Axle breather tube problem Dana 44

[hubdawg]

Missing axle breather bolt and tube on my front Dana 44 project but it's an odd size. Took ther rear out to check size and it's too big to fit. A 3/8 bolt will thread in but I thought they were all supposed to be the same size. Trying to mount brake line connecter with no luck.

 

[thegreatjustino]

Is it a stock EB Dana 44?

If you are running a later high pinion Dana 44, the breather bolt/tube is smaller than the EB.

 

[hubdawg]

Thanks, where do I find one everyone seems to have the regular size.

 

[hubdawg]

concensus seems to be drill a 3/8 NC bolt all the way through and tap the top with pipe thread for a nipple and vent tube

 

[NicksTrix]

stock housings have a 7/16-20 thread. front and rear.
teh vendors do sell a replacement vent

 

[hubdawg]

Haven't found a vendor yet that has other than stock.

 

[ntsqd]

So find a vendor that deals with whatever the high pinion may have come out of.

 

[DirtDonk]

There's not necessarily such a thing as "all use the same" when it comes to this stuff it seems. Different years, different brands, different crap.
Jeeps use a different thread than the EB's do, even though they're using Dana axles.

If your front end came from a later model, are you sure it's also a breather hole? It's very possible that it's just a bolt that holds the brake tubing on, and the breather has it's own tapered fitting where you simply plug in a brass tube fitting.

I think I've seen that layout anyway, so might be worth a double-check to see if there are in fact two holes in the housing.
If not, and you are mounting up your own new brake lines anyway, I would drill it larger using a pipe tap until the one out of your rear axle housing fits. Then get a stock replacement for an EB.
The good side of that is consistency and more easily sourcing replacement parts in the future.

Paul

 

[ntsqd]

I can say with absolute certainty that in the high pinion 44 in the front of my rig that the brake T hold-down bolt hole goes all of the way thru the casting because when I got the truck it was weeping oil there. What I can't tell you is what it came from since I bought it that way.

An option would be to make the hole in the housing the right threads to work with the hollow bolt that you can easily get.