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2018+ Jeep JL Rear Axle Breather Tube (Plugged from Factory)

JimSa

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I ran into something today and I thought I'd post a word of warning. I noticed that my rear pinion seal on my JL was leaking, dripping, and generally causing a mess in my garage and on the undercarriage. Checking the usual culprits, I looked to see if the breather tube was clogged and indeed it was. However, what I discovered is that it wasn't a clog but rather it was sealed with a glued plastic/film seal much like some beverages these days or say coffee creamer. Behind that seal was stack of filter wadding pads. I am nearly certain that during assembly of the valve and hose, this seal was supposed to be peeled, or punctured and removed, leaving just the filter pads. It withstood *A LOT* of pressure...

Anyway, it's quick and easy to check your own. Just snap off the the plastic valve cap and see if you have have film or filter pad visible. Pics below. You can see the glue through the seal. Dirt is from my fingers pushing on the seal.

Jeep Wrangler JL 2018+ Jeep JL Rear Axle Breather Tube (Plugged from Factory) IMG_5853.JPG
Jeep Wrangler JL 2018+ Jeep JL Rear Axle Breather Tube (Plugged from Factory) IMG_5852.JPG
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mwilk012

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Did you try blowing on it from the tube end?
 
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JimSa

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Did you try blowing on it from the tube end?
Yep. Nearly blew my cheeks off my face with no luck. Tried to bluntly puncture and put compressed air into it just because I was curious. I didn't get a pressure reading, but it's absolutely amazing how much pressure those pill bottle type seals can take. I imagine all the wadding that was behind it might have been transferring some of the force to the walls/lip as well. Guessing...
 

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Reviving this - i seemed to have this as well. I was going to replace my rear pinion seal (on my own), as i've already had 3 replaced - i decided to check the breather valve and have the exact same thing here. I have no idea what these are supposed to look like/function. @Roky - have you tango'd with these? Was going to cut that plastic, but dont know if that can introduce more potential risk.

My front breather has no issue with air restriction, but i didnt pull the top.
 

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Reviving this - i seemed to have this as well. I was going to replace my rear pinion seal (on my own), as i've already had 3 replaced - i decided to check the breather valve and have the exact same thing here. I have no idea what these are supposed to look like/function. @Roky - have you tango'd with these? Was going to cut that plastic, but dont know if that can introduce more potential risk.

My front breather has no issue with air restriction, but i didnt pull the top.
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JimSa

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2019s. Both seem to be like that.
I peeled the pill bottle seal off for my 2019 JLU. I mean, what's the point of a breather tube if it doesn't breath??? If the seal was meant to be there and blow out if PSI is too high, it sure can withstand a lot of PSI through the long narrow tube (ever tried a snorkle over 18"?) and the pad packed seal. The cap and pad stack under the seal is meant to keep out dust and contaminates and even liquid with a small air trap in the cap, so it *seems* completely safe to remove the pill bottle seal.

In my case, my pinion seal still leaked after doing this. Not sure if this was because the seal was already blown and/or whether the sealed breather really was the culprit. Yukon had some defective pinion seals around this time and they replaced under warranty, so I will never know for sure. While I can't be sure, it sure seemed like that thing needed to be peeled...
 

Roky

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Reviving this - i seemed to have this as well. I was going to replace my rear pinion seal (on my own), as i've already had 3 replaced - i decided to check the breather valve and have the exact same thing here. I have no idea what these are supposed to look like/function. @Roky - have you tango'd with these? Was going to cut that plastic, but dont know if that can introduce more potential risk.

My front breather has no issue with air restriction, but i didnt pull the top.
Hey bud....... that’s a diaphragm that let’s air out but restricts water from going in. I just had mine off the other day to blow air through it, it’s part of my maintenance routine. This is what it should look like. Shouldn’t have anything over it, just the cap.

Jeep Wrangler JL 2018+ Jeep JL Rear Axle Breather Tube (Plugged from Factory) 163322E4-FD6F-4AF6-8EA0-B1F74C6E50DA
 
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JimSa

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I believe you, but just sayin... Mine definitely did NOT let air out. Blew my cheeks off trying and even tried compressed air, but did not measure PSI. There wasn't even the slightest progress of pushing air through it.
 

Ryand

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reviving this once again. In troubleshooting gear oil coming back from my locker into my solenoid, I decided to take apart the breather cap since I too couldn't force air out with my mouth. There are 6 filters stacked behind the permeable membrane. I truly think this is causing an issue for me.

Jeep Wrangler JL 2018+ Jeep JL Rear Axle Breather Tube (Plugged from Factory) Resized_20230531_071636
 
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JT1

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reviving this once again. In troubleshooting gear oil coming back from my locker into my solenoid, I decided to take apart the breather cap since I too couldn't force air out with my mouth. There are 6 filters stacked behind the permeable membrane. I truly think this is causing and issue for me.

Jeep Wrangler JL 2018+ Jeep JL Rear Axle Breather Tube (Plugged from Factory) Resized_20230531_071636
Mine was the same.. swapped it out for one from a tacoma.. at least it will let air through. It's tucked up high enough that if it gets wet, it's the least of my worries.
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