It took some digging, but I finally figured out what that sensor on the front of the valve covers is. The VCT Oil Solenoid! Unfortunately, mine is leaking oil and I have no idea how to replace the gasket/seal around it. Can anybody tell me how to remove that thing and how to replace the oil seal around it? I have a bad feeling that it's probably a lot more complicated than it looks or should be...

This is what I'm talking about:

 

Pull the valve over to replace the seal, the vct stays in place, valve cover is not hard its just a pain to get to some bolts, might as well do spark plugs while in there since they need to come out

On drivers side removing the heat shield by back of engine is a must and easy to do, that last speak plug on pass side is a pain to get out, think it dropped from socket and we used a grab tool to get it

 

Does anyone have the part numbers for the seals, mine also leaks, though the mechanic said it was not a big deal.

 

I just did all of my spark plugs, so I don't need to worry about that, but you told me what I was afraid of... that I have to pull the valve covers to replace this seal. I don't think I'm leaking through my valve cover gaskets, so I really don't want to chance introducing any leaks by replacing them. Oh well, perhaps I'll live with this leak for a while and keep an eye on it.

 

BTW, I'm not sure what the part number is, but it looks like this might be the ticket:

Seal Vct Valve (Part # 1237728 ) - Land Rover gaskets and seals from Atlantic British

 

I figured, I will respond to this thread, as I feel obligated to strait things out.
The seal , that link points to is not a correct item, far from it .
Before I get to a part number, I wanted to point things out , that LR per se, does not sell a separate seal for a valve covers .You have to buy a valve cover as a whole assembly , that contains new gasket new solenoid seal and integrated bolts for a manifold reattachment .
JAGUAR however , sells a separate seal as it is after all , essentially the same AJ V8 engine.( as I find out after some poking around with my friendly LR parts guy.) PN for a Jaguar seal is AJ82856 .It is not cheap !! at least in my corner of he globe .
I also purchased a entire valve cover, from LRMERRIAMparts from KS as they have great prices for many items, that I needed for my LR3 over the years.
Yes, you can get just the seal , from Jaguar, but still have to take out valve cover as the seal seats under neat it. It is a laborious task for just a small seal to change.When I discovered my was leaking, I panicked a bit at first, but still drive with it , as I wait for weather warm up, in the Northeast so I can proceed with a cover swap.I figured, I change the entire cover, as I am over 160 000 miles now and ABS plastic ( that cover is made out of ) won't last forever anyway. Hope this helps. Cheers.

Yes, it is still snowing in the NE , as we speak, and I can't wait for the a spring to arrive, as I have to swap a faulty front diff. that was sent to me.

 

Thank you for the info and the correction! It's amazing that there are about two lines on the solenoid in the workshop manual and it's buried deep inside the timing information. Also, no diagrams or explanation that I could find as to how to change this. This is very helpful though.

 

All in all I think mine was a few hours, figure 4 hours or less going slow and methodical, much faster second time around

 

I just completed this job. Fairly straightforward, don't need a DIY. The main tricky parts are accessing the lower (outer) valve cover bolts. The one holding the dipstick in place has 2 bolts, an 8mm and a 10mm. The 8mm holds the dipstick bracket in place, be careful when disconnecting this as it is easy to pull the dipstick unit out from the engine, and pretty tricky to reinsert it!

Valve cover bolt torque is 12NM.

I think if I try this again, I may try it without removing the valve cover, I think it would be possible and MUCH faster.

 

Came across this old thread, just want to note there is no need to remove the covers. Just use a flathead and pry up gently on the seal. It will slide right up and over the sensor. Lubricate the new one slightly and slip it on. I just did both and it took me less than a minute.