breather install

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breather install

Postby tassie_ml on Tue Mar 29, 2011 11:14 am

I searched and found a few threads about fitting breathers to the ML and MN and there's bits and pieces of info in the group buy thread and around the place.

I am hoping we can keep this thread purely for info on fitting the breather extensions :mrgreen:

This is how I fitted my kit to my 07 ML, its a V6 auto.

I started by working out where I was going to fit the alloy housing in the engine compartment. Up the back inner mudguard on the passenger side, mine had a relay that was bolted to the inner guard. I moved the relay and mounted the block there. See pics further down.

I started at the rear diff. The factory breather tube runs from the top of the diff centre up to the cross member. Its a flexy black pipe as can be seen here in the pic

Click to view larger picture

Undo the clip holding the pipe to the cross member and fit this barbed fitting into the end of the pipe like this

Click to view larger picture

Click to view larger picture

then zip tie the pipe back up to the passenger side chassis rail like this. Leave plenty of slack in the pipe for offroading when the vehicle articulates

Click to view larger picture

then run the new pipe up the chassis rail to the engine bay, zip tieing as you go.

next was the front diff and you will need to remove the bash plates to do this. There's only 7 12mm bolts holding them on and they are easy to find.

On my 07 ML, the diff centre is vented to the firewall. Follow the pipe up to the firewall so you know where it goes. Make sure you trace the right pipe. If you hook into the wrong pipe, you will not be able to engage the front diff as the vaccuum pipes used for this run along with the breather pipe :shock:

this is the top of mine

Click to view larger picture

under that black rubber top, the end is flared and you wont be able to push the breather pipe over it. I went back down the pipe to where a flexy pipe joins a hard pipe, its near the chassis rail and pulled the flexy pipe off and then pushed the extension tube over the metal pipe. Its a tight fit and wont come off. here's a pic, its the pipe in the bottom left corner of the pic

Click to view larger picture

then run the pipe up the firewall and across the top of the engine bay to the breather block.

Next was the transfer case breather. You will need to remove the centre console to get to it (unless you have a hoist and hands like a 6 year old child :shock: ). To remove the console, remove the two 10mm bolts in the console bin, pull the section containing the rear window switch and ciggy lighter out (it just pops out if you pull it forward at the top). Then lift the rear console section up and forward over the handbrake lever. Then you will find two 10mm bolts holding the rear of the front console piece. Take them out.

If you have an auto, you will need to take the gear selector off. Pull the gear lever down to Low (make sure the handbrake is still on! or you will roll down the driveway - not a good look with SWMBO observing from the lounge window :oops: )

Take the two grub screws out of the base of the lever and pull it up. There are 2 small cables that run up the inside of the gear lever for the overdrive switch. These cables are not very long, trust me, I found out the hard way and broke them off the back of the switch. So pull the lever up as far as you can without breaking the cables and then poke a small flat screwdriver up into lever and push the selector rod down. This will let you pull the lever off safely.

Click to view larger picture

The transfer lever knob just winds off as would the manual gear lever knob.

The forward console will now lift off easily.

The transfer lever has another boot over it which is simply screwed down with half a dozen screws. Take the screws out and pull the boot up and over the lever, it wont come all the way off and you dont need to anyway.

Once this is up, you will see that there is a small brassy coloured pipe that runs into the front of the boot that goes over the selector.

Pull the brass pipe out. It only goes into the boot and stops, it doesnt go into the transfer case or anything like that. Ths brassy coloured pipe comes from the gearbox (thanks ag9111) and vents into the transfer case boot. I pushed an extension pipe onto the end of the brassy coloured pipe and also poked another into the rubber boot like in the pic. Then run these extension pipes behind the heat shield and up into the engine bay, across the firewall like the front diff extension and to the filter block.

Click to view larger picture

The clearance in the gearbox tunnel is almost nil and no one yet has been able to locate any other breather outlets for the gearbox and transmission. So this is part of the install is based on what information is currently available from forum members. If you can find alternate breathers on the transfer case and transmission, please post up their locations.

Once you have the pipes over near the vent block, simply push the pipes into the fittings. If you need to get the pipe back out, just depress the blue fitting and the pipe will slide back out :mrgreen:

this is where I fitted my vent block

Click to view larger picture

you will see that the vent block has 4 outlet pipes. Its important to put a pipe into each outlet as leaving one 'empty' will compromise the filter system.

Click to view larger picture

all up it took me about 2 hours (mind you I wasted half an hour fiddling with the damn auto lever).

This is only for the ML auto. I havent seen the manual box breather set up nor a MN, so if you have pics and info on these ones, please add them here for the benefit of everyone.

Now I can go plunging into waist high water :lol: :lol: :lol:
Last edited by tassie_ml on Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: breather install

Postby steve tas on Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:47 pm

Mark You are a legend!!!

My Triton spent the weekend playing in flooded paddocks and is a bloody mess so I wasn't looking forward to washing it to take pics. :roll:

Yours is rigged the same as mine so you saved me a bit of work.

Thanks again.
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Re: breather install

Postby ag9111 on Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:52 pm

Mark
When I did my MN Man gearbox/transfer I found that pipe going into the rubber boot. I followed it back between the tunnel and gearbox and found it entered the gearbox. I believe the gearbox was breathing out of the boot, not the other way around.
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Re: breather install

Postby Kegsy on Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:57 pm

So Garth that pipe does the g/box and transfer?
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Re: breather install

Postby tassie_ml on Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:09 pm

ag9111 wrote:Mark
When I did my MN Man gearbox/transfer I found that pipe going into the rubber boot. I followed it back between the tunnel and gearbox and found it entered the gearbox. I believe the gearbox was breathing out of the boot, not the other way around.


interesting.....so the transfer case and the gearbox vent through a rubber boot over the lever ?? why would Mitsi vent the gearbox into the boot on the transfer case....wtf :shock: nothing should surprise me really :roll:
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Re: breather install

Postby new44 on Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:51 am

Thanks for the info. ;)
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Re: breather install

Postby ag9111 on Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:32 am

Kegsy wrote:So Garth that pipe does the g/box and transfer?


That was my assumption. I could be wrong and mark could be right. Looked at the MN and ML manual when I was doing the install and they were of no help. Assumed the box breaths into the boot and uses it as an air reservoir same as rear diff does with the chassis crossmember.
As Mark said, its a bitch to see so I traced the pipe work, but I did not see the connection to gearbox, only felt it and made the assumption. Good to get others feedback when they do there's.
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Re: breather install

Postby tassie_ml on Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:27 am

thanks Garth for the info, its nice to know the brassy coloured pipe does run to the gearbox and I think you are right in thinking that it vents the gearbox into the transfer rubber boot. Thats does make sense.

I have changed my plumbing there and edited the first post to reflect the update :mrgreen:

cheers mate ;)
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Re: breather install

Postby ag9111 on Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:53 am

tassie_ml wrote:thanks Garth for the info, its nice to know the brassy coloured pipe does run to the gearbox and I think you are right in thinking that it vents the gearbox into the transfer rubber boot. Thats does make sense.

I have changed my plumbing there and edited the first post to reflect the update :mrgreen:

cheers mate ;)


God, hope I'm right or i'll look a right Dick :lol:
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Re: breather install

Postby snowman on Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:32 am

what is in the gearbox boot that needs venting? can't that just be plugged?
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Re: breather install

Postby ag9111 on Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:05 pm

Not venting the boot Mark. Venting into the boot.
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Re: breather install

Postby snowman on Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:08 pm

ag9111 wrote:Not venting the boot Mark. Venting into the boot.


that is what i thought so why vent the boot to the vent block?
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Re: breather install

Postby tassie_ml on Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:57 pm

under the boot is where the transfer lever enters the transfer case, where the lever enters the box is not 'sealed', its just a ball joint of sorts and would most likely be somewhere where air can escape from the transfer case, hence needing the rubber boot to keep the grit and water out.

It looks like the rubber boot is fairly well sealed around the lever and bottom of the housing so I am confident that it would keep water out if submerged for a short time.

I thought it safer to vent the boot back to the engine bay just to be safe rather than just plugging it off.

hope that makes sense ;)
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Re: breather install

Postby ag9111 on Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:01 pm

He is not venting the boot to the breather, he did at first. He has changed it to vent the gearbox to the block
WE THINK :?
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Re: breather install

Postby Kegsy on Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:03 pm

He's now venting both the boot and the brass coloured pipe to the block.

So he's got his original idea, and Garths idea.

Might as well, as otherwise there is a spare port on the block, or at least until someone finds another breather outlet if it exists.
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Re: breather install

Postby tassie_ml on Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:09 pm

Kegsy wrote:He's now venting both the boot and the brass coloured pipe to the block.

So he's got his original idea, and Garths idea.

Might as well, as otherwise there is a spare port on the block, or at least until someone finds another breather outlet if it exists.


you're right Kegsy. Both the brass coloured pipe (thought to be the transmission breather) and the rubber boot (thought to the the transfer case breather) are both vented to the engine bay now.

Until we can determine another breather outlet for both the transmission and transfer case, this is the best we can do I reckon :mrgreen:
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Re: breather install

Postby RHKTriton on Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:23 pm

Great writeup Mark

Some peoples might use the spare port to vent the vent on the driver's seat! Usefulness probably depends on the steepness of cliff your sliding down.

More seriously - amazing where the manufacturers stick their vent pipes.

On my late Rocky (after 460,000+km my friend tested the front end on a Kanga) I plumbed the pipes inside the chassis rails and then up the fire wall, kept everything out of harms way.

The idea of keeping a small pressure on the circuit would probably keep out some contaminants.
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Re: breather install

Postby tassie_ml on Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:10 pm

RHKTriton wrote:Great writeup Mark

Some peoples might use the spare port to vent the vent on the driver's seat! Usefulness probably depends on the steepness of cliff your sliding down.

More seriously - amazing where the manufacturers stick their vent pipes.

On my late Rocky (after 460,000+km my friend tested the front end on a Kanga) I plumbed the pipes inside the chassis rails and then up the fire wall, kept everything out of harms way.

The idea of keeping a small pressure on the circuit would probably keep out some contaminants.


I had thought about venting the drivers seat, my Mrs reackons that would come in handy :lol: :lol: :lol:

My last disco had pressurised diffs/transfer/gearbox and bellhousing (was a manual) and water still got in, so its not fool proof but still a good idea.

I hadnt thought of running the rear line through the chassis, but there is plenty of tie off points along the inside of the chassis rail so I am confident mine will be okay, but I like the way you think ;)

cheers mate, thanks for the input ;)
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Re: breather install

Postby Mattstruck on Tue Apr 05, 2011 7:19 pm

I have the MN auto and in regards to the front diff breather (see photos above) I have the 2 lines with caps on them on the fire wall like yours Tassie but my "breather" line goes down and hits a T intersection, splits and goes rear ward and front wards too.

Yours do that?

Wonder if they have changed venting for the auto incorporating it into the diff breather line? :roll:

I am yet to fit my kit and the rear diff is easy (I have the breather line factory) but the others look a bit scarey. When I pull the bash plates off Ill let you know how the MN Auto is done.
Or at least how not to do it :lol:

As I said above, I have the rear diff factory breather and have factory diff lock. Wonder if the factory LSD has the white plug and the factory DL has the breather?

Is this theory true? Anyone with DL or LSD with or without the white plug outside of my theory? :?
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Re: breather install

Postby Kegsy on Tue Apr 05, 2011 7:29 pm

Diff lock has the breather line, LSD has the white nylon plug. Thats for the MN.

I've got the LSD on my MN so I've got the white plug to deal with, but I think Im going to weld it up like Rocko did. Bust out the MIG.
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breather install

Postby MN GLXR on Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:04 am

Yeh my mn auto has the white plug and no diff lock. Another reason to remind me why I should have waited for a diff lock!
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Re: breather install

Postby Mattstruck on Wed Apr 06, 2011 6:10 pm

OK. I have some photos of the MN Auto to post.... so how the hell do I do it????

Its a very different set up and I need some input from members before chop chop into lines... :oops:

OK OK... just searched... opening photo bucket acc now.
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Re: breather install

Postby Mattstruck on Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:12 pm

OK. The MN Auto has the following pipes at the front... im unsure which are which.

As Tassie said, I have the pipe capped on the fire wall as does the ML...
Click to view larger picture

And yes, one of those capped pipes does run down to the front diff:
Click to view larger picture

BUT!

As the pipe runs down the firewall it has a t intersection which runs off into these electrical sensors(?) and plugs and loops around with the vacuum pipes from the front diff, joining up with most of the pipes. This is similar to Tassies photo 6. What do these do?
Click to view larger picture

before coming off and into this can behind the drivers side wheel.
Click to view larger picture

Im not sure but would this can be a breather reservoir for the auto and the front diff?

Hope these photos work..
Mod talk:
Sometimes indecipherable to the average Civillian. Example:
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Joe:
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Re: breather install

Postby ag9111 on Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:29 pm

I believe that the can is for the vacuum system for the front diff actuators and is the wrong pipe. Take off the bash plates and you can see the vacuum hose coming out of the diff so you can follow it up.
Somebody please correct me if I am incorrect as I am going of memory from about 12 months ago
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Re: breather install

Postby Mattstruck on Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:22 pm

Hi AG,

I did that as per the 2nd photo but it isnt just one pipe going up to the fire wall and capped. It has a T in it and it then mingles in with the vac pipes..//?????? :?: :oops: :roll: :cry:
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