is 9" rear end vent open or ??

[Banjo]

found nothing wrong w/axle seal on 68 bumpside, changed anyhow (or course), but wonder about vent. If it's plugged, maybe pressure building up pushing grease out drive side seal? tried poking nail down (after removing tube) but don't know if this is some kinda orifice down in there or what, you know, connects brake lines in there too. Don't want to mess nothing up. Should I be able to poke nail down in there and blow out w./compressed air or is there something in there (maybe one way valve or ???? Banjo

[averagef250]

Just a vent, nothing fancy.

[Banjo]

so, should I be able to drive a nail or run a peice of wire through it? wondering because I'm encountering significant resistance and didn't want to screw up some kinda one way valve if there is one in there??? banjo

[craftsman]

Yes you should be able to run nail throuh.

[Banjo]

by gosh, that must be why my driver side rear axle seal was allowing rear end grease past it onto the shoes, pressure finding the nearest way out! It's solid, can't blow through it, can't run a nail through it. That explains how the untorn seal was in very good shape, yet grease getting past (pressurized). My driver rear drum was so bad that tire was locking and sliding and so greased up, had to use about 4 full tall cans of brake cleaner and rags to get it all. Now if I could only remember short shoe front or rear, I'd be in good shape. This weekend kicked my butt, between 2 seals not wanting to fit and having to remove those (cocking in bore), my daily driver (F150) broke through an old septic tank lid on my property where I was going to yank a tree out w/chain and with axle out of my other, had to get my neighbor to pull me out, couldn't even save myself. Has been a rough one, thanks, Banjo.

[Wes]

Short shoe front, I had solid vent on d44 not sure if the brass was hammered closed or was made that way. replaced it w/ a brass nipple, going to run a vent hose up high to help keep water out.

[Banjo]

just got in from unscrewing the hollow bolt that is the vent, it does have a restriction in there, making the middle (hole) about the size of a small finishing nail or needle for filling basketball/football. I cleaned it out and put it all back together, but I'm not so sure I'm not going to remove it and drill the restriction out larger, so maybe a framing nail could be ran through it. Thanks again, Banjo

[kid]

I drilled it out and used a hose up to my frame with a charcoal fish tank line filter to keep the dust out on my desert racer 68 SWB F100

[MaxKlinger]

my daily driver (F150) broke through an old septic tank lid on my property where I was going to yank a tree out w/chain and with axle out of my other, had to get my neighbor to pull me out

Would you say you were in "deep sh!t"?

[craftsman]

just got in from unscrewing the hollow bolt that is the vent, it does have a restriction in there, making the middle (hole) about the size of a small finishing nail or needle for filling basketball/football. I cleaned it out and put it all back together, but I'm not so sure I'm not going to remove it and drill the restriction out larger, so maybe a framing nail could be ran through it. Thanks again, Banjo

The vent hole should be larger than a needle for football.
you may have to drill. I had one stopped up one time and i was able to run small blade screwdriver through to clear, i did already have axles out so i was able to clean out the debree.

hope this helps