Well I checked under the rear to see if my bump stop came off during the trail run yesterday(see Evan's Creek post), and not only did the bump stop get ripped off, but so did my diff breather. I'm praying that it didn't happen during the run itself, because we went through more knee and waist deep puddles than I'd like to count. So... looks like I'm adding an extended diff breather today.

I changed the subject, and this is what I'm adding:

Okay, not just the diff breather, but the whole piece that bolts in. I have a threaded hole on top. I looked in with a flashlight and I can see some mud. I know it's not completely fried, because I drove home(100+ miles), then drove yesterday 10 miles, and I didn't even know. It drives the same. So... I'm going to drive my dad to work so I can use his car. I'm going to try and get the parts for the extended rear breather. My question is this, what is the best way to get the diff cleaned out? I'm a novice mechanic. So do I need to unbolt the diff and seperate it from the drive shaft? How do I clean it once it's open? What should I use plain water then a water displacement like WD-40? I just bought Mobile 1 synthetic gear oil to fill it with. Just need to know what I should do so I don't screw it up anymore. Thanks.

 

YOu should check your diff case oil....it might be a pain to change it or whatever, but at least if you get the water out now and replace with fresh oil you can be pretty sure it won't fail prematurely!

 

yeah swap that differential fluid. I did it to both the front and rear (and transmission and transfercase fluid) of my yota when I went through some " 12 inch deep water " that was up to my front freaking bumper......

Changing it is cake - almost easier than changing the oil and oil filter. All you need is a 24mm 1/2" drive socket for the drain plug / man hole....lol

 

If you can see mud in there, then I'd do more than just flush it. You should probably take it apart and make sure all the dirt is cleaned out. I have no idea how to do that though.

Alternatively, you can leave the mud in there and use that as an excuse to get a locker when the diff blows up in a couple weeks or couple months.

 

If it was my truck, I'd pull the diff out.

 

Drain the oil and see what comes out, then decide wether or not to go further. I can't see being able to tell what got inside through that tiny little hole for the breather, but the fluid coming out will tell you a lot.

 

Well, for one, I already have a locker.... so I don't want to wait for it to blow up. I drained the diff and the fluid looked pretty clean. Very little water. I looked in the breather hole and found a bit of mud. I cleaned it out with the end of a zip tie. Boy are zip ties great! I was very glad to find the the inside if the breather hole is like a collander. So it caught all the chunks/grit. I got all of it out after about 45 minutes of scooping. I poured some fluid in and it all came out clear. So I put the plug back in and filled it back up with synthetic fluid. Schucks was the only store open and they didn't have any parts for the homebrew extended diff..... but that didn't stop me. I found a 1/8 grease fitting. I drilled out the ball, and made it a little larger inside. Got a bit of hose, some clamps, and a small fuel filter. I drilled the hole larger on the fuel filter, and cut the outer diameter down on the hose to fit inside. Put it all back together and I have an extended diff breather for under $10. I feel pretty confident about it. I guess only time will tell.