I know it's a best practice, but I'm just wondering if it's truly necessary if it isn't leaking. I have the oil pan off and the 19mm crankshaft bolts weren't budging at first go, then it got me wondering if it was even truly needed. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In other news, nice to look up into the cylinders and see that factory crosshatching still there

 

No, you don't have to change them. Yes, you would have to pull the rear main cap to change them. So if it's not leaking......

 

I would DEFINITELY not pull it if it is not leaking. They don't wear, so there is not reason it will start as long as you have done the PCV mod and the crankcase does not build pressure (normal LR failure mode is plugged valve cover baffle that causes crankcase pressure to build.

While you have the pan off, also good to look and make sure none of the camshaft bearings are sticking out of the block incorrectly. What we call walked cam bearing.

 

PCV mod was actually the first thing I did after repacking the driveshaft on this rig. So all good!

I’ll check the bearings, thanks!

 

Hey Extinct, I was hoping you could describe this "walked" cam bearing. I stumbled on this thread obtaining knowledge about the cruciform seals as I am going to attempt the timing chain, gears, oil pump replacement on my 04' Disco SE7

 

Walked cam bearing is a semi-common occurrence on Disco V8's and some LS engines. Normally caused by an overheat occurence where the block grows more than the cam bearing and the fit is not longer tight - the bearing walks out of position, resulting in a significant loss of oil pressure.

https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...g-fixed-78889/

https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...options-83325/