Rear end/Axle housing vent

[ITdude87]

https://www.npdlink.com/product/orig...0000%26year%3D

Ford PN: 4R3Z-4022-AA

Anyone have experience or stories about this little bugger?

I was doing a little research and I read this little thing can get messed/gunked up over time which can cause excess pressure in the rear end on hot days and long drives. When that happens, some folks see tiny leaks out of their pinion seals etc...

I have a small intermittent seep out of my pinion seal, and the more I thought about it the more I realized I only see it during the middle of the summer or long spirited drives. I ordered one of these and am crossing my fingers that a quick little $10 piece will take care of it. I will be super happy if it's just that simple and don't have to worry about getting the rear end serviced.

I didn't know this piece existed until a couple nights ago, but it sort of makes sense!

[KevinVarnes]

You can probably take your old one off and clean it out if you want. A new part never hurts anything. I've never actually seen one get clogged, but it is certainly possible. You can replace just the pinion seal without tearing the rest of the rearend apart if that is what it turns out to be.

[ITdude87]

It’s cheap and easy enough to try a new one so I’m going to give that a whirl first and see what happens. My existing piece looks pretty tired. I’ve got no interest in trying the pinion seal myself since it looks like a big PITA - I’ll just bring it somewhere for that down the line if necessary.The vent is a two minute deal and already in the mail.

Unless of course I drop the car off at your place and you want to do the seal for me LOL

[bwguardian]

The pinion seal is not a big deal most of he time. Mine was seeping a little when I went through my 85 GT vert over a dozen years ago. It already had an upgraded 8.8 with 3.27 gears out of a low mileage automatic, but the 7.5 unit should be the same. Remove the driveshaft, then remove the pinion nut while counting the number of rotations it takes to get it off the pinion gear shaft...I typically strike a line with a marker for alignment before hand. Remove the old seal and tap in the new one...helps to put a little oil around the pinion shaft. Re-install the pinion nut...counting the number of rotations...to where it was in alignment, then tighten down an extra 1/4 of a turn. Install the driveshaft and you're done.

[ITdude87]

Replaced the vent valve last night. Easy peasy.

There was a good “woosh” of air when I got the old one unscrewed, so we’ll see if the new one makes any noticeable difference. I don’t think the old one was working very well at all with that much audible pressure releasing.

[KevinVarnes]

That is a good sign for sure. Let me know if the pinion seal keeps leaking. I can help you with it once I get my impact wrench repaired/replaced.