Trail Gear Differential Breather Kit

[4runnerchevy]

I have seen race rigs that fill the diff to the top and then run a hose to an expansion chamber (with a breather on it). This allows the diff to run a little cooler, and keeps all the bearings from being starved.

[Seanz0rz]

i think i paid like 3 or 4 bucks for all the hose i needed, already had hose clamps, and the parts from toyota were cheap too (and if your breather currently still works, you dont have to buy that either!) im pretty sure i didnt spend 20 bucks on the whole thing, which is how much that TG bling is. yeah theres a certain cool factor that goes with the bellows, but my hose is a tried and trued approach, if it gets hit by a rock, no big deal. im not sure how sturdy those bellows are...

my hose is just ziptied to the upper link, along with my elocker harness. enough room around the joints to flex and stretch, and then runs up to the gas filler cover (not actually in the door, i hated how it looked and it would have upset me every time i filled up). since i have the snorkel now, i might choose to raise it even further, but im not sure about that.

[slosurfer]

I don't think I would call it "bling" considering the Marlin kit costs $29
http://marlincrawler.com/axle/front-...e-breather-kit
That, and something that ugly as a bellow couldn't be considered "bling".

I doubt it will get tagged by a rock there, but a 4ft.+ line has a lot more chances of getting hit, cut, kinked, etc....

I wouldn't call it bling, because it goes for the KISS approach. That is, if it works. Which is what this discussion is all about.

Plus if it works, I'm sure the hardware store has something similar.

[Scuba]

Ok well on the hose topic, im still skeptical about the fact when you flex out the rear axle, like idk, thats just me thinking youd have to get it long enough, then you just got a bunch of hose just chillin, and who wants that..

[Seanz0rz]

why is marlin's kit 30 bucks?!?! and its only 4 feet of hose. i remember using more like 6 to get it to the filler neck cover.(im sure i could have used less if i didnt tie it to the link and just ran it straight up to the frame.)

id have to pull out an old chem text book to see what the expansion of air is from 32 degrees to say... 250 degrees (how hot does a diff get?) and see what the increase in volume is with constant pressure. its been a good 7 years since i touched that kind of chemistry stuff (highschool baby!)

i bet the bellows work. my advise on them is compressing it when you install it, while the axle is cold. that way it has the most room to expand when the axle heats up. personally, i see nothing wrong with using the stock breather. for me the relocation was due mainly to mine getting clogged with dust from big bear and blowing out both left and right axle seals, as well as the (admittedly weak) rtv seal around the 3rd. i actually disassembled my stock breather, took out the spring and the seal (spring holds the seal closed unless there is pressure coming out of the diff.) and ziptied a shop towel to what was now just a threaded union. that at least stopped it from gushing so bad, and lasted till i could pull the seals and replace, and replace the diff breather.

[Seanz0rz]

steve, my hose is zip tied to the upper link. for tacomas, you could just run it along side the rear brake line.

you already have a bunch of brake line that curves around out back so when you do flex, you dont snag the line (i think i have enough to drop the whole axle to the limits of the shocks and still not pull on it)

[CJM]

I honestly think the best thing of all that would work is the hose, it cant get really bound of nicked to much unless you route it stupidly. I have mine go up into where the drivers side taillight is, if im ever that deep well im sol anyways.

[Scuba]

Sounds good sean, ill take a look at it when I get here see what I can do...

[slosurfer]

Yeah, I didn't mean to imply that the hose system was flawed. I know it works, it was more of if this works, it is simpler. (and I hate routing stuff if I don't have to )

Sean, I was thinking the same thing of compressing it when installing it would give you the most volume to expanding heated gas. Unless the ambient temp was 100* when you installed it, then you might want to not compress it all the way.

Sean the only reason I can see for the marlin one being that much is that it has a ball valve (not really sure why you would need that anyways). I agree I thought 4 ft was a little short for the rear axle.

I'm not going out and getting one right now, but I saw these awhile ago and just wondered how well they worked. I may try to go to the hardware store later and see what I can find.

[4x4mike]

I was going to get one of those when I got my 4runner but decided not to. For one the factory one has done it's job really well. For 2 there are other options than the TG and Marlin ones. Go to your polaris dealer and get one of those bellow tube things. I used to have a part number for them but never got around to getting them, I think they were $3 each. Search on Pirate as it's been covered on there, I think I may have started one of the posts actually. I have heard that the hose can clog due to oil drying inside of it and crystallizing. As a result you blow an oil seal shortly thereafter. I've already replaced my oil seals and brakes and don't want to again for awhile.