How to fix a broken Dana 30 vent tube fitting

Irun

A vicious cycle of doing, undoing, and re-doing!
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2019
Messages
8,041
Location
Virginia
The stock Dana 30 vent tube fitting, part # 83504653 (Supersession(s): 83500330) is no longer available. As most know, this fitting goes into the top left portion of the Dana 30 and is where the vent tube attaches. It's a common problem that this plastic, press-in fit, part breaks easily when removing the vent tube. Or, in my case, they're sometimes missing, when a used Dana 30 assembly is purchased. Since the Dana 30 I bought was missing the part, I spent hours looking for a solution, ending up with the most common fix being to use a 1/8 NPT tap and screw in brass fitting.

Only wanting to use the tap as a last resort, and not having found other viable options, I took a $3.99¢ leap of faith. I ordered the JK Mopar Axle Vent, Part # 68017179AA-M, and, after measuring it, discovered that it would indeed fit. The new replacement part is metal, which is a big bonus over the stock plastic part it replaced. Although the new part was a very tight interference fit, the install was straight forward, with a couple simple tricks. The steps were basically this:

  1. Inspect the hole in the housing to ensure no plastic stock parts are still there. If so, you'll have to remove them before proceeding.
  2. Once the opening is clear of the stock part, I gently used a round file to clean out any debris
  3. I then used a Q-tip soaked in WD40 to clean the opening.
  4. With that done, I used another Q-tip to apply a coat of Jet-Lube 550 anti-seize around the inside of the opening that the new part would go in
  5. I then placed a 10mm deep well impact socket over the end of the replacement part, where the vent hose attaches
  6. Lining the new part up with the hole in the housing, I gently drove the fitting in with a small hammer, being careful to keep it square
  7. When the new fitting was in, I attached the vent tube and declared victory!
Replacement Part # 68017179AA-M
Dana 30 Vent Tube Fix 1.jpg


Harbor Freight 10mm deep well 1/2" impact socket used to insert new part
Dana 30 Vent Tube Fix 2.jpg


Finished Product
Dana 30 Vent Tube Fix.jpg
 
Last edited:
The stock Dana 30 vent tube fitting, part # 83504653 (Supersession(s): 83500330) is no longer available. As most know, this fitting goes into the top left portion of the Dana 30 and is where the vent tube attaches. It's a common problem that this plastic, press-in fit, part breaks easily when removing the vent tube. Or, in my case, they're sometimes missing, when a used Dana 30 assembly is purchased. Since the Dana 30 I bought was missing the part, I spent hours looking for a solution, ending up with the most common fix being to use a 1/8 NPT tap and screw in brass fitting.

Only wanting to use the tap as a last resort, and not having found other viable options, I took a $3.99¢ leap of faith. I ordered the JK Mopar Axle Vent, Part # 68017179AA-M, and, after measuring it, discovered that it would indeed fit. The new replacement part is metal, which is a big bonus over the stock plastic part it replaced. Although the new part was a very tight interference fit, the install was straight forward, with a couple simple tricks. The steps were basically this:

  1. Inspect the hole in the housing to ensure no plastic stock parts are still there. If so, you'll have to remove them before proceeding.
  2. Once the opening is clear of the stock part, I gently used a round file to clean out any debris
  3. I then used a Q-tip soaked in WD40 to clean the opening.
  4. With that done, I used another Q-tip to apply a coat of Jet-Lube 550 anti-seize around the inside of the opening that the new part would go in
  5. I then placed a 10mm deep well impact socket over the end of the replacement part, where the vent hose attaches
  6. Lining the new part up with the hole in the housing, I gently drove the fitting in with a small hammer, being careful to keep it square
  7. When the new fitting was in, I attached the vent tube and declared victory!
Replacement Part # 68017179AA-M
View attachment 130359

Harbor Freight 10mm deep well 1/2" impact socket used to insert new part
View attachment 130361

Finished Product
View attachment 130362
Well done!
 
I wish Mopar would record this part number as one that supercedes the plastic one so it would be easier to find! I dealt with this situation this summer but I was able to repair the plastic part.
 
Agreed. I spent hours looking for a fix that didn't involve a tap. In this case I made a $4 gamble that paid off.
 
My old Dana 30 axle came from an 02 TJ, it had a metal tube fitting. My original, 97 Dana 30 had a plastic tube fitting. If you have a junkyard around you could scour the old XJs and see if they work. The hole diameter is the same, and they also are a press fit. For probably the same cost, you could have it same day. Just a thought.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Irun
Agreed. I spent hours looking for a fix that didn't involve a tap. In this case I made a $4 gamble that paid off.

Thanks for the research and solution. Been on my mind for a couple of years. My HPD30 from a '92 Cherokee never had the fitting, so I jury-rigged a loose brass fitting and some silicon. I'm in desert so not much water, but still wanted something better. Just called the dealership to order the part. You got a bargain on the price. Bastards charged me $10.99, plus have to wait 7-10 days for it to arrive. Thanks again....
 
The stock Dana 30 vent tube fitting, part # 83504653 (Supersession(s): 83500330) is no longer available. As most know, this fitting goes into the top left portion of the Dana 30 and is where the vent tube attaches. It's a common problem that this plastic, press-in fit, part breaks easily when removing the vent tube. Or, in my case, they're sometimes missing, when a used Dana 30 assembly is purchased. Since the Dana 30 I bought was missing the part, I spent hours looking for a solution, ending up with the most common fix being to use a 1/8 NPT tap and screw in brass fitting.

Only wanting to use the tap as a last resort, and not having found other viable options, I took a $3.99¢ leap of faith. I ordered the JK Mopar Axle Vent, Part # 68017179AA-M, and, after measuring it, discovered that it would indeed fit. The new replacement part is metal, which is a big bonus over the stock plastic part it replaced. Although the new part was a very tight interference fit, the install was straight forward, with a couple simple tricks. The steps were basically this:

  1. Inspect the hole in the housing to ensure no plastic stock parts are still there. If so, you'll have to remove them before proceeding.
  2. Once the opening is clear of the stock part, I gently used a round file to clean out any debris
  3. I then used a Q-tip soaked in WD40 to clean the opening.
  4. With that done, I used another Q-tip to apply a coat of Jet-Lube 550 anti-seize around the inside of the opening that the new part would go in
  5. I then placed a 10mm deep well impact socket over the end of the replacement part, where the vent hose attaches
  6. Lining the new part up with the hole in the housing, I gently drove the fitting in with a small hammer, being careful to keep it square
  7. When the new fitting was in, I attached the vent tube and declared victory!
Replacement Part # 68017179AA-M
View attachment 130359

Harbor Freight 10mm deep well 1/2" impact socket used to insert new part
View attachment 130361

Finished Product
View attachment 130362
How would you remove one if you have one a metal type but it keeps leaking, (do I need to remove it add rtv) I removed the hose and purchased a brand new hose and hose clamp didn't fix the leaking, and its not clogged because I stuck a tiny driver through it and there wasn't any debree In the nipple and also sucked and blew threw the ports , Idk why it keeps leaking I don't think I overfilled my cover when installing ARB cover. Do you think just to be safe , drain the diff fluid and refill it with lower fluid or add RTV to the nipple?
 
When I installed mine it was a tight interference fit and didn't require any RTV. How much gear oil did you fill the rear with? It's pretty common for people to overfill when adding an aftermarket cover, but this usually results in the gear oil coming out of the end of the hose.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bitar100