Pathfinder Parts Catalogs

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If you like to trudge bumper deep across rivers, race through mud holes or tow a boat. Here is a very important modification that will help extend the life of your differentials.

When you’ve spent a few hours on the road towing your boat to you favorite lake. Your axles get quite hot running at highway speeds, which is normal. When you back your boat into the lake, the cold water quickly cools the axle housing. This quick temperature change creates a vacuum and the axle takes a long, deep breath of air, or in this case, water through the axle vent fitting. Then, on your way home, your ring and pinion whips the gear lube and water into a thick gray green colored paste. Without the gear lube the axle quickly tears itself apart. The gear set burns up, the carrier and pinion bearings seize inside their races and the races spin inside the axle bearing pockets. Rear axle wheel bearings that rely on gear lube for lubrication could also be starved of oil, causing even more damage.

There is an upgrade that will help you avoid this problem. Look at your front and rear axles and identify the vent fitting. Most Spicer axles have a small mushroom shaped fitting that screws into the axle tube. Some axles have a “press in” plastic fitting or a fitting than doubles as a brake hose to axle attaching bolt. You may need to drill and tap your axle tube in an axle that has a vent you can’t modify.

Pull the vent fitting from the axle housing, insert a brass fitting with a hose barb end. Determine the length of hose you need to run the vent to a higher location (example: behind one of the taillight assemblies) Push one end of the 1/4 hose ends onto the barbed fitting on the axle, then install the barb fitting on the other end of the hose and reinstall the breather fitting 

Questions on parts or need to place an order? Call Gordon @ 801-915-1402 anytime from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM mountain time. Monday-Saturday

(Sunday is OK if you have no other time to call )