Camshaft Sensor and Low Oil Level..

[seankomarmy]

i have a 70k mile 2016 LR4 that blew an engine from the coolant (crossover pipe) issue. I had a refurbished motor installed about 6 months ago. It took forever and cost too much.. Now we have some new issues.

1. Last week the check engine light came on and showed codes for Camshaft Sensor issues. I ordered a new sensor and was going to install it but then realized there may be more than 1 sensor. Also, it looks like it is going to be really hard to access (front of engine behind big hoses and air flow sensor tubes) Can anyone confirm if there are 2 or more sensors and how easy to swap out? If it is not the sensor what else could be causing the check engine light?
2. Went to get oil change today (I will do my own going forward, but did not have the extractor pump) - Anyway the tech showed me that only 2 quarts of oil came out. There is no noticeable leak that I can see and I park in the same spot daily. (No oil on the ground) My question is- how could i loose 6.5 quarts of oil in less than 5k miles/6 months? There was no low oil light either which seems a bit odd with only 25% of capacity... Any help/advice is appreciated.

 

[djkaosone]

1. You have 4 cam position sensors, bank 1 and bank 2 for each intake and exhaust sensors. They are the same sensors and could be moved around. There's 2 T30 screws and plug holding it. Super easy to replace, but you'll need to remove the fan and serpentine belt to get to bank 1, bank 2 you'll also need to remove the thermostat.

2. If they drained it through the oil pan and only 2 quarts came out, then that's an issue with the oil level sender and you'll need to drop the pan to get to it. From what I hear, it's a pain in the butt. If they siphoned it with a fluid extractor, then they should have tried draining through the drain plug to verify 2 quarts. The only way to check oil levels is to run for at least 5-10 minutes, turn off the truck and come back 10-15 minutes, switch the truck to the ACC On position without pressing the brakes, scroll through the menu to Maintenance or Service or something like that to check the oil levels. That'll let you know if the sender is bad or if you have low oil.

 

[Rover Range]

1) Low oil levels can cause cam sensor DTCs. As the VVTs won't be cycling as they should.

2) The correct amount of oil may not have been used when the engine was replaced.
The oil level sensor is mounted on the bottom of the oil pan, and accessible from the outside. Drain the oil before removal!

As djkaosone said, cycle through the instrument cluster menu to access the oil level monitor. If it says "not available", press the cruise control button twice to access. May or may not work.

 

[HuskerBred]

I recently had my 2011 Rover throw multiple codes and one of the causes was low oil, so I checked the level and found I was 2 quarts low. It showed I was low when I checked it, but I never had a warning light pop up. I had a new radiator installed and wonder if oil was lost/drained for some reason when they did it, but not replaced. I changed it myself just 2k miles ago and know it was full then, same circumstances, no leaks, spots, puddles, etc. Wondering when the low oil warning light should come on.

 

[Waterndirt]

I too had to replace my motor with a refurb unit due to coolant issues in my 15' (60K mi) and now I'm dealing with a similar issue from the low oil stand point. It took the indy shop 3 motors to get a working vehicle. The first two motors bought from NWS Motor Services in England were found to be faulty. The first motor sounded like a tractor and I wasn't having any part of that. Shop agreed and had it replaced. The second motor had VVT issues, they could get it to time properly. When inspecting one of the VVTs they found something wrong with it and they rejected that motor as well. The indy shop eventually bought the 3rd motor from the local LR dealer and now that motor is chewing through 2 quarts of oil every 1000 miles. The low oil light has never come on. Only indication of low oil for me is to check the oil in the service menu. I completed the first oil change myself after 500 miles on the new motor.

Do you know where your shop bought the motor from?

My whole ordeal has been going on since Nov. 2021 so I feel your pain! Keep us posted if you figure it out.

 

[HuskerBred]

Ironically, my engine is also a rebuilt that was just replaced this last spring. Mine came from Tapa Jaguar and Land Rover Engine out of Santa Clarita, CA. I'm happy with the engine, less than happy with the shop that has been doing work on my rover. The install went fine and I haven't had many issue with the install, but everything I've had done since has been less than stellar. I've started doing my own work and only using them during a time crunch, or warranty work. Probably time to find a new shop, especially since I'm going in for my third radiator in a month, and I still think the water pump they installed with the new engine is leaking. Do you lose or drain oil when you change out a radiator?

 

[f1racer328]

Do you lose or drain oil when you change out a radiator?

No. Just coolant, and if they do it by the book your AC system will be recharged after as well.

 

[seankomarmy]

Thank you all for the feedback and help! Interestingly enough the check engine light did turn off after the oil was at the correct level. I got my refurbished motor from "Sharper Edge Engines" in Florida, but they shipped it from "Elite Auto Parts" in Southern California. Both vendors were lacking communication wise, about 2 months delayed in shipping, but the price was decent and my Indy Shop (Euroland 4x4 in San Francisco) was very helpful. Seemed to me like the Sharper Edge guy is good at website optimization and then sourced the motor from Elite.. Also, thank you for the tip on acc power and maintenance menu (I could not find that when I looked) They did drain with suction and did not remove the drain plug, so I will do that next time I change oil and get a verified/accurate oil level after a few 1000 miles. Best case would be that the shop under-filled the oil, and that caused the check engine/camshaft fault and it is good to go! (Hope is not a strategy though)

 

[Waterndirt]

Sharper Edge Engine was the first outfit I called once my process began. He sent me to Elite and I spoke with them at length regarding their remanufacturing process. Elite's primary selling point was that they re-sleeve the cylinders with steel sleeves. Something that the other engine dealer, shop techs, etc. along the way questioned. Elite did seem knowledgeable, ultimately the indy shop doing the work decided that they wanted to use an engine from a proven vendor.

 

[HuskerBred]

Elite obviously knew Rover engines, or at least knew more than some of the other shops did. Tapa did it on mine, they fix the oil starvation issue and timing chain guide issues when they rebuild, then overbuild the long blocks so they are better than they came from the factory:

FORTIFIED BLOCKS:
All Blocks are Re-sleeved with oversized metal sleeves that are heat-treated. The blocks are then decked and top-hatted for further rigidity. Original Blocks have very porous aluminum sleeves that tend to crack even under the slightest overheating situation.
UPGRADED PARTS INSTALLED:
1) 3-Layer Head gaskets (Stock are 2-Layer)
2) 11 MM Head bolts (Stock are 10.5 MM)
3) Aluminum & Plastic Timing Chain Rails (Stock are Plastic)
4) 8 MM Timing Tensioners Better Oil Flow (Stock are 6.35 MM)
5) Polished Crank with Oversized Bearings
ADDITIONAL NEW PARTS INSTALLED:
1) Pistons with Rings
2) Connecting Rods
3) Valves & Valve Seals
4) Timing Actuators
5) Timing Chains
6) Oil Cooler with Gasket
7) Oil Filter with Housing Gasket
8) Spark Plugs
9) Oil Pump