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How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
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Author:  kd883 [ Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:11 am ]
Post subject:  How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
Hi guys,

After recently finding more water in the rear diff than oil, I decided it was time to make a set of diff breathers.

What I used

1) 2 metres of 1/2 inch diameter heater hose from Repco - $10 (although you may like to use 3 metres for higher breathing points, and also if you have more lift than the 2 inches I have. This would then cost $15).

2) 2 12-25mm hose clamps from Bunnings - $2

3) A couple of cable ties (had these in the shed)

4) A piece of cloth (shed)

5) Some silicon (shed)

What I did

1) Starting with the rear diff, I levered the existing diff breather cap off using a screwdriver.

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2) Make sure you get all three pieces out.

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3) Cleaned up the breather to prevent any dirt/rubbish getting into the diff.

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4) Peeled back the back left cover panel.

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5) Drilled several holes in the floor then made these into one larger hole using a hack saw blade (working from underneath). Filed up the edges to prevent the hose being cut or damaged. Painted the fresh steel to prevent rust.

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6) Fitted one end of the hose to the breather using a hose clamp, plugged the other end with a rag (to prevent any dirt getting into the hose) and ran it up over the fuel tank and across to the back left corner of the body. Note the extra length given to allow for the travel of the diff. I actually jacked the body right up to check that the hose had enough length to accommodate the full travel of the diff. I cable tied the hose to the fuel tank bracket and to the chassis to keep it still and prevent 'rubbing through' from vibration.

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7) Ran the hose through the hole in the floor and sealed the area with silicon (top and bottom).

8. Cut the hose and covered with a piece of rag and cable tie to prevent any dirt/rubbish getting into the diff. In retrospect, I should have bought 3 metres of hose so that I could have made the breathing point as high as possible. I might use a bit of 1/2" pipe for that later on...

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9) The front is much easier - no cutting, drilling filing etc. All I did was remove the cap and clean the breather (steps 1-3), fit the hose and clamp, cable tie it into position (remember to allow for the suspension travel), run it up through the engine bay, and cable tie it off next to the air filter. I also made a 'filter' for it using a bit of cloth like I did for the rear one.

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I hope you find the thread useful. Thank you for reading.

KD.
Author:  Gwagensteve [ Thu Dec 13, 2012 4:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
Good on you for starting this thread, and good on you for wanting to do diff breathers as an early mod rather than trashing a diff before you learn how important they are.

However, there are some issues here you need to consider. Just take this on board from the basis of my experience.

Firstly, heater hose is a long, long way from ideal. Heater hose generally gets quite soft and swells if it's in contact with oil. It's preferable to use transmission cooler compatible hose. Fuel line also seems to be very durable.

Heater hose is often pretty soft too - it's not really designed for the environment under a vehicle where it's getting clobbered with sticks etc. A diff breather that has a hole in it is worse than no breather at all.

I would never run a breather up into the bodywork as you have in the rear. Drop your car on its side (or roof) and you also going to have to deal with oil over everything in the back of the car.

Normal practice is to loop the hose over on itself. This prevents water from being able to run down inside the breather. Even better is to terminate the hose with a small filter like a motorcycle fuel filter.

I'm not sure I've ever taken a proper photo of a diff breather with a 1/8 BSP thread run in the end and fuel hose used, but whilst it's not $12 to sort out, it's many times cheaper than the cheapest diff rebuild... So I thought I'd take some hasty photos of how I do it.

This isn't a step-by-step - it was just based on what I had lying around in the shed in the last 20 minutes.

So here's the normal barb sitting on the top the diff once the cap as been popped off.

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You'll note with interest that it looks to have something stuck to it - that's the brittle, snapped off remains of clear PVC hose, which isn't suitable for breather use.

With that cut off, the cap looks like this:

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Cut the barb at the base of the "groove"

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And thread the barb with a 1/8 BSP tap. There is no need to drill the barb out before tapping, the ID of the stock barb is exactly the right size to take a 1/8" BSP thread.

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Then you can screw a 1/8" BSP barb into the breather, and run (cheap) 6mm carby fuel line wherever you want to go.

Here's two different setups:

A straight barb on my car:

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and a 90˚ barb on the trolley tug

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Both of these have been under their respective cars for years and years with no attention. In fact, mine has been swapped from 1.0 diffs to 1.3 WT diffs along the way.

It this more than $12? Sure. It's a lot more reliable than the $12 solution though. I've seen countless failed diff breathers on sierras because people think they can slip whatever is cheap over the stock barb and call it good.

It's not a great feeling to find your diff breather broken after you've been driving through bog holes all day.

Steve.

PS Please don't think I'm trying to muscle in in your thread, thanks for starting the ball rolling.
Author:  Blkfxx [ Thu Dec 13, 2012 7:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
Steve, What is the reason behind cutting the barb at the groove?
Author:  shep [ Thu Dec 13, 2012 7:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
10mm airline fits the diff barbs perfectly and is resistant to damage from oil and as a bonus costs around $1 per meter.

Slap a hose clamp on and ya done.
Author:  Gwagensteve [ Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
Blkfxx wrote:
Steve, What is the reason behind cutting the barb at the groove?


Just to cut the height down. It doesn't matter at the back, but on the front, there's limited room, especially with inboarded bumpstops.

Steve.
Author:  just_cruizin [ Fri Dec 14, 2012 9:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
Rag and zip tie 8O 8O 8O :shocked: :shocked: :shocked:
Author:  fordem [ Mon Dec 31, 2012 1:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
Gwagensteve wrote:
I would never run a breather up into the bodywork as you have in the rear. Drop your car on its side (or roof) and you also going to have to deal with oil over everything in the back of the car.


Next time you're working on an SQ series Grand Vitara, open the jack storage compartment (left side of the tail gate), and tell me what you find in there.
Author:  Gwagensteve [ Mon Dec 31, 2012 8:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
Just because the factory put it there, it doesn't make it right. However, I'd suggest less SQ vitaras make it onto their sides/roofs than old sierras.

Steve.
Author:  alien [ Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
my sierra is done with fuel hose running up into the engine bay and the two hoses (between front and rear diffs) are joined together - thought being that the amount the air will actually expand and contract will balance between the two lines, and the length of line ensures enough "movement" of air without actually venting it. Its been like that for years now and i've had no issues.
Author:  suzukikid [ Tue Jan 01, 2013 11:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
I poped the cap off and used garden hose!!! Put the end in boiling water to heat it up and put it over with a hose clamp! Have done it to 3 cars now and never and never had a problem with it! And ya can get a cheap hose for under 10 from bunnings!
Author:  Red89 [ Tue Jan 01, 2013 11:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
alien wrote:
my sierra is done with fuel hose running up into the engine bay and the two hoses (between front and rear diffs) are joined together - thought being that the amount the air will actually expand and contract will balance between the two lines, and the length of line ensures enough "movement" of air without actually venting it. Its been like that for years now and i've had no issues.

I welded my rear one up a couple years ago when I did the upper mounts on the diff with the intention of tapping in a new one, I'll get around to it one day :oops: Mine doesnt see a lot of K's though.
Author:  alloz [ Sun Jul 31, 2016 11:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
just_cruizin wrote:
Rag and zip tie 8O 8O 8O :shocked: :shocked: :shocked:


:shocked: Photo 10 looks like a Taliban fighter caught by the Americans !
Author:  BoomBoom4216 [ Thu Jan 12, 2017 4:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
Has anyone figured how to attach a different breather hose to the centre different in a Jimny?

I've got the rear different connected to the front and that up into the engine bay to a record fuel filter.

I've connected all junctions via T brass connectors and hose clamps. I've got a piece ready for the centre different ready to go but the difference breather stubborn is too small and in a compact spot to get to with a angle elbow for the hose.
Author:  jonfromhamilton [ Thu Feb 02, 2017 10:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to make diff breathers for 12 bucks
that reminds me to put a breather in my tcase before it goes in!
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