rear axle breather

[motomattman]

Just wondering if the 68's had a rear axle breather? I found the front axle breather but not the rear. I tried looking on my other 68 and none there either

[FORDification]

Yes, all differentials have a breather. When a vehicle is being driven, the action inside the housing builds up pressure. That pressure must be released. If there's no breather, then the next easiest exit for it is through the seals.

The rear breather is actually the rear brakeline tee...the one bolted to the rear of the housing. The tube is hollow, and it should have a hose which is clipped to the side of the truck's frame, to prevent water from being sucked into the housing when crossing deep water.

Here's a shot taken of mine when I was putting in some new brake lines:



The brass T that the hard lines thread into is held onto the housing via a hollow threaded tube. You can see I have a small chunk of hose with a bolt stuck in it in this pic. I later removed the small hose and installed a longer hose and ran it up to the frame and clipped it on.

[cghstrojan08]

I have always wondered what those were. I honestly thought that was a vent for the brake lines. But then thought that wouldn't work.

[motomattman]

thanks I saw that but had no idea.