3K oil change intervals for our LR4s?

[Quijote]

As someone said, ask 3 mechanics and get 3 answers. Previous owner told me his friend worked for some oil company and he told him that modern oils would easily last 20k of highway driving (which the previous owner mostly did) no problem. Who knows.
My 08 LR3 has had oil changes at: 11K, 22k, 30K, 50K, 72K, 96K, 106k, 119k, 130k, 139k, 149k, 157k, and 165k. First 5 were all dino oil from previous owner and the rest synthetic. I'm at 170k and it feels like its running strong - I am not sure how I would know if the infrequent oil changes caused a problem or not...for me, my indy shop is 40 min away and I generally plan to leave it there for a M-F stretch, so it's once a year regardless of mileage unless I have an issue mid-year that needs immediate attention.

Those certainly are long intervals. But two important things are at play: One is that, as you mentioned, those were highway miles - which can make a big difference, and the other that we are talking about a completely different engine.

These are all interesting discussions, but to me, it's not worth the trouble to take the risk. DIY oil changes with Mobil1 are inexpensive enough. In my case I always hit the year mark before 8k miles anyway, so it's inconsequential. But to change every 3k miles does seem excessive.

 

[gsxr]

My 08 LR3 has had oil changes at: 11K, 22k, 30K, 50K, 72K, 96K, 106k, 119k, 130k, 139k, 149k, 157k, and 165k.

Note this was on an LR3 with a completely different engine.

The 5.0L V8 Jaguar-designed AJ133 motor in the LR4 has unique issues that don't let it tolerate excessively long drain intervals, especially when not using oil of the correct specification.

 

[Stuart Barnes]

Factory manual shows the 5.0L V8 engine as 7500/3750 intervals "Not UK and Europe"... anyone across the pond have a manual which shows the UK/Europe spec?

View attachment 10921

Crazy as this sounds I posted the maintenance checklists for the European model SC engines last week, for normal, arduous and armored versions, serendipitous indeed


https://www.landroverworld.org/threads/maintenance-check-sheet-discovery-lr4-uk-eu-from-14my.41706/

Stuart.

 

[gsxr]

That is crazy!

Soccermom = 16kmi (!)
Armored vehicle = 6kmi
Arduous usage = 4kmi

Seems like a yuge gap between those numbers.

 

[Stuart Barnes]

yep, think I'm going with an arduous soccermum and 5K to keep it easy.

 

[scott schmerge]

For the love of all things holy it is Mobil, not Mobile. Mobile is a place in Mississippi.

mobile is Alabama, but...you are otherwise 100% correct- no oil change should ever go 15k no matter what oil is involved...especially with a known timing guide weakness.

 

[ktm525]

mobile is Alabama, but...you are otherwise 100% correct- no oil change should ever go 15k no matter what oil is involved...especially with a known timing guide weakness.

I explained after that. It is in the Mississippi Territory lol

 

[John Robison]

Hey everyone, i was chatting with a rover specialist out in Long Island, New York and he explained that oil change intervals should be every 3k miles or three months on our LR4's. He said that even 5k/6 months intervals were too long for this vehicle. Apparently our engines are very prone to engine sludge since the oil filters made for our trucks don't filter oil as well as they should. I'd like to hear how often everyone changes their oils and what mileage they currently have on their truck. I don't know if i agree with a 3k/3month interval as i think that's a bit excessive, but maybe i am wrong and the rover specialist is correct. Please shed some light on this for me guys!

I have been a Land Rover service manager for 33 years, since they returned to North America in 87. There was never a time US market Land Rovers required 3,000 mile oil changes.

In the case of a LR4, the engine is derived from a Ford design from the 1990s that used a $10 oil filter. When they went to direct injection there was a motor redesign and they changed to a much higher spec oil (more $$) and a much more costly oil filter - $40. The purpose of the more costly filter was to capture smaller particles and do it for a longer period of time, so the change interval could be stretched from 7,500 to beyond 10,000 miles.

The timing chain problems in these engines are well known and I have written about them on my blog. What IS NOT a problem in these newer motors, is sludge. If you use the correct LR spec oil you will not have sludge, even at 10k change intervals. I suggest people change the oil in these trucks at 7,500 miles because the chain problems suggest the oil is suffering shearing failure and allowing chain and gear wear, but that is not sludge.

I cannot see a benefit to a 3,000 mile change.

I do suggest using the more expensive filters because in this case you are getting what you pay for. I also suggest using the newest spec 0-20 JLR oil, as they are continually updating the spec and it is generally backward compatible. But this could change so if you read this in the future, check to see.

There is no basis for a 3k oil change in a LR4 when used on American highways.

 

[gsxr]

The 5.0L V8 engine in the LR4 is a Jaguar AJ133 motor... and AFAICT it was a brand-new design, not related to anything Ford had in the 1990's. What Ford motor was it related to?

https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a3865/4299169/

There was a Ford "AJ" series of engines prior to this, but supposedly those have no relation to the AJ133 engine besides the first two letters happen to be the same.


Totally agree about the oil shearing after 7-10k, and that being completely different than sludge formation!

 

[Quijote]

From wiki:

AJ-V8 Gen III
An all new direct injection 5.0 L engine family was introduced in 2009 (all new engine block).[7] Now featuring: spray-guided direct-injection, continuously variable intake and exhaust camshaft timing. The naturally aspirated engines also feature cam profile switching and variable track length inlet manifold. Supercharged engines make use of a sixth-generation TVS® (Twin Vortices Series®) supercharger. The 2010 model year engine conforms to EU5 and ULEV2 emissions regulations.[7]

The engine is controlled by Denso's Generation 1.6 Engine Management System.