Mine too! I agree!

 

As has occurred with others in this thread my engine suffered a “catastrophic engine failure” this past weekend 😢. I was wondering if anyone was ever able to gain any insight into this now relatively common occurrence?

I had been running errands all day with no signs of any problem! Between the first odd noise I heard (when I decided to pull off at the next exit less than a mile away) and the first dashboard indicator lights showing a real problem (when I immediately decided to pull onto the shoulder) it was perhaps 30 seconds...

After the first warning light: “reduced performance” it was ‘MAYBE’ another 5 seconds before the “overheating warning” popped up... and then perhaps another 10 seconds before the whole thing was dead on the side of the road! I barely had time to register everything I was seeing and get safely onto the shoulder with the remaining bit of power steering and brake assist before it was all over!

I never got a low coolant warning and in fact when I saw the car the other day there was still coolant in the reservoir!! I was naively optimistic in my initial thinking that it was a failed water pump...while that would still be an unexpected and likely pretty costly repair it pales in comparison to what the service manager quoted me a few days later after they were able to diagnose it.

I'm really not sure how a well maintained engine can fail like that in under a minute!!! I’ve heard of engines failing when they have no oil but never something like this! But honestly it was the 13-15k estimate to replace the motor with a different USED motor (with almost 100k) that literally put me on the floor. That’s around what I paid for the vehicle!!! (The outrageous 10k aftermarket warranty I was quoted doesn’t sound so extreme now)

I've only owned the car a little over a year and it had every major service completed before I purchased it and has had all the required oil changes etc since I bought it. But alas I still owe quite a bit on the loan and I think I might now be underwater with a car that doesn’t run.

Does anyone have any suggestions that can help me? I’ve heard rumors of GM LS motors fitting well in certain models of land rovers but I’m having trouble finding anyone who has made it work in a 2011 LR4...

Any and all help is appreciated!!!

 

Ok, first, LS motor will never work in an LR4. Never.

you need a good technician unless you have at a minimum novice mechanic skills. And that will be a struggle.

where are you located?

 

I’m located in central Kentucky. The LS question was really just for curiosity sake, even if possible it wouldn’t be worth the headache.

I’d say my mechanic skills are above novice level but I won’t be opening my own garage anytime soon. I’ve completed a couple of engine swaps in my garage and I can generally diagnose and fix most things that come up with the cars we’ve owned (Audi’s, jaguar, Mercedes, Honda). In the past I have always had a hard line on anything that involves a transmission or engine rebuild on any of our daily drivers (project cars are a little different) or anything else that could basically kill an engine in seconds if not done perfectly (ie timing). That being said, this particular model of engine has managed to do that all by itself with no warning, rhyme or reason! If it’s already a goner I may break it down as a learning experience and try to figure out where exactly the “catastrophic failure” occurred.

While it wouldn’t be something I’d be particularly excited about I’m confident that I would probably be able to perform an engine pull/swap on the LR4. Would be easier if I had access to a lift but not impossible without with a few extra sets of hands.

The quotes from the shop are completely out of the question right now so I’ve been trying to see what the bare minimum a body damaged LR4 with a running motor is going for... some leads are at least a little promising and are going for about 1/4-1/3 of what other places are wanting for just the engine.

I also came across something else that was a little curious during my research. Can anyone tell me whether or not the AJ133 engine is the same internally between the Jag and the Rover? I’ve read the training bulletin and I know for a fact that some external parts are different (exhaust manifolds and oils sump and pan), but does anyone know if the block and internals and timing are the same? Those things are going for much much less in the used parts world so if it’s possible it may be an option.

Final thought. I learned that there is/was a class action against Land Rover regarding timing chain failures in the LR4. Curiously this only includes MY 2012 and up. Just wondering if this could be the culprit and if so why wouldn’t they have included the 2011 in the class action?

 

The jag varient has all the same internals.

 

Abran, I'm in LA and need a new engine for my 2014 LR4. Any recommendations for parts AND labor? Thanks.

 

Sent you an email. Send me the VIN, I'll get you a quote.

 

Highly recommend Abran.

 

Abran, 2008 LR3 HSE here and another engine is needed.

 

Hi everyone, I’m new to this forum and was trying to find some information on a low coolant (no leak) now steam coming from under my hood .....

I have a 2012 HSE LR4 with 73k miles .... a week ago I noticed a low coolant light ... I have had zero signs of leaking or anything out of the ordinary ... I am mother of 2 young boys and have no idea about cars so I took it to my local shop to check the light ... the tech said it doesn’t seem very low and topped it off for me. He asked if I noticed any over heating or leaks and I said no... he said it’s most likely nothing but for me to keep an eye on it...
fast forward a few days later and my mom, my 2 boys and my niece (2,5 and 6) were driving with me. My son drops something in the back seat so my mother reaches back to try to get it and accidentally kicks me out of drive into neutral... I quickly notice and get back into drive .... 5 min later I notice steam or what I thought was smoke surrounding my car... I was freaked out and panicked. I pulled over immediately and called to get it towed. Fluid was leaking at the front of my car while still steaming pretty badly . ... now my Rover is sitting at Land Rover to be evaluated tomorrow ...

Could it have been a good thing that my mom accidentally caused this to happen ? Or is it now the reason my car is in the shop? I’m wondering if it was because of the gear shifting to neutral that caused this or if it was in fact from a “seep” or slow leak that I would have had no clue about otherwise? Do you think it’s my engine ?

Can anyone weigh in on this for me ?


Thanks so much!