That all looks aligned to me. I think the paint mark on the cam just points to where mark is in the metal. If you imagine moving the chain over one tooth it would be even worse.
Looking to purchase timing chain tools
- Thread starter Longtrail
- Start date
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Are you certain about this? I picked up in other threads that the tool might fit at multiple positions? I feel like I'm ever so slightly beyond TDC...
Thanks for taking a look - The variators look fine I agree; that's not the issue, I'm not aligned on the guide and the chain is quite slack at the crank pulley, have a look at this photo again:
There's no way I can pull the chain to the left to get it aligned on the next tooth...
OK, problem solved (may be)... I pulled all the crank tools and played around looking for another "slot" to fit the tool but none were to be found; it appears there are other squares and also some slots in the crank timing ring but I did end up coming back to the same position on the crank sensor tool (I marked it with a paint pen before moving anything). What I notice is my piston 1 (passenger side (US) at the very front of the car) is not TDC; it's beyond TDC (turning clockwise on the crank) and I reckon about 3/4" beyond TDC (vertical travel). This is the same position as when it all came apart.
What got the driver side white chain mark to line up with the plastic guide was the realization that my two variators were able to rock back and forth ever so slightly; I had the three bolts in the variators just slightly too hand tight, once I backed them off a little I was able to rotate the variators clockwise and the white mark started lining up. Here's where I'm at with both chains back in:
passenger exhaust:
Passenger guide:
I will attempt to rotate the engine next and validate timing.
What got the driver side white chain mark to line up with the plastic guide was the realization that my two variators were able to rock back and forth ever so slightly; I had the three bolts in the variators just slightly too hand tight, once I backed them off a little I was able to rotate the variators clockwise and the white mark started lining up. Here's where I'm at with both chains back in:
passenger exhaust:
Passenger guide:
I will attempt to rotate the engine next and validate timing.
Rover Range
Full Access Member
Unless the locking tool is not machined properly, will only fit one way.
There's only one "big" hole in the flywheel.
The VVT sprocket bolts should be loose when you pull the grenade pin on the tensioners.
Thank you, yes, pulled the grenade pins with the VVT's bolts (12 of them in total) while they were loose. I then applied 35Nm of torque in the anti-clockwise direction (viewed from the front of the engine) on the VVT's (intake on the driver side and exhaust on the passenger side) and cranked the 12 bolts down to 32Nm while holding tension. Driver side you tighten the exhaust VVT first then the intake VVT. On the passenger side you tighten the intake VVT first followed by the exhaust VVT.
I unlocked the engine and rotated it until all the timing marks re-aligned (this is a LOT of turns! - manual says two turns but I'm ****). I've yet to fit all the locking tools and double check but from a quick visual inspection I think it looks good. I'm stopping at this point to try and stop thinking about this and enjoy Christmas...
My thanks to all who've helped get me this far and best wishes to everyone for the holidays. More to follow in a few days!
I unlocked the engine and rotated it until all the timing marks re-aligned (this is a LOT of turns! - manual says two turns but I'm ****). I've yet to fit all the locking tools and double check but from a quick visual inspection I think it looks good. I'm stopping at this point to try and stop thinking about this and enjoy Christmas...
My thanks to all who've helped get me this far and best wishes to everyone for the holidays. More to follow in a few days!
Timing chain cover is back on, camshaft covers are back on, crank pulley is back on and secured with the M16 (24mm head) bolt. I was using a 1/2" breaker bar and a 1/2" to 3/4" adapter since the socket that comes with the pulley kit is 3/4" drive. I torqued the bolt up to 200Nm (147.5 ft-lbs) which wasn't too bad; I then marked the socket and adjacent crank pulley tool like this:
I then rotated the socket (six point socket) clockwise by one set of faces which is equivalent to 60deg; I then started tightening the bolt and once my marks aligned I knew I'd reached 60deg. I got to about 150deg and lost my nerve with the half inch breaker bar (it was bending so badly that my gut was telling me it's waaaaay too much). I went to Menards and purchased a 40inch 3/4 inch drive breaker bar (circa $70) and wow what a difference in terms of my confidence going up. This allowed me to complete 4 x 60deg (240deg) turns leaving a 30deg turn to reach 270deg. This bolt is unbelievably tight so take your time and make sure you have the right tools. I also marked the crank bolt before installation to allow me a gut check, here is the direction it's pointing when at 200Nm:
And when I'm done with the 270deg rotation
After this a installed the two valve covers; the driver side is was trickier than the passenger side, retinting to bolts 6 and 9 in the torque sequence being the tricky part. I'm working on a word document that captures torques and tightening sequences if anyone needs this (all lifted from the manual). Today I'm looking at injectors (they've all been cleaned and resealed); plugs, etc.
I then rotated the socket (six point socket) clockwise by one set of faces which is equivalent to 60deg; I then started tightening the bolt and once my marks aligned I knew I'd reached 60deg. I got to about 150deg and lost my nerve with the half inch breaker bar (it was bending so badly that my gut was telling me it's waaaaay too much). I went to Menards and purchased a 40inch 3/4 inch drive breaker bar (circa $70) and wow what a difference in terms of my confidence going up. This allowed me to complete 4 x 60deg (240deg) turns leaving a 30deg turn to reach 270deg. This bolt is unbelievably tight so take your time and make sure you have the right tools. I also marked the crank bolt before installation to allow me a gut check, here is the direction it's pointing when at 200Nm:
And when I'm done with the 270deg rotation
After this a installed the two valve covers; the driver side is was trickier than the passenger side, retinting to bolts 6 and 9 in the torque sequence being the tricky part. I'm working on a word document that captures torques and tightening sequences if anyone needs this (all lifted from the manual). Today I'm looking at injectors (they've all been cleaned and resealed); plugs, etc.
OK, I'm all back together and running 
. Here are the re-assembly steps as I recall:
- Re-install valve covers slowly increasing bolt torques (bolts 6 and 9 are the tough ones to access); driver side is more difficult than the passenger side (due to AC lines and firewall)
- Cleanout injector bores with a gun cleaning kits and brake cleaner (so basically huge cotton swabs),blow air down spark plug hole and vacuum from injector hole to double check clean cylinders
- Re-install 8 injectors, they re-installed very smoothly, I did not use the slide hammer, passenger side injectors have the wiring connector facing up; driver side has the connector facing down
- Install and slowly crank down the two injector rails (I did this super slowly, there is a bolt pattern and two different torques specs) - see offer above for document I put together, I used a little clean engine oil to help seat everything (re-connect the fuel lines)
- Install new spark plugs (20Nm)
- Install coils (7Nm)
- Refit the passenger and driver side wiring, pay attention to the clips that hold the harness along both banks; install wiring to the injectors, coils, etc. (don't forget the earth straps on the camshaft covers)
- Install a new front crossover pipe (including new oil cooler pipe and seals) - 10Nm
- Install new water pump (12Nm)
- Re-install the steering pump pulley (25Nm)
- Serpentine belt tensioner (40Nm)
- Serpentine belt idler assembly (the assembly that holds the hidden idler and clutch fan pulley) (25Nm)
- Re-install serpentine belt
- Re-install the fan clutch belt
- Install new cooling hoses (lots of them), I slipped up here and got the two hoses from the thermostat to the crossover and thermostat to the water pump mixed up. Land rover have a new configuration so pay attention (photo to follow)
- Re-install the cooling fan and respective covers
- Install engine bank 1 and bank 2 covers (before too much stuff is in the way)
- Re-install the manifold (pay attention to all the connectors at the back, so one electrical, two breather hoses and two Christmas tree connectors); it's a pain in the a**. Bolt down the wiring harness at the back of the manifold, re-connect pipes as needed
- 8L of 5W20 Liquid Moly engine oil (It took 7.4L originally and then I had to add a little more as things settled down)
- Pressure test the cooling system, I reckon I lost about 3 units (not sure if it's PSI or something else) over about 45 minutes so it didn't hold perfectly, I think I read somewhere that this is normal? Anyway, I then vacuum filled, I reckon it took circa 8 to 10L (no leaks yet - it's been 4 days)
- Re-install plenum, air filter boxes, extraneous hoses, etc.
- Check, check and double check everything!
Remove fuse 21 to stop the fuel pump and turn over the engine to get some oil circulated, check oil levels and cooling levels again. Re-install fuse 21 and she starts first time; sounds good!
My advice... take your time, set expectations that this is a big job (esp. if you have a wife and kids); take tons of photos and mark up everything that you can... I have one engine fault which I'll post a separate thread on shortly... Other threads I started in support of this work include:
Tensioners
www.landroverworld.org
Gaskets
www.landroverworld.org
Timing Chain Parts
www.landroverworld.org
Manifold
www.landroverworld.org
Electrical Connectors
www.landroverworld.org
My thanks as always to everyone that has a helped... I work very slowly and methodically, I started this job on Nov/16/2024 and had it buttoned up on Dec/31/2024 (with a 1week trip to the UK in the middle). I'd hate to guess on hours but somewhere between 40 and 60 if I had to hazard a guess; this included cleaning literally everything that I removed (every single bolt, etc.).
. Here are the re-assembly steps as I recall:- Re-install valve covers slowly increasing bolt torques (bolts 6 and 9 are the tough ones to access); driver side is more difficult than the passenger side (due to AC lines and firewall)
- Cleanout injector bores with a gun cleaning kits and brake cleaner (so basically huge cotton swabs),blow air down spark plug hole and vacuum from injector hole to double check clean cylinders
- Re-install 8 injectors, they re-installed very smoothly, I did not use the slide hammer, passenger side injectors have the wiring connector facing up; driver side has the connector facing down
- Install and slowly crank down the two injector rails (I did this super slowly, there is a bolt pattern and two different torques specs) - see offer above for document I put together, I used a little clean engine oil to help seat everything (re-connect the fuel lines)
- Install new spark plugs (20Nm)
- Install coils (7Nm)
- Refit the passenger and driver side wiring, pay attention to the clips that hold the harness along both banks; install wiring to the injectors, coils, etc. (don't forget the earth straps on the camshaft covers)
- Install a new front crossover pipe (including new oil cooler pipe and seals) - 10Nm
- Install new water pump (12Nm)
- Re-install the steering pump pulley (25Nm)
- Serpentine belt tensioner (40Nm)
- Serpentine belt idler assembly (the assembly that holds the hidden idler and clutch fan pulley) (25Nm)
- Re-install serpentine belt
- Re-install the fan clutch belt
- Install new cooling hoses (lots of them), I slipped up here and got the two hoses from the thermostat to the crossover and thermostat to the water pump mixed up. Land rover have a new configuration so pay attention (photo to follow)
- Re-install the cooling fan and respective covers
- Install engine bank 1 and bank 2 covers (before too much stuff is in the way)
- Re-install the manifold (pay attention to all the connectors at the back, so one electrical, two breather hoses and two Christmas tree connectors); it's a pain in the a**. Bolt down the wiring harness at the back of the manifold, re-connect pipes as needed
- 8L of 5W20 Liquid Moly engine oil (It took 7.4L originally and then I had to add a little more as things settled down)
- Pressure test the cooling system, I reckon I lost about 3 units (not sure if it's PSI or something else) over about 45 minutes so it didn't hold perfectly, I think I read somewhere that this is normal? Anyway, I then vacuum filled, I reckon it took circa 8 to 10L (no leaks yet - it's been 4 days)
- Re-install plenum, air filter boxes, extraneous hoses, etc.
- Check, check and double check everything!
Remove fuse 21 to stop the fuel pump and turn over the engine to get some oil circulated, check oil levels and cooling levels again. Re-install fuse 21 and she starts first time; sounds good!
My advice... take your time, set expectations that this is a big job (esp. if you have a wife and kids); take tons of photos and mark up everything that you can... I have one engine fault which I'll post a separate thread on shortly... Other threads I started in support of this work include:
Tensioners
Tensioners - (for the timing chain) - what's the deal?
Hey Folks, The more I go down the rabbit hole with this timing chain job the more I realize the small nuances make a difference in overall project success... Today, I'm trying to figure out the procedure with the timing chain tensioners. Having watched many YouTube videos and posts on the web...
www.landroverworld.org
Gaskets
Land Rover Valve Cover Spark Plug Gasket - Genuine Rover LR014345 - thoughts on cost
Curious what folks think of the price difference between OE and after market for valve cover spark plug/injector gaskets, so OE are $25.19 (I assume this is each) and after market are $4.79. I'm having a hard time reconciling this huge cost difference and whether it's worth paying over $200 for...
www.landroverworld.org
Timing Chain Parts
Timing Chain parts
Can somebody confirm if the passenger side chain and the driver side chain are the same; I imagine they are (given the physics) but I'd like to be sure (part LR032048). Same question for the tensioner (the hydraulic/spring tensioner) (part LR095472) and then again for the guide (the aluminum...
www.landroverworld.org
Manifold
V8 5.0L Intake Manifold - what is the rear sensor?
Can anyone tell me what this sensor is? I don't like the color; wondering if I should replace it while the manifold is out? This one: Thanks.
www.landroverworld.org
Electrical Connectors
Coil electrical connector removal (x8)
Hi Folks, the following is a picture of the electrical connector that connects the coil to the engine wiring harness. There are 8 of these; 1 for each coil (it's the V8): I really don't want to break any wires so I'm looking for tips on how to disconnect these; is it a case of pulling back...
www.landroverworld.org
My thanks as always to everyone that has a helped... I work very slowly and methodically, I started this job on Nov/16/2024 and had it buttoned up on Dec/31/2024 (with a 1week trip to the UK in the middle). I'd hate to guess on hours but somewhere between 40 and 60 if I had to hazard a guess; this included cleaning literally everything that I removed (every single bolt, etc.).
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