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My 2010 LR4 hit 160 miles and the timing chain guide rails had never been done. I guess I got lucky, but was waiting to do it along with some other work. After watching videos, reading the forums, and talking to a friend who is a great mechanic, I opted NOT to do a full timing chain replacement, only to do the guides.
HUGE shout out to ChronCrew in Youtube for making this video:
I followed his steps and the process was smooth, but I want to make a couple of notes.
There are 6 bolts on the crankshaft pulley that need to be removed. Remove these before taking off belts to hold the crank in place. If you don't, you won't have the leverage later to loosen them.
After taking off the belts, The power steering pulley will likely be frozen on. Hit it with Blaster first, then clean it well with a wire brush, then hit it with Blaster again and let it sit while you move on. When you come back to it, use a pryer from the left side and be patient. It will come off.
When you remove the camshaft cover plates, there are 2 "pins" per side that hold the plate in place. After removing the bolts, be careful when prying the pins off.
It's recommended that you replace the crankshaft cover plate. It has an internal rubber gasket. To RTV or Not to RTV? That IS the question! I couldn't find a definitive answer on this. I didn't see any typical signs that my engine had been worked on, but the bottom of the crankshaft cover had a bead of seal that I have to assume was from the factory, so I did add some RTV to this.
You'll need something to hold the crank in place while you remove the giant bolt. I went with this
option but have a big disclaimer. There seem to be a couple of these options on eBay and Amazon. In this video Lost Cause Ranch uses this main tool to remove the bolt. You'll need. a 4x4 to hold it in place. The problem is that to remove the actual pulley from the crank, the DPTOOL tool kit includes a second tool, but it requires you remove the radiator and AC foil!!! So stupid! Meanwhile, you can buy the
Buy a paint marker. Wipe down a couple of areas of chain and guides and make some marks just in case anything moves. In the video ChronCrew shows a metal scratching, but I like the marker option.
Remove the bolts from the fuel rail supply on the passenger side. GENTLY wedge fuel rail to remove the bolt. I used a rubber doorstop.
If you are reusing the original tensioners then here is a video on how to reset them. You'll need some pins (or small Allen keys) to hold them in place. Test them first.
After the front crank cover and camshaft covers are removed, then the actual rail replacement is very easy. Follow the steps in the video. In my case, my chains were still tight and no other signs of wear, no gunk or buildup, no broken parts, no metal shavings. For both tension guide rails, the plastic rails had separated from the aluminum and were hanging off by about 2 inches.
The problem with this method is getting the front camshaft plates back into place without buggering the RTV. This is the only part of the job that I would recommend a second set of hands. Stand by with a thin flat head screwdriver and a long-thin screwdriver.
On the driver side, put the lower, right-side "pin" into place first, then angle use it to rotate the plate clock-wise up onto the second pin. It's very tight on the plastic valve cover. Use the flat head if required to pry and gently put into place if required. Use the small screwdriver into the top screw holes and pull the valve cover screws. Use some leverage through the valve cover bolt hole into the cover bolt hole to push it into place.
On the passenger side, there are some head gasket bolts that are in the way. Slip the bottom of the cam plate over the bottom, then put the top-right pin in place. Then simultaneously pry the bottom-left corner of the plate into place while guiding it using the valve cover leverage used above.
For the contest... Here's my driver side guide which was much worse than the passenger side. You can see the impression is really deep and can clearly see the top of the tensioner. Does anyone want to compare their rails? Send a picture in the comments!
Last edited by Lowrykun; Feb 23, 2026 at 11:38 AM.
I am about 140,000 miles 229,000km. Thinking about doing the tensioners and guides on my 2010. I know it not accurate but some play on the chain through the oil filler cap after sitting a while. Once cranked tight as a guitar string. VVT values all good, no noise, no codes but something I want to do this summer as the tensioners seem to be bleeding down.
Do it! It's easier than it sounds. You just need the special tools mentioned above. The actual swapping of the tension guides takes 10 minutes. It just stakes 15+ hours to get to them. Mine is now running really smooth and quiet. I finally decided to do my tensioners because the I had a major oil leak on the passenger side crankshaft cover and a stuck thermostat. I did it all at once.
One other note... I mentioned it's running smoothly, but it starts a bit rough. About 2 weeks later the LR threw a P0660 code - Intake Manifold Tuning Valve Control Circuit/Open Bank 1. Turns out I had forgot to reconnect this cable to the back of the air manifold. Thanks to this post for helping me identify the problem:
Timing Chain Guide Rail Replacement Tips & Contest
