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Originally Posted by STRIPER1
Two months ago I performed the axle vent mod. which involved running gas line tubing up behind the tail light and ending in a cheap fuel filter. The mod. seemed to work fine and I've had no issues until today. After a trip of 1.5 hours, i notice a 6 inch wide puddle of dif. fluid under the tail light. This is the same trip I have driven twice per week since performing the mod. This is the first time the fluid has leaked out past the filter.
I have a 2004 (only 10,000 miles) with a PML extra capacity cover and I checked the fluid level when I did the vent mod and everything was perfect.
Any ideas what is happening here? Could capilary action bring the fluid from the dif. all the way up 6 feet of tubing? Could the dif. be "grenading" and overheating to the point where the fluid expanded enough to force it all that way? (I have heard no strange noise nor felt anything strange while driving the truck.)
Thanks For your help and input.
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I doubt capillary action is to blame, nor do I think that the synthetic gear oil expands sufficiently (the boiling point is pretty high) to run out of the vent. I think that heated air in the differential is expanding (pressure increase) and forcing fluid out of the vent. This may have only happened this one time because gear oil was in the portion of the axle housing near the vent, whereas typically just air goes out of the vent.
But I would get one of those IR thermometers and keep track of the diff temps just in case.
Other thought: If there is water in the differential (condensate or leaking in somehow from deep water crossing) the water could boil, flash to steam and blow diff fluid out.