Your car can drive in a straight line quite easily but when it comes to turning left or right, multiple components need to work together in order to make it happen, including the differential. The diff is the most important component in this case and no matter the drivetrain of your car it's definitely present at least once.
This is because the differential is made of gears which help transfer the power generated from the engine to the wheels which is what makes them turn. Rear-wheel drive cars have one diff at the back wheels while front-wheel drive cars have only one between the front wheels. All-wheel drive cars have three differentials with one on the driveshaft and one between each pair of wheels.
What Are Diff Breathers?
While every differential comes with factory breathers they aren't always made to survive in the most challenging conditions. Adding aftermarket breathers is essentially replacing the old one-way valves on your stock differential. A new differential breather kit can help make save the diff from expanding and building a lot of pressure inside it. This can happen when you drive with a hot differential through a cold river or puddle. A diff breather kit comes with extended lines and proper seals that ensure no water or change of temperature causes a vacuum or damaged components.
Benefits of Installing a Diff Breather
Safety
The first and most important reason why you'd want to install a diff breather is the level of safety it offers from all the above. New and enhanced, aftermarket diff breathers help save both your differential and surrounding components from getting damaged and you from getting stuck in the wild.
Remember that the stock differential breather system of almost all vehicles isn't made to hold up through the challenges off-roading can put them through. Very few are but they are made especially for such driving and you usually don't get the comfort of a convenient cabin or other creature comforts that are found in crossover vehicles for example.
Cost-Effective
Installing a diff breather is definitely a more affordable solution than fixing your car once it's been through a cold stream. It's also a cost-effective safety measure that will keep your drivetrain or at least part of it safe no matter how deep of a water crossing you need to drive through. You might get your hands and knees dirty but you will definitely save yourself from a difficult situation in the future and your pocket from unwanted expenses.
Precautions
Making use of a diff breather kit before you've soaked your 4x4 is part of taking some precautions before you hit the beaten path. There's no better way to protect your differential from the dangers of the Outback than with a diff breather kit. That is as long as you know how to install it properly.
How to Install a Diff Breather
What's Needed
While not all diff breather kits are the same, typically you'll need some extra tools such as an Allen key, a spanner and side cutters and you may also need a sharp blade. Remember this will depend entirely on the contents of the kit you get.
Removal
1. To remove the old diff breathers you need to first jack up your vehicle or slide underneath it if there's enough ground clearance. When you have enough room to get under your 4x4 try and find the differential.
2. After that, what you need to do is take off the standard breather hoses. For diffs with a one-way expansion valve on the axle tube, you need to remove the factory-fitted valve. This valve is removed simply by unscrewing its fasteners.
Installation
1. Once the old diff breathers, be it in the form of hoses or a valve are removed, you then need to add the replacements. When it comes to breather hoses it's best that you get a kit that will help you replace them with high-flow breathers that have a filter with a micron rating of around 40. This way you'll help prevent the breathers from clogging and any debris will be removed with ease.
2. If it's a one-way valve we're talking about, then you'll need to have it replaced by either a straight or right-angle screw-in hose barb. Make sure that by adding in the new hardware you also use the provided clamps and fittings in order to help seal the breather system properly. For the clamps, it's best that you use stainless steel ones as these are quite strong and they also don't suffer from rust and corrosion that easily.
Conclusion
Protecting a fundamental component of every vehicle is crucial for your survival when trekking the outdoors with your 4WD. While adding a diff breather may sound like an intimidating task, it certainly isn't, especially if you go for the right kit that matches the needs of your vehicle's stock differential breathers.
