if you guys are talking about that big O-ring seal it is only $2 at the dealership, if somebody is charging $6 it's a rip off.

breather tube is the only tube coming out of your axle, unless you have air lockers..mine is on the drivers side.

 

so is the nipple breakable plastic on a D2? Can I pull off that tube with pliers or maybe just razor it, cutting off maybe an inch of slack or is that tube a perfect length where pulling it down might dislodge it from its guide?

 

Look up a new one on AtlanticBritish and see if it is plastic or not.

 

the breather tube is hard plastic and brittle so be careful with it...unfasten it from the frame or body whatever it is fasten to and blow thru it to check if it is plugged.

 

Months ago I tried to remove the tube only to end up cutting it off just above the nipple- or attachment piece. It seems there is no nipple, just a plastic pressure fitting that the tube slides into. I could not get the tube to release out of it, nor could I get the fitting off the axle so I'm now driving around with no tube attached. I inserted a paper clip down into the hole to see if there was blockage and it seemed to move around fine. I really couldnt tell anything by blowing through the cut tube- I dont know where it ends, it seems to keep going on forever so I couldnt feel the other end to test if air was travelling through it.
Now at 74k miles it appears that it was never a blocked tube anyways because their appears to be continued leakage. I'm seeing a small amount of grease on the backs of my new green stuff pads. Also my inner wheels and brake backing plates seem continually shiny, not horrible but its there, and with one side worse than the other, indicating constant grease seepage I believe.
A pinky finger test through the filler hole indicated a low fluid level- I couldnt feel any fluid after getting my finger tip maybe an inch or so down into the diff. The fluid I scooped off the inside looked good as far as color.
If I remove the hubs will they tell me if it might only be the seal?

 

My axle breather was clogged inside itself, I had to remove it and once I did I could see the blockage, a new one from AB and I was good to go.
The DI and DII use the same breather so it yours is plastic then you might want to buy a DI breather.
If you remove the hub there will be a seal on the axle stub, replace it and you should be good, make sure that there are no burrs on the axle or the back of the hub.

 

if you haven't changed your diff fluid in a while now would be a good time. I think changing my fluid and adding some lucas hub oil is what helped my leaking hubs more so than the new O-rings.

 

I think most people are confusing the axle seal with the hub seal on DII's. To pull the rear drive shaft will expose the differential fluid and o-ring. The hub is attached to the drive shaft and is sealed. This is also where your ABS sensor plug is located. Whether the hub is serviceable is another question. It may be cheaper to buy a new drive shaft and install yourself, while cleaning up the whole area, knowing that the job was done right. You'll need a torque wrench and the proper loc-tite, but that's it. The rest is elbow grease. Get the RAVE CD or download. Greatest accessory your LR can have.

An idea is to call Land Rover and see if the hub is serviceable. Might be cheaper to pull it yourself and bring it to them to repair.

DiscoMike... glad you give your input, but quit telling people to call you!!! Every time I start reading a thread to see what other problems people are experiencing, I get half way through it, then you bring the thread to a screeching halt. When this happens, no one can read what the symptoms/signs are, what area people suggest to begin trouble-shooting, and any feedback of what fixes worked and which had no luck.

I'm sure you're a wealth of knowledge, but when you tell people "give me a call", it provides no help to the rest of us. And... if you do give advice, it's usually a one-liner quip that doesn't really go into much depth of anything. Speak up man. Give us some of that great info that's locked in your head and people will love you even more.... I guarantee.

 

what's most important is for Mike to help the person solve their problem.

IMO, it should then be the responsibility of the PERSON THAT WAS HELPED to follow up with a post to let everyone know what happened.

 

There is an o'ring on the back hubs:

http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/FTC4919G.cfm

The front axles actual have a rubber oil seal not sure why the rear don't.