Ok, you can find the background of my project here: https://landroverforums.com/forum/lr...-again-102667/
Anyways, I am preparing to swap a low mileage(53k miles) Jaguar XF 5.0 engine into a 2012 LR4 I picked up that had an engine fail due to overheating. Front crossover pipe baked and failed.

What I would like to now is if there are any unknown areas I should address before I put the new used engine in. I know the engine has 53k miles, from LKQ, with a warranty but I'd like to make sure I'm taking care of the research prior.

ALL of the plastic cooling parts are going to be replaced. New t-stat, new radiator, etc etc. New spark plugs, coil packs.
BUT I keep hearing about the other issues the 2010-12 engines have. Like the timing tensioner issues.

With an engine with only 53k miles, should I be concerned about anything before I drop it in?

 

Low miles but depends how frequently the oil changes occurred to help keep the chain tensioners and guides in good shape. Since the engine is out you can remove the timing covers and inspect the guides and tensioners to see if there is any wear. There are a few YouTube videos showing the process and what to look for.

 

After doing some more research, it looks like the damage the tensioners cause to the original aluminum blades is inventible. Let's be honest, it is not the easiest price to swallow when you look at the total cost of the 2 tool kits(Chinese versions $300), the tensioners and blades along is ~$400.

I'm probably going to go ahead and pick up the goods as I am trying to get this dropped in and 100% reliable for 100k+ miles moving forward. It just is a bit of a let down after $5k for a low mileage engine. After seeing the issues that the timing cause, it's tough to not want to address it.

 

I agree with that line of thinking wholeheartedly -- it's out, and all of the externals are off anyways, so why not do the guides... Most of the accounts have them starting to tick before 100k miles, and most got fixed under warranty. You will not have the luxury of CPO/warranty, so would you like to be doing it with the powerplant in the hole? In my opinion it is cheap-ish insurance. Chains may very well be in spec, same with cam sprocket assemblies, so just the tensioners most likely. I'll buy the tools off ya after you're done

May also be a good idea to walnut-blast the intake valves and fit an oil catch can to the PCV system; supposed to cut down on the gunk a bit...

How did the overheated engine fail? Head gasket?

 

I started tearing apart the old engine on stand 1 as I wait for the stand for the new engine to come. There was coolant that came out of both exh manifolds when I pulled them. This means both head gaskets failed. Which is surprising and terrifying at the same time. I don't think I've ever seen both blow on any engine like that. The front crossover pipe failed. That was very apparent. I also found signs of crystalized(baked on) orange coolant around the rear drv side crossover pipe too.

So, needless to say, those two plastic pipes are 100% a ticking time bomb at some point.

I decided to get a whole inexpensive kit for the timing setup. I'm going to use the new tensioners and the newly designed guides out of it. I don't see any reason to drop in new chains, nor will I use the cheaper chains in this kit.

I have an N54 e92 BMW that has the direct injection issue as well with intake valve buildup. I've come up with a few ways to clean the intakes without having to walnut blast. Plus I don't have a kit.

I'll have to Google a catch can setup. I'm putting in a external PCV and dual catch can system for the E92, but that is because it is turning into a track car. I'll have to see what the options are for the LR4. I'd love to keep the intake valves clean.

 

Indeed, that is peculiar, and indeed concerning... I will probably take the intake off and double-check my pipes in the next day or two. Been a while since replacement.

I am familiar with N54, and have a blaster, but do not have the intake port adapter for the 5.0. How did you clean yours without blasting? While the intake is off i may as well.

 

For the N54 I used an engine brush kit attached to a power drill. Use CRC Direct Injection/turbo intake valve cleaner. Close the intake valve, get in there and just blast it, soak it, and power brush it out all. Used a sacrificial shop vac to suck all the fluid out after each scrub down. Works like a charm just takes some time. With the engine out of the car, much less time.

The real nightmare about coolant leaks on the 5.0 Rover engine is that both spots you can't just check on a whim. The front crossover would require removing the intake manifold and the REAR one you would literally have to do the same and then get a mirror out to inspect if one side or the other had started to go.

I say just rip them both out every 30k miles or so and replace them along with a new water pump. That's why I ordered all of those parts from FCP Euro. Lifetime replacement warranties on all these parts. The effort may suck but it won't cost me anything.

 

Went through the records and mine has about 60k km on the waterpump; so probably time.

I looked at the FCP website and they do not seem to carry the rear pipe - do you happen to have the PN for it? is it the LR018273 for the 2010-2013 5.0L?

 

aj814007

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/lan...rover-aj814007

 

I heard some time ago that there was an updated crossover pipe design that eliminated the welded seams which are the biggest failure point. Might be worth a call to a dealership to find out.