SCUBA Mod 4th gen

[Jawood]

Alright guys, I'm going to tackle the scuba mod in the next week or two once my union gets here. I was originally just going to do the rear differential breather but have decided to go ahead and get everything at once. I read the FJ scuba thread which got me thinking... what all breathers does the 4Runner have?
I'm gonna run the rear diff, transfer case, and transmission (if I can find it) all up to where the front diff breather is. I have a 2003 4Runner SR5 V8. Looking at the pics from the other scuba thread, I still haven't found the transmission breather or the transfer case breather. Is it supposed to be on the passenger side between the engine and firewall? I haven't gotten below my car yet because of the skid plate though; that might help. Oh and does the center diff locker have a breather? Thanks

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Poke through this thread. It relies on FJC info but has some great 4Runner specific info. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/off-roading-home-monst4rs/123-breather-install.html

NOTE: The center diff lock is internal to the transfer case hence they share the breather.

On my V6 they vent to the top of the bell-housing. My vents are at the top where the engine bolts to the transmission.

Good luck!
:cheers:

I modded your title slightly as I'll move this to "Off-Road" in a few days.

 

[Absolute]

Good Luck man! Let me know how it goes, I really want to do exactly as you are doing. I could not find the transfer case / trans either. I had the car up on a life, still no luck finding it. Post up some pictures of your final project! Cant wait to see it! Good luck!

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Don't look for the trans/t-case vents from underneath. Go under the hood and look at the back of the engine; between the engine and firewall at the seam between the engine and trans.arty:

 

[Jawood]

Alright, that's good that I asked about the locker... that'll save me from looking all over for it. I'll post pics when I get it installed. I'm going to do the T-adapter as well, so the rear diff and transfer case will come out one hose. Would you advise to run the breathers along the frame or fish it through the hole in the middle of the frame? I don't know if the hose will hit some obstructions if I run it through the middle of the frame though..

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Alright, that's good that I asked about the locker... that'll save me from looking all over for it. I'll post pics when I get it installed. I'm going to do the T-adapter as well, so the rear diff and transfer case will come out one hose. Would you advise to run the breathers along the frame or fish it through the hole in the middle of the frame? I don't know if the hose will hit some obstructions if I run it through the middle of the frame though..

Not really an answer but: I would put the rear breather into the gas cap like most have. It eliminates hose routing concerns and if you put a loop near the top water will not get in. By the time you have water going in the gas cap door you have much bigger problems than changing the rear diff fluid when you get home The t-fitting comes into play with the transfer-case and the transmission for many installs. Using a t-fitting there can be of great benefit so that you can run one line to a high, underhood location.

I don't like the idea of snaking through frame holes. To me it just sets up a nice place for salt/mud etc to collect and promote rust. A second point is some of the holes have sharp edges and may wear/cut the breather lines over time. Just my 2cents and it's like so many things in life, there's more than one "right way".
:cheers:

 

[Jawood]

Well I'm definitely not going through the frame now haha. Sounds like a scenario that would happen to me. I've seen alot of threads where people go to the gas cap, but since I'm doing all of them, I kind of want them together. I'm gonna buy about 25ft of fuel line and make it work. I am going to get a Cornfed 3"/2" spacer and possibly a body lift soon after though... should I leave more "extra slack" to compensate for that, or will it even affect the breathers?

 

[CJ3Flyr]

should I leave more "extra slack" to compensate for that, or will it even affect the breathers?

Unless you go to longer shock then the 3/2 won't affect the length of the breather hose for the rear axle vent. If you have a garage style lift great, if not jack the vehicle so that the rear axle is at full extension when you install the rear axles' breather line. Given the breather is close to the center of the axle full articulation can occur with minimal extra line required (from the full extension position). When you let it back down make sure the line doesn't push on brake lines, exhaust or ABS wires when the suspension compresses.

The other breathers are not affected by lift unless it's a body lift.

 

[Jawood]

I took some pictures under my hood of a hose I found dangling near the oil dipstick... what does this go to? Look at the 3rd pic. It looks kind of like a breather hose, but no breather plug is present. Maybe it fell off or maybe it's supposed to be like that.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

The floppy hose is the air conditioner vent. See below:

 

[Jawood]

Alright, I ordered the parts and planning on installing Monday or Tuesday. I'll take pics as I go since the full scuba mod hasn't been documented for a 4th gen that I know of... Thanks for the help guys

 

[Jawood]

Well after searching some more, I still can't find those 2 breathers. I even took it to the Toyota Dealership and one of the mechanics didn't see them either. He offered to put it on a lift at a later time to find it that way. Those suckers must be hard to find!!!

Oh yeah, when I popped my hood he looked at my deckplate and "asked what is that?" I explained to him what it was and that I had modified it myself and he was impressed. Haha.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Look at the diagrams in this one, they're about 1/3 of the way down page. SCUBA Driver Transmission, Transfer Case, Rear Differential & E-Locker Breather MOD - Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum

 

[Jawood]

That's the thread I've been using the whole time. I think there is just too many hoses behind my engine to see down that far... Maybe I'm just overlooking them. It's cool, I'll find them eventually if they're there. The Toyota maintenance guy will show me for free if I still can't find them. It's just real dark and cluttered behind my engine... maybe because it's a V8

 

[Jawood]

Well after countless efforts to find these breathers, I think I have them in sight. Although I see a hose that I believe is one of the breathers, I can't get my hands to it. I stood on top of the engine and unscrewed some bolts that I thought would give me access to it... no luck. Also tried reaching it from underneath... which didn't give me enough space to reach that high. I'm about burnt out on trying to extend those bas****s!!

 

[nmsail]

The breathers are very easy to locate (if they aren't missing) they are located about mid hood on the driver side of the engine, look for the L bracket that is mounted with two hoses w/breather caps. I found them in about 1 minute of looking.


The Rear diff breather is located on the top side for the diff. If you remove the spare and go under the rear end it's pretty easy to spot also.

 

[Jawood]

V8's only have one breather on the drivers side engine bay, which is the front axle. I got the rear diff already... the transfer case and transmission breathers are what I've had trouble with. I can see 1? of them, just can't access it. It's in the very back of the engine bay, about a 1 1/2 ft down. I gave up on extending them until I can get my truck on a hydraulic lift or something.

 

[Cepanca4R]

Did you ever extend those? The transfer and tranny breathers?