BruceTS
09-03-2007, 10:56 AM
One of the inherit problems with running an ARB airlocker is the potential for o-ring leakage, especially on the IFS front diff. When there is a leak it usually causes diff fluid to puke out the breather tube.
On my rig I have an intermittant leak, but just annoying enough not to teardown to fix, so I decided to add a catch can. Only problem is I wanted one that could drain back into the diff after the locker was turned off and inexpensive.
While at Harbor Freight I found the perfect container, it came off a gravity fed paint gun which was on sale for $9.95. I then bought a barbed airline fitting repair kit. Sorry I didn't take pictures of the build-up, wanted to make sure it worked first. The one end of the fitting was 1/4 NPT, I simply chucked it up in my drill press and took a file to it, turning it down to fit inside the paint gun cup fitting, then took a 4" piece of copper tubing and fitted that inside gluing it all together with JB weld. After the glue dried I drilled a small hole at the base of the tube and screwed the whole assembly into the cup. I used a barbed fitting to splice the end of the breather tube to a 6" hose extending so it reached the cup, instead of replacing the entire line, which would have been a PITA.
The way it works is simple, when the locker is puking the fluid it'll take the path of least resistance, so as the fluid rises inside the cup pressure will blow out the top of the tube, when the locker is disengaged the fluid will drain back into the diff throught the small hole at the base of the tube.
http://bruce.calrockx.com/4runner/misc/catch_can.jpg
As for does it work? yes it started to fill with fluid and drained back afterwards, now to test it on the trail. Eventually I'll have a catch can on all the breather tubes, mainly to prevent spills on the trail in case of a roll over, trying to be environmentally friendly.......
On my rig I have an intermittant leak, but just annoying enough not to teardown to fix, so I decided to add a catch can. Only problem is I wanted one that could drain back into the diff after the locker was turned off and inexpensive.
While at Harbor Freight I found the perfect container, it came off a gravity fed paint gun which was on sale for $9.95. I then bought a barbed airline fitting repair kit. Sorry I didn't take pictures of the build-up, wanted to make sure it worked first. The one end of the fitting was 1/4 NPT, I simply chucked it up in my drill press and took a file to it, turning it down to fit inside the paint gun cup fitting, then took a 4" piece of copper tubing and fitted that inside gluing it all together with JB weld. After the glue dried I drilled a small hole at the base of the tube and screwed the whole assembly into the cup. I used a barbed fitting to splice the end of the breather tube to a 6" hose extending so it reached the cup, instead of replacing the entire line, which would have been a PITA.
The way it works is simple, when the locker is puking the fluid it'll take the path of least resistance, so as the fluid rises inside the cup pressure will blow out the top of the tube, when the locker is disengaged the fluid will drain back into the diff throught the small hole at the base of the tube.
http://bruce.calrockx.com/4runner/misc/catch_can.jpg
As for does it work? yes it started to fill with fluid and drained back afterwards, now to test it on the trail. Eventually I'll have a catch can on all the breather tubes, mainly to prevent spills on the trail in case of a roll over, trying to be environmentally friendly.......