Differential Breather - When?

When should someone consider installing a diff breather? If you aren't doing water crossings or any water crossings you do are 6" deep or less and you take them slow, is there any value?

The ARB one isn't very expensive and heck it looks like I could do it my self. Just not sure I need one. But like 75% of my truck, it is cheap insurance of the unknown/unexpected encounter. I've even read a story or two of someone having fun street driving through puddles fast and getting water into the diff from horsing around.

 

I do mild offroading, forest service roads mostly, and have crossed some creeks.

I did the rear diff breather mod as cheap insurance. My understanding is that the rear diff is the lowest of all, and it’s easy to move it up behind the tail light.

Alan

 

There's loads of opinions. Here's mine.

Stock is fine for most of us. Extend it if you do a lot of water crossings. Or boat launches.

The problem with stock breather is the diff is scorching hot from the highway, and when it rapidly cools off it draws in water from the stock breather. Boat launches are terrible for this.

Most of us for off roading is highway, arrive. Deflate, gear up, chat, get ready, go. So the diff cools down and is fine to cross some water.

The negative to the breather is, the hose can freeze or plug up on its own, and there's some stories on here regarding that. So it almost needs to be checked from time to time. Plus where its routed matters as it will smell of gear oil, so the tail light area is best. Not the cubby.

 

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

 

IMO I’ve had mine for quite some time. Plenty of water crossing etc. I check it time to time no problems. Re geared rig recently diff oil looked fine no moisture etc. I’ve ran temp gun checks no excessive heat , cools quickly

 

Happy New Year Bro hope all is good
@BattleKat

 

I did it on my 2nd gen, won’t be doing it on my 3rd gen. Stories of it getting filled with water due to condensation has changed my mind on it.

 

25,000 miles. Over 200 water crossings well over the diff breather. Completely stock. No water in the oil.

Coworker has a 2017 with 150,000. Launches a boat 3 times a week with the rear diff under water. Changed his oil for the first time in Nov and not a drop of water.

I don't see the need for changing what Toyota designed.

 

All good, Happy New Year. How is the rain up north?

 

Really? I hadn't read about that. How does it get condensation? The long breather tube getting condensation inside of it and it getting sucked in? I guess I could see that especially in colder weather. Cool air in tube mixing with warm air coming out of the diff?

 

I saw that East Coast Gear supply recommends using regular oil not synthetic in the rear diffs as well, they say that regular oil does handle water better than synthetic. I did have my breather freeze up on me last year, -30 C and I drove for 6 hours in that temp, blew my rear axle seals. I did redo the breather with a uni filter mini breather and this winter has not been cold like that so I am not worried about problems - this year.

 

Thank you. Rain Is crazy up here bro

 

I do water crossings and still run the factory breathers. I've seen more issues on this forum from breather mods than factory failures.

I have an ARB diff breather on my shelf that I could sell you.

 

From what I read it’s condensation that settles in the bottom of the U on the hoses over time.

 

I'm also in the camp that it's not necessary and can create more problems than it supposedly solves. I've never seen sufficient evidence to suggest that it helps anything. As already mentioned, I'm sure there are thousands of people that have their rear diffs in and out of the water hundreds of times at boat launches with no issues, otherwise I suspect we'd see the issue posted on here more often.

 

Really good feedback everyone, thank you.

 

Change the gear oil on a regular schedule. Im doing it every 10k just to do it. Gears and a Detroit Locker diff I want to protect. No extended vent tubes planned.

 

Someone on here mentioned to use clear tubing so you can see if it gets clogged.