chevymitchell
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Shawn
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2018
- Threads
- 94
- Messages
- 4,269
- Reaction score
- 10,232
- Location
- K-ville, NC
- Vehicle(s)
- 2019 JLUR (Pain Train), 2022 2500 AT4
- Occupation
- Avi Engineer
- Thread starter
- #1
Good evening everyone.
Here is a DIY guide to repair your Diff Breather Tube if (when) it breaks off.
This is bound to happen to everyone eventually. The material DANA uses for the factory breather tube is very brittle. If you bend this, it will likely not bend back and will crack as mine did. In fact, mine broke right off.
The factory breather tube is also pressed in. I called DANA and asked if I could buy only this piece and they said no.
Tools Required:
I'm sure there are many ways to fix this issue, but this is a simple way to really improve the overall reliability of this often overlooked part of the differential. Here's the step by step process to repair this issue:
Here is a DIY guide to repair your Diff Breather Tube if (when) it breaks off.
This is bound to happen to everyone eventually. The material DANA uses for the factory breather tube is very brittle. If you bend this, it will likely not bend back and will crack as mine did. In fact, mine broke right off.
The factory breather tube is also pressed in. I called DANA and asked if I could buy only this piece and they said no.
Tools Required:
- Drill
- Magnet
- 11/32" Drill Bit
- 3/8" Drill Bit
- 13/32" Drill Bit
- 7/16" Drill Bit
- 37/64" Drill Bit
- 3/8" - 18 NPT Tap
- Socket to fit the Tap you have
- Chisel
- Small, flat top punch
- Hammer
- Needle Nose
- 3/8 Drive 10mm
- 3/8 Drive Ratchet
- 3/8 Drive 6" Extension
- Shop Towel or Microfiber cloth
- Your preferred 3/8" NPT fitting. There are many, many types of brass NPT fittings available.
- Your preferred angled adapter that matches the NPT fitting you chose and matches your preferred method of connected the breather hose. There are also many options for this, as well.
- Teflon Tape
- WD40
I'm sure there are many ways to fix this issue, but this is a simple way to really improve the overall reliability of this often overlooked part of the differential. Here's the step by step process to repair this issue:
- Using a 10mm socket, remove the bolt for the locker wiring feed-thru.
- Push on the red clip and press down to remove the feed-thru connector.
- With the locker harness hanging outside the housing, push a shop towel or rag into the hole far enough to where you can see it through the breather tube hole.
- Using a needle nose, finish breaking the tube off until you're left with a nub on the pressed in portion of the fitting.
- We're going to cut the inside of the breather tube out slowly with drill bits and go up in size until the wall of the breather tube is thin enough to break off.
- Drill the breather tube out incrementally using these drill bits: 11/32", 3/8", 13/32", 7/16". Make sure to use your magnet to clean up all of the shavings after each one.
- Once you've finished with the 7/16" drill bit hole, use your chisel and hammer and hit the top portion of the tube and it should break off. Break off all of the top pieces and you should be left with the portion inside the hole.
- Using your flat top punch, tap very lightly on the portion left inside the hole. You should be tapping this piece into the rag on the inside. Once the piece has been pushed out, use your needle nose to pull it back out of the hole. It will likely break into at least two pieces.
- Use your magnet to clean up the shavings and pieces of the factory breather tube the best you can.
- Using your 37/64" Drill bit, drill the leftover hole in the housing out.
- Use your magnet again to clean up.
- Grab your 3/8" NPT Tap and spray it with WD40.
- Line up the tap with the hole as straight as you can.
- While applying pressure downwards, turn your tap and begin to cut threads. You will need your ratchet and a socket that fits on the end of the tap to do this. The L/H UCA bushing will be in the way of using your traditional tap handle.
- Cut threads slowly and carefully. If the tap gets too full of metal, back out the tap 1/2 turn, and then continue.
- Make sure to cut the threads deep enough. I usually go about 3/4 the way down the tap and then check to see if the fitting will catch the threads.
- Once you have your threads cut, clean up everything the best you can.
- Pull the rag out of the hole very slowly while trying to pull the top portion ,that got all the metal on it, out first.
- After this, you're done. Apply teflon tape and screw in your fittings.
- Reinstall the feed-thru connector.
- Buy some Chick-Fil-A for dinner. You deserve it.
Sponsored