Best Auto Repair in Raleigh, NC

If you own a 2010 or newer Land Rover/Range Rover, you may have heard about timing issues. What are the issues and what can you do about it? The timing on the 3.0 and 5.0 engines uses a system of chains similar to a bicycle that are kept tight by chain tensioners that work off of oil pressure from the engine to press on guide rails. This system depends on good, clean oil to function properly. Another part of this system is the cam gears (pictured) which are adjustable with oil pressure to vary the timing of the engine for performance or fuel economy. Unfortunately, the extremely long oil change intervals set by JLR of 15-20k miles are to meet emissions and cost of ownership categories and don't have the best interest of the engine in mind. These high oil change intervals lead to carbon build up in all the small oil passages and moving parts that keep everything working. When this happens on Land Rover engines, usually one of the timing chain tensioners fails which leads to a loose chain and a rattling sound from the engine. At this point, everything is still saveable, but the vehicle should not be driven any longer to avoid further damage. We have observed mileage close to 200,000 miles without a timing chain service on these engines just by changing the oil with quality synthetic oil and filter every 6-7k. We also have had zero issues with the engines we have replaced all timing components on that follow this interval.