What have you done to your 1st gen Tundra today?

What they said. Plus, if it gets caked up and nasty it can freeze. When that happens as your diff juice expands it pushes out on the breather. If it can't go out there, it'll go out the axles seals. The mod gets rid of the one way check valve so that can't happen.

 

Knock on wood and God willing, it appears that using washers to drop my carrier bearing has eliminated almost all of that vibration I was chasing.

 

I thought the breather was a one-way valve only to relieve pressure? i.e. not possible for water to enter the axle. Does anyone have links showing a case where water managed to get inside where a blown axle seal or similar was 100% not a potential entry point?

 

This is most likely true. I'm not 100% sure. In my line of work I see a lot of valve failures. Though they are in a totally different application. I'm sure this could potentially fail as well.

 

CHECK VALVE - I couldn't remember that word earlier. I'm 80-90% certain it's a check valve, and while check valves can fail, in cases of, like massive reverse pressure from an air jet, etc. it's unlikely. I've heard of the valves getting frozen in the rust belt if you don't make a point of spinning the top while under the truck, tapping it in/out a couple of times. I'm doing exactly that when I grease my drivetrain and I'm up under there anyway.

But yeah ... part of me is, like, skeptical whether the lengths to which folks go is even remotely necessary given it should be a check valve specifically intended to prevent water intake when submerged. I'd love to see one of those valves cut in half so we can confirm.

 

Rubber circle and small spring under the cap iirc.

 

If there's a spring inside it, then yes, I presume it's a one-way check valve which would be difficult to bypass or defeat. Probably designed like one of these two pulled from pics on the intertrucks

 

I did some quick research. What I read makes it sound like the breather/valve can fail. A failure to vent can hurt seals A failure to close can allow a hot diff to suck water, or possibly suck seal. It seems to me that a valve failing on the diff can be a problem for allowing or preventing a change in pressure. A hole would address pressure increase or vacuum, but we don't want a hole on our diffs. So, I think the remote fuel filter guys have it right.

 

You're correct. It's a check valve. I've never seen one fail open; they always fail shut turning into a 0 way valve.

 

Dunno why that reads so funny to me

On a properly designed check valve, a failure to close the valve itself should be nearly impossible, the valve's resting state (thus failover state) is closed. I''ve seen the 'hot diff suck' argument before, but I really don't think I buy it. It takes an extreme amount of pressure normally to cause a properly designed check valve seal to go the opposite direction of what it's designed. A hot container submerged in water shouldn't be able to cause that condition.

I have seen legitimate cases where blown wheel seals happened because of a faulty vent leading to excessive pressure buildup, and the wheel seals are the next-easiest place for that air to go.

 

If you are right, then you don't need a relocation. I can't say with certainty you do.

 

There was a video I saw of a jeep that got water in the axle. The popped the diff cover and it looked like a fucking vanilla milkshake coming out.

 

I replaced mine last year and I don't think it's a check valve.
I think the silver piece is just crimped on and can move freely without pulling off the plastic shoulder. I think you can suck and blow both ways on the breather.

I've got a new one at home for a spare, I'll double check later tonight.

 

Suspension upgrade research. I need to replace much if not all of it and have been procrastinating. Non OE shocks and springs all around that are completely worn out and my LCAs are seized and won't move. So not sure how crazy to go.

Also ordered a nicer torque wrench today. Excited about that.

 

Last year I went wheeling with some Taco guys and did several creek crossings. One of them didn't have the diff breather extension and when he got home and drained his rear diff it had water mixed in.

Video of that day:

https://youtube.com/shorts/uDdvC7qDp5M?feature=share

 

Yuck! Who wants a Jeep?

Damn, is it married?

 

Trying out these new colder plugs and OE Denso coils. Old ones in pics only had about 10k. Coils are Original (15 years and still strong) but decided new is always better

 

So a pro tip from an amateur that wishes he was a pro at something besides bull$hitting.

Need a new center pin for your leaf spring? Just buy a grade 8 fine thread in any length/diameter that suits you. In my case it was a 3/8"x3.5". Anyway, take the bolt and chuck it in a drill and grind the head round. Now you have a grade 8 center pin from any serious hardware store around.

Another tip... If your shoulder pops out you can relax it by hanging your arm and then you do a shrugging motion while either cursing or starting to black out depending on how accustom you are to the pain/procedure. It hasn't failed me yet.

 

I found running into a wall sideways to be pretty good relief the 2nd time. First time around picking my arm up the right way and putting pressure on it worked. Once it pops out its never the same from what I understand.

 

Cleaned the old girl today

 

Amateur? I'm pretty sure almost everyone on this page considers you one of the gurus. I do anyways.

 

Well, I got wood again. Thanks Ron.

 

The breathers do get clogged which can cause pressure build up in your rear axle. Either you end up with pin hole leaks on a rusty rear pumpkin or leaking axle seals.
Really depends on the health of all those parts on your truck.

Pulling the breather to check/clean it, might as well stick it on a length of hose & mount it higher so you can fjord deeper waters without worry. Also mounted higher is out of road debris fall-out zone which clogged it the first time.

 

So it's not potentially stuck from rusting? I guess I don't take it off road enough to really worry and I can't picture any road debris that would potentially clog it.

 

All that grit you see on the side of the road - that stuff bounces around & gets into it. Or it rusts because - ToyOta. Dust on a windy day settles on/in it, morning dew turns it to mud that dries/cakes.

Simple fix to avoid major headaches.

 

There isn't a single thing I have done that anybody else couldn't do if they were stubborn enough not to quit after the 3rs or so try. You just need to be a really stubborn human computer. Try once, fail, try something else, fail... Try something else... Eventually you rule out every wrong answer.

Bastardo pack with the overload spring rides nice and it makes the back sit about 1" above the front. I'm alright with that. The new shocks didn't get put on for about 10 reasons, but I did get my wheel spacers on the back. I think I'll cut some brackets this week and shoot for next weekend to install the new shocks. Should ride dreamy.

I had to adjust my headlights because it was about a 2-3" lift for the rear. That was funny.

Pics of ride height Monday maybe.

 

Suck and blow theory confirmed, the silver piece pulled right off.

 

The things we do for science!

 

Pretty much identical to the one my Titan had on it. It was also a common mod to extend the breather into the tail light cavity on those too. I believe for all the same reasons. I think I did exactly what I did to my tundra. Extended the hose to behind the tail light and threw a small fuel filter on there from the help section at avtozone.