Axle breather (Creeper Breather)

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T

Toyota Kijang

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Hi guys, I am just curious of what you guys think of this product? It's Creeper Breather (aftermarket diff breather for toyota)

Anybody who's had this on their Yota and willing to share some stories about it?

Currently Trail Gear.com is the only place offering them

Trail-Gear Inc > Differenital Breather Kit

And I can't believe it costs $19 for one breather. So for two axles, front and rear, it will cost $38 plus shipping (roughly about $50 at the end). Dang man. That's expensive. So I have 3 questions:

1. Are they worth that much? Pros and cons? Please share.

2. Do you guys know other place(s) out there that also sell Creeper Breather (for less maybe) ?

3. Please look at the pic. If I just want to buy the billows only, anybody knows where I can buy a billows like that? Auto parts store?

Thanks. Much appreciated.

TK
creeper.webp
 
A closed breather system like that is required for competition rigs, so they don't drool gear lube out if you flop over. But you can do the same thing with a simple party balloon and a ziptie, that's what we did on the NEUROC rig when my buddy was competing.

The brass fitting can be found at any hardware store. 1/8" NPT is very close to the metric thread in the axle housing, it will deform to fit the steel threads.
 
KLF said:
A closed breather system like that is required for competition rigs, so they don't drool gear lube out if you flop over. But you can do the same thing with a simple party balloon and a ziptie, that's what we did on the NEUROC rig when my buddy was competing.

The brass fitting can be found at any hardware store. 1/8" NPT is very close to the metric thread in the axle housing, it will deform to fit the steel threads.
Click to expand...

Thank you KLF.

Do you happen to have pics of the party-balloon-ziptie home made breather kit? If so could you upload it please. I just like to see how it looks like. Thank you.
 
Howdy! Very little air volume actually moves in/out of the axle housing thru the vent, but I don't know if I would trust this device to be quite big enough for the job. Do we have any rocket scientists on board that can tell us? I'm guessing the total air volume of the axle housing to be maybe 1 cubic ft, so how much will it expand/contract between say, 0 and 250 degrees F ?? John
 
I don't have any pictures, sorry. Just imagine screwing the brass fitting into the housing, then put a length of rubber fuel line on it, then at the other end you stretch a balloon over the end of the hose and clamp it with a ZipTie.

But, keep in mind this is for a competition rig that never goes over about 20 mph, for only short distances. The axles aren't going to get very warm. I think you'd be surprised how much air moves in and out of the axle on a street vehicle, especially if you start on a really cold day then get the axle up to temp (150d F is not uncommon). The problem would be that although the balloon would probably hold that much volume change, it would be at enough pressure that it could start to force gear oil past the seals.

Final answer: I wouldn't do it on a DD truck. But I don't have any hard proof, just gut reaction. Keep in mind that gear oil fumes will gradually eat thru the rubber balloon, so you'd have to replace them eventually.
 
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inkpot said:
Howdy! Very little air volume actually moves in/out of the axle housing thru the vent, but I don't know if I would trust this device to be quite big enough for the job. Do we have any rocket scientists on board that can tell us? I'm guessing the total air volume of the axle housing to be maybe 1 cubic ft, so how much will it expand/contract between say, 0 and 250 degrees F ?? John
Click to expand...
I think if you have 1CF of air at room temp (25 degrees C), then at 121 degrees C (250 F) you get 1.32 CF of air. I could be wrong though, I just woke up.
 
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me_tu05 said:
I think if you have 1CF of air at room temp (25 degrees C), then at 121 degrees C (250 F) you get 1.32 CF of air. I could be wrong though, I just woke up.
Click to expand...
OK. Good. That's the kind of answer I couldn't come up with on my own. Now, considering how long it takes a differential to make that transition, I would venture to say the air venting to atmosphere is moving pretty slow. It would not take a very big opening to let it pass. If it is going into that little bellows that was pictured in the first post, then it will still be under pressure, greater than atmosphere, so there will be pressure against the seals and gaskets. I think it is better to allow that pressure to vent out to atmoshpere. John
 
If you put it on when its cold and compress it all the way and attach it might work. Personally I wouldn't waste my money on it. Vaccum hose is cheap.
The way I figured it out was:
you first have to convert F to C and then to degrees Kelvin. K=degrees C +273. So 75* F is about 25*C which is 298*K.
You take 1Cf/298*K= x/394*k Cross multiply and you get (1)394*K/298=1.322blablabla
 
:meh: Heck, you can find a whole kit at the hardward store, or at least ACE, it's just a mini accordion plunger..that or a medical supply store in the accordion bottle area, the 8oz size IIRC. *Bonus is it would still be cheaper than $19, unless you hate to play in the hardware store, then fork out for a pre-made kit. Lemme see, a $2.00 bottle, a $5.00 fitting, and a $2.00 clamp, or a $ .50 hose-clamp, cripes, that's a 100% profit margin easily.. :hillbilly: Forget what I just posted, I'll sell you my kit for $17 instead! :lol:

Dispensing Syringes | Luer Lock Needle Bottles - Vita Needle Company
accordion_bottle_syringes.jpg
 
NorCalBorn said:
:meh: Heck, you can find a whole kit at the hardward store, or at least ACE, it's just a mini accordion plunger..that or a medical supply store in the accordion bottle area, the 8oz size IIRC. *Bonus is it would still be cheaper than $19, unless you hate to play in the hardware store, then fork out for a pre-made kit. Lemme see, a $2.00 bottle, a $5.00 fitting, and a $2.00 clamp, or a $ .50 hose-clamp, cripes, that's a 100% profit margin easily.. :hillbilly: Forget what I just posted, I'll sell you my kit for $17 instead! :lol:

Dispensing Syringes | Luer Lock Needle Bottles - Vita Needle Company
accordion_bottle_syringes.jpg
Click to expand...

Thank you NorCalBorn !

Now my next question is, is a closed breather like this safe for daily long commute driving ? So far I only got one answer I'd like to hear more please.

Thanks again guys.
 
:meh: Vacuum hose is pretty cheap. I think I would go that route. I do however really like the Idea of a closed breather system. I saw a guy leaned over hard on a trail not too long ago, and he had an internal leak in his ARB. That rig puked oil like crazy from the positive air pressure created in his axle, and bad thing was it was over a creek. I don't think the creeper breather would have solved that, probably would have launched itself into space or something.

I think you would be replacing balloons way too frequently on a daily driver. Granted, It is also frustrating to look and see your vacuum hose axle breather broken too, I replace them about once a year.

some people even put a small fuel filter on the end of the hose to keep dirt and gunk out (or in?)
 
I don't like a closed system simply because I prefer that any condensation or acidity can vent when the diff warms up and the air expands, pretty much the same reason for a pcv valve. Here's my setup, *including the hose, and brackets I made to attach the line to over near my gas tank fill hose, and inside the front fender for the front diff, I think I spent around $21.00 plus a half an hour, that's not including the parts listed in the link from a recycler yard and my time pulling them.

What you'll need is: (2) 90930-03136, (2) 90404-51026, (6) Hose clamps, (2) Bicycle Rack Mounting Brackets, (2) Machine screws a little longer than stock to attach the brackets at a factory spot, (2) Proper ID Fuel Proof Rubber Hoses, each at least 3' long, and a few zip ties to secure it all properly while allowing room for the suspension to flex and cycle w/o binding up the hoses.

A good reference for this topic: http://www.sonoransteel.com/Diff_Breather_Parts.pdf
 
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There is a Nissan part number that works really well for the connection at the axle, BTW.

I stopped at a small engine repair place and bought the little filters they put on the end of the fuel lines on string trimmers and leaf blowers, the ones that float around inside the gas tank. They do allow the axle to breath, but I would bet that gear oil would not be able to get thru the filter screen, at least not very quickly.

Here's what the Nissan part and my filter thingy look like:

Breather_and_Filter.jpg


Another option is to plumb the lines to your air box.
 
i am using the EXACT thing for my locker breathers.
I T'd the front and rear together.
I used a small 1/4 inline fuel filter for the diff breathers though.

KLF said:
There is a Nissan part number that works really well for the connection at the axle, BTW.

I stopped at a small engine repair place and bought the little filters they put on the end of the fuel lines on string trimmers and leaf blowers, the ones that float around inside the gas tank. They do allow the axle to breath, but I would bet that gear oil would not be able to get thru the filter screen, at least not very quickly.

Here's what the Nissan part and my filter thingy look like:

Breather_and_Filter.jpg


Another option is to plumb the lines to your air box.
Click to expand...
 
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