I’ve tried installing two different front covers (SKP and Eurospare from AB). The dowel pins and/or the holes in the covers aren’t fitting. I was told the cover slides right on, but mine isn’t going on easily. One pin fits in the AB cover easily, but the other isn’t fitting. The opposite pin is the problem with the SKP cover. AB sells replacement pins, so I guess people replace them. I’d rather do that than drill the holes in the cover, but I’m nervous about the old pins tearing out the block when I’m twisting them out.

Can anyone advise me in this? I haven’t been able to get past this issue… If I drill the holes wider I understand it can misalign the oil pump gears, although I’m wondering how much these pins actually do when there are lots of bolts that go into the block - can you just remove the pins and have the bolts do the job of aligning the cover? I can try removing the pins, might spray it with penetrating spray first and then twist with pliers, hopefully nothing breaks.

Unless both of those covers’ dowel pin holes aren’t quite right, which is possible since they each struggle with the opposite pin, the pins are probably most of the issue, but the holes are part of it. The original cover didn’t simply slide off, but it came off without me having to ask questions about it since it only took 10 minutes or so - bit of a struggle, but it was clear it was coming loose, so I kept at it. Trying to install the new covers just isn’t going as expected.

 

I would not use an aftermarket cover. I don’t know those two brands but it’s probably all from the same manufacturer with apparently hit or miss QC. I’d send it straight back and get yourself an OE used cover from Will Tillery, Goldwing, roverland, etc…

Edit:
SKP is a Chinese company
https://skywardautomotive.com/about/

Eurospare sells both OE and aftermarket Land Rover parts. I am 99% the OE manufacturer no longer produces timing covers for the Rover v8 so anything new you purchase from them is from an after market manufacturer…maybe SKP.

 

Compare with original you took off. See how the original goes back on (no oil pump gears needed for just a cover test fit). Maybe the dowels got slightly bent taking the original off? I've installed the SKP and the Eurospare covers with zero issues on both a 4.0/4.6L engines.

Honestly if the OEM cover goes back on smoothly I'd just swap over the oil pump gears and rear cover and send it, unless you were having other issues with it. If the OEM cover doesn't go on smoothly then sounds like the dowel pins are off/bent. Compare all 3 and go from there.

 

Didn't someone else on this board ... have this exact same problem about 30-40 days ago? Hmm. I do believe so, right? Seems like these aftermarket covers are an issue right now.

EDIT: crap, it was you! Sorry!

 

Thanks everyone, really struggling with everything in life right now and this isn’t going well at all. I didn’t consider the pins could’ve got bent when removing the original cover. I could try to fit it back on after cleaning it up a bit.

I absolutely need both of those pins I’m guessing since it hasn’t been suggested that I remove them and install it with just one or without them at all and just align it with the bolts - not quite sure how the bolts wouldn’t align it, but I want to have the pins so their job of course.

If the pins are bent, can they be removed easily with pliers? Any risk of damaging the block if I twist them out? I’d get new ones, see if they fit into the cover easily (prefer to use the SKP since I did all sorts of things to it already and really don’t want to have to do all that again) and then tap them in with small hammer. Has anyone had to do this? The original cover was a bit stubborn, so maybe the pins are weird now. Is it best that I replace them or try to tap them with a hammer in the direction they seem to be interfering with the cover installation? I’m just worried about removing them and having them tear a chunk out of the block.

Nash, it’s still me with this issue - it’s been really disheartening that the cover wasn’t installing properly and I’m pretty lost - all at the same time I have a bad leg injury and a lot of other issues to deal with, so this has taken a long time.

 

@neuropathy take a read through this https://discoweb.org/index.php?threa...-needed.55265/ no images any more but it may help

Dowels are push in so you "should" be able to get them out

 

I doubt the dowels are bent, not impossible unless you where really hitting the cover to get it on or off. I should suspect that you would deform the hole on the block or the cover before the steel pin bent. I can confirm they are press fit but they are in there really tight. Interesting read @Richard Gallant and that was back in 2009. Maybe some dowels or less misaligned than others in the 2003 trucks? But all ended in broken oil pumps.

 

@neuropathy I pulled my spare front cover and block out. The cover fits back on with a hard strike of palm no issue. But I notice you have a 2003 correct ? Is it possible you have a block with the bad dowels ?

 

I’m basically just a dude learning to do some of this stuff. I’ve maintained the vehicle for years with a good amount of repairs, but this is on another level and the problem is way beyond what I can troubleshoot with my limited experience. I really can’t speak with any authority about having a bad 2003 block, but what I’m told repeatedly is that there’s no way I have a bad block since all of those engines failed early on and were replaced. Again, I have no authority to speak to this and I can’t determine exactly what’s going on.

I ordered new dowel pins from AB in case somehow they’re the problem. Following Best’s advice, I’ll try to clean and put the original cover back on (I can’t use it, however, as it’s cracked at a test port, which happened when fitting an adapter to do an oil pressure test). I’ll just see if the original cover goes back on or not and that’ll tell me something - if it goes on easily enough, it’s possible that the other covers aren’t right. If it doesn’t, it might be the dowel pins.

The original cover took some effort to wiggle and pull loose, but it came off - I’m not sure if the pins were tweaked somehow during that. I haven’t tried hammering them back in. I figured I’d try to put the original back on first, then maybe remove the pins and try them in the SKP cover.

The SKP cover had more trouble fitting onto the upper pin, while the Eurospare cover slides onto the upper pin almost too easily, but won’t fit onto the lower pin.

I’ll just have to see what happens when I put the original cover back on.

You’ll just have to believe me that I’ve put a ton of effort into pushing and hammering these aftermarket covers onto the dowels and it’s not just not happening. I’d have to really, really hit them to get them on and that might crack the covers or badly deform the holes in them, which could have other consequences - I’d be worried the cover wouldn’t fit on properly and the oil pump would be misaligned. Again, I don’t know anything about these, but I’m told there’s no way I have a defective engine block.

 

@neuropathy I feel your pain, I could send you my spare cover to test, it is off a 4.0 but the same cover. Not sure what shipping would be to you though.