Hello.

My son purchased a 2014 LR2 HSE with 81k miles on it a year ago. The car broke down last week and they think it's a timing chain. Does the LR2 have a timing chain or timing belt? The car is now in the Virgin Islands and there is no Land Rover dealership/service shop on the island. It has about 83k miles on it now.

The mechanic they towed the car to is saying he thinks my son needs a new engine. Is this the only possible solution to a timing chain or timing belt breakage? I called the Land Rover dealership near me in Seattle and they can not make any suggestions without inspecting the car in person.

Any guidance you could provide would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

Doesn't really matter if it's a belt or chain, if it broke the question you need to ask is "is it an interference engine?"

That means that the valves and piston occupy the same space in the cylinder, at different times. If the engine loses time, valves and cylinder will attempt to occupy the same space at the same time.

If so, the engine is probably seriously damaged and would not be worth rebuilding, probably cheaper to replace with a used one.

Since the engine is a high-performance turbo, it is most likely an interference design. But i don't know for sure, I have the i6 engine. You can probably google it.

 

I read somewhere that it has a Ford EcoBoost engine. You might have some luck with a Ford service shop.

 

Thank you for your response, Merlinj79. I appreciate the explanation on the engine.

I checked by the VIN number and the engine is a 4-cyl Turbo 2.0 liter auto 6-spd cmdshft engine. When I googled that, it seems like this type of engine is part of the 4 cyl EcoTec engine family.

The direct quote from a website is "Beneath the 2014 LR2 hood is a fuel-efficient 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with high-pressure direct fuel injection and variable valve timing, lifted directly from the Range Rover Evoque. The four-cylinder turbo replaced the prior six-cylinder engine for 2013. Output is rated at 240 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque (derived at low engine speed), driving a 6-speed automatic transmission."

Does this mean it is likely a Ford engine and therefore can be replaced by a non-Land Rover service department? I apologize for my ignorance, I am just learning about these engines to try to help out my son.

I appreciate your time and guidance.

 

I was always under the impression that the later LR2 used the Ford ecoboost, and wiki seems to confirm that:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_EcoBoost_engine


Yes, I would think that a variety of independent shops would be willing to work on it. The ecoboost is used in a lot of vehicles.

An indie land rover shop might be best, since they probably have better digital tools to communicate with the vehicle, but I'm sure others could take care of it.

 

Ask a Ford mech to come look at the engine. If it's a Ford EcoBoost he should immediately recognize it and be able to help you.

 

And if it really needs an engine you can get one of hundreds being sold by chop shops all over the US, some with very low mileage and warranties, at www.car-parts.com.

 

I'm fairly certain 2012 was the last year LR2's were offered with the inline 6 cylinder engine. Model years 2013-2015 were the four cylinder and I do believe it was the ford ecoboost. And of course 2015 was the last year for LR2's.

 

You are correct, it is a Ford EcoBoost engine, which opens up our repair options as there is a Ford dealership and service department on the island.

Thanks everyone for all your helpful responses.

 

Yes. Been there, done that.
But the replacement was by Land Rover. The ECM of course is an LR solution. I wonder if an “unmatched” engine would be “managed”??

I was under the impression that my woes were in part do to the extreme cold, not using the block heater, etc.
And after seeing these many reports of “early” death in the early ecoboost line, including this one from the USVI, I’m left wondering.

In the LR4 world, its not unheard of that the latest engine (Duratec v6) also loses the timing chain and replacements before 100000 kms happen.

So how do we avoid this situation??