-mod-photos-tail-light.html

Edit:
If you had pressure then yes the breather is bad and needs to be repleced, but since you do drive through water you may want to do the breather re-loaction that I linked above, if you get water in your diff you can damge it badly, you're sorta lucky that your breater is bad or you could have already done damage by getting water in the diff!!

Thanks a lot for this. I am definitely going to do this mod.

 

[AuSeeker]

Thanks a lot for this. I am definitely going to do this mod.

Just an FYI, I think he ended up re-locating to behind the tail light but others have re-located the breather to inside the gas cap area, but anywhere you think is good above possible water intrusion will work well.

 

[RDOOGZ89]

Just an FYI, I think he ended up re-locating to behind the tail light but others have re-located the breather to inside the gas cap area, but anywhere you think is good above possible water intrusion will work well.

Any suggestions for gas cap area write-ups? That is what im leaning towards.

 

[cloud]

Pretty sure the factory diff breather is a one way valve. The reason to add a breather is to get a two way valve up above the water line. When you submerge the diff, water gets sucked in through the seals, not the breather.

Just an FYI, I think he ended up re-locating to behind the tail light but others have re-located the breather to inside the gas cap area, but anywhere you think is good above possible water intrusion will work well.

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[AuSeeker]

Any suggestions for gas cap area write-ups? That is what im leaning towards.

I couldn't quickly find a specific wrtie up on the gas cap location but if you look through these search results you may find one, some of the results mmaybe for other Gens of T4R but would be mush the same for your's, but it would be pretty simple, just route the hose up and into the gas cap area.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/gsear...hid=6189802&pp=25&page=6&ss=14877j21115667j32

Pretty sure the factory diff breather is a one way valve. The reason to add a breather is to get a two way valve up above the water line. When you submerge the diff, water gets sucked in through the seals, not the breather.

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There is no way water could be sucked in passed the seals because that would require a vaccum in the diff which can never happen, the breather is designed to release pressure that gets buildup in the diff from heat/friction which if not released would force diff fluid out passed the axle seals, the diff breather is just a nipple with a loose cap on it to keep dirt and splashing water out and can allow water into the diff if it gets submerged, it is not a valve.

 

[RDOOGZ89]

I couldn't quickly find a specific wrtie up on the gas cap location but if you look through these search results you may find one, some of the results mmaybe for other Gens of T4R but would be mush the same for your's, but it would be pretty simple, just route the hose up and into the gas cap area.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/gsear...hid=6189802&pp=25&page=6&ss=14877j21115667j32



There is no way water could be sucked in passed the seals because that would require a vaccum in the diff which can never happen, the breather is designed to release pressure that gets buildup in the diff from heat/friction which if not released would force diff fluid out passed the axle seals, the diff breather is just a nipple with a loose cap on it to keep dirt and splashing water out and can allow water into the diff if it gets submerged, it is not a valve.

Thanks again. I think I got enough info to make something work!

 

[BackOff]

Its just good cheap insurance...factory did the front and center for you.

Some one on here mentioned that's its easier to start at the gas cap area and feed it down rather than snaking the hose up from below. Cleaner too. Here is mine...

 

[cloud]

That's what I thought too, and based on your pics I would assume you're correct.

Can you see daylight through it?

I can't remember where I read the information I shared, I think it was on the ARB site or potentially a thread on the forum.

What I had read stated the when the diff heats up it pushes air out but when it is rapidly cooled by a puddle of water it closes the valve and creates a vacuum.

If you're right I'm relocating my diff breather tomorrow! I guess ill pull it off and take a look. The ARB breather must be a huge ripoff.

Where are the breathers for the front and center diff? Does nobody mod those because they would never get water up into the cabin? I buried my truck to the frame in some soupy mud the other day.

I couldn't quickly find a specific wrtie up on the gas cap location but if you look through these search results you may find one, some of the results mmaybe for other Gens of T4R but would be mush the same for your's, but it would be pretty simple, just route the hose up and into the gas cap area.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/gsear...hid=6189802&pp=25&page=6&ss=14877j21115667j32



There is no way water could be sucked in passed the seals because that would require a vaccum in the diff which can never happen, the breather is designed to release pressure that gets buildup in the diff from heat/friction which if not released would force diff fluid out passed the axle seals, the diff breather is just a nipple with a loose cap on it to keep dirt and splashing water out and can allow water into the diff if it gets submerged, it is not a valve.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

 

[2016 4Runner SR5]

While mine is a 5th gen, same theory. There are probably a dozen threads on this but here's mine. Ran it inside the cabin, into the rear 1/4 panel. Zero possibility of anything getting in and if it does, I have much bigger issues than water in my diff.

 

[AuSeeker]

That's what I thought too, and based on your pics I would assume you're correct.

Can you see daylight through it?

Through the breather(?), no, it's more or less just a threaded nipple with the cap on it, the cap is "crimped" at the bottom so it can't slip off the nipple but is loosely fitted so it can "breathe"

I can't remember where I read the information I shared, I think it was on the ARB site or potentially a thread on the forum.

What I had read stated the when the diff heats up it pushes air out but when it is rapidly cooled by a puddle of water it closes the valve and creates a vacuum.

The heat is in the diff oil, oil heats up slowly and cools off slowly there's is no way it can cool off fast enough to create a vaccum simply by water touching the metal diff housing/tubes

If you're right I'm relocating my diff breather tomorrow! I guess ill pull it off and take a look. The ARB breather must be a huge ripoff.

Where are the breathers for the front and center diff? Does nobody mod those because they would never get water up into the cabin? I buried my truck to the frame in some soupy mud the other day.

The front diff and transfer case breathers are already extended up into the engine compartment from the factory, look at the photo posted by @BackOff in the post prior to your's, the transmission also has a breather and it is already extended up from the factory at the top of where the transmission's bell housing and engine mate up, it's very hard to see must less take a photo of since it very close to the firewall, the only breather that is not extend up from the factory is the rear diff

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I would recommend extending the rear diff breather upwards if you cross deep water often!

 

[cloud]

I would recommend extending the rear diff breather upwards if you cross deep water often!

Yea... I have a V8. I found the front diff breather. I've looked at it a thousand times and just assumed it was part of the air conditioner. I've seen some posts from the past where guys have given up looking for the center diff and tranny breather on the V8 it's probably high enough that ill have other problems if I ever get water in those.

I really would just like to know where they are.

Do you guys with the V6 spill oil everywhere when you pull the filter? Or does it drain enough to be a clean swap?

I need to find where I read that misinformation and uncrimp that cap to know for sure, maybe illclean up the breather and blow/suck to see if it really is an open tube. If ARB is straight lying to everybody to sell some rubber hose for $75 I just might paint my shocks black and debadge my bumper.

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[AuSeeker]

I have a V8 as well, so I don't know about the filter on the V6 other than it has a funnel around it and I believe the oil doesn't get out of the funnel.

 

[bombventure]

Do you guys with the V6 spill oil everywhere when you pull the filter? Or does it drain enough to be a clean swap?

Very easy and clean swap if you remember to remove the nipple cover underneath the oil catch funnel that the filter sits in. Just put an old empty quart bottle, or whatever will fit, under the filters funnel where the drain hole is and you’re good to go.




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[swampdodo]

Wondering...if you don't have pump...could you use the extended breather tube as a diff fill when changing the diff fluid...???

 

[BackOff]

V6 oil change is super easy DIY. Like bombventure said.

swampdodo
Don't need a pump to replace the gear oil, just squeeze it out of the bottle...they have built a in funnel/tip.

I think the main reason these fail is just because of were they are located.
They get mud/dirt/rust build-up and then the diff breather is just stuck open.
Just my theory anyway...

 

[swampdodo]

Don't need a pump to replace the gear oil, just squeeze it out of the bottle...they have built a in funnel/tip.

Agree on the rear...but on the front diff for V8 models...no room to tilt up the bottle...