HOME-MADE AXLE-VENT

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

For years, my truck has had a persistent pinion-seal drip, worse when towing heavy.

Not a gusher, just an annoying wetness down the nose and bottom of the hogshead.

Replaced the seal and still a drip.

I read where someone found their vent-tube to be stopped up, and they cleaned it, thereby stopping their pinion-seal from leaking.

When I crawled under to clean my vent, I found the hollow bolt, that the vent-hose is attached to, rotted off, and hanging by the brake-lines.

The portion that was screwed into the axle-tube is rusted solid, leak-proof.

The rear fuel tank is inches away from this stopped-up broken vent.

I can't get a drill, not even my right-angle drill, in there to drill out the bad vent.

I tried an E-Z OUT, to no avail.

I made several feable futile attempts to remove/repair the vent.

Here is how I fixed it; and, I like my new vent better than the original.

Parts required:

3/4"NPT male X 1/8"NPT female adapter (basically a 3/4" plug with a 1/8" threaded hole through the center)

1/8"NPT Street Ell

1/8"NPT male X 3/16" hose-barb

24" 3/16" clear tubing

3/16" double TT fitting (to be used in the top end of the hose to deter water from entering) (I could not find a "U" fitting)

I capped the two horizontal ends of the double-TT fitting, using the two upright legs for my "U", with a short length of hose pointing down.

I could have simply routed the tubing such that the top end pointed down; but, I wanted something I could ZipTie that wouldn't be likely to squirm out of the ZipTie and drag on the road.

I assembled all the parts and replaced the filler-plug with my assembly.

I oriented the street-ell pointing up, with the clear tubing slipped onto the hose barb.

Now, I am forced to examine my axle-vent, each time I check my fluid level.

The tubing is clear so I can see intruders.

 

[TLBREWER]

I was just doing and undertruck inspection yesterday and I found the same leak. Guess I need to check the vent line as well.

Tom

 

[Blackwaterforge]

Down here in the south dirt doubers will fill them with mud. It might be possible to use the type that are found on some bushogs that work like check valves. They prevent water from entering the gear box by only opening when pressure buids in the gearbox from heat.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

We ARE BLESSED WITH THEM IN KENTUCKY, AS WELL

Down here in the south dirt doubers will fill them with mud.

We had a guy lay down on a lumber stack and take a nap, after lunch one day.

He woke up and was deaf, couldn't here a thing.

While he was asleep, dirt-dawbers had filled his entire skull full of mud.

It took several gallons of water, and quite a bit of air from the compressor, to get him back near normal.

To prevent costly surprises, I have to constantly be thinking way ahead of them.

Also, I left a cattle-trailer sit idle, for a few weeks.

When I went to connect the vacuum brake lines, I noticed very fine straw poking out of the couplings.

Some little critter had packed those ten-foot hoses, completely full, from one end to the other, with horse-hair, straw, and the like.

It was in there so tight that the air-hose wouldn't even begin to move it.

I had to dig it out with a stiff wire, about half-a-teaspoon at a time.