NASdiesel
Full Access Member
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2011
- Posts
- 648
- Reaction score
- 60
I also recently had a tapping noise but it was the water pump failing at 76K miles. So don't let the anxiety get you down. Could be something else.
LR4 5.0 Chain Guides actual problem?
- Thread starter Tubthumper
- Start date
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
My truck had the timing chain and guides done recently - before I bought it - so I'm not super concerned about this, but I am curious as to what I had thought was the OP's actual question:
Has anyone had an actual failure of a chain or guide? As in, the motor was non-functional because the part actually broke?
I know we don't like to hear a tensioner that's noisy, but I'm wondering what the actual risk is, if any, for actual catastrophic failure. Yes it makes sense that the noise is from the wear on the back of the guide, but honestly, of all the motors I've had apart, those guides shown in the video look much more robust than most. I'd be pretty shocked to see one actually fail.
Do we have any evidence of chain wear, or wear on other parts of the timing system, due to the noise or bad tolerances once worn? Do we know if the tension on the chain actually goes out of spec? Do we know if the piston is actually at the limit of travel (and therefore unable to put proper tension on the chain) once the guide is worn?
Has anyone had an actual failure of a chain or guide? As in, the motor was non-functional because the part actually broke?
I know we don't like to hear a tensioner that's noisy, but I'm wondering what the actual risk is, if any, for actual catastrophic failure. Yes it makes sense that the noise is from the wear on the back of the guide, but honestly, of all the motors I've had apart, those guides shown in the video look much more robust than most. I'd be pretty shocked to see one actually fail.
Do we have any evidence of chain wear, or wear on other parts of the timing system, due to the noise or bad tolerances once worn? Do we know if the tension on the chain actually goes out of spec? Do we know if the piston is actually at the limit of travel (and therefore unable to put proper tension on the chain) once the guide is worn?
Here's "Part 1" to the video I posted the other day:
There, the guy states his Range Rover is throwing codes because the timing is off. So, I suppose if you let that go long enough, you're going to cause lots of major problems in the engine.
As far is mine is concerned, the dealership told me that they didn't find anything concerning, so I picked my LR4 back up tonight. I suppose it's in their system now that I've made a complaint if something comes up in the future.
Without performing an actual physical inspection and diagnostics of the chain, sprockets and guides to show the issue the video didn't complete the overall proof of that the guides are inducing the problem.
It's commonly called a "Ford" engine because it's built at a Ford plant in the UK, and the precursor to our engine (the one that was found in the LR3) was also used in the Ford T-Bird and in some Lincolns. The "Ford" adjective has stuck with it since then.
By that rubric, there would never be proof that anything causes anything.
The timing chain guides exist for a reason, and the only possible reason is to eliminate slop in the chain.
Anyone who rides bikes could tell you that slop in chains leads to premature wear of a chain. Wear of a timing chain leads to an engine being out of time.
Regardless of whether that's what actually happened to the guy in the video, the point stands that it's a possibility and an answer to the question posed of "what's the worst that could happen?"
Oh I agree, It's definitely a possibility. I was just curious about the probability. How many 5.0 vehicles that were noisy at "x" miles had an actual problem affecting use? That's all. My comment about "Ford" was tongue in cheek, I didn't mean to discredit the guy. Anyone trying to spread the love gets a thumbs up from me.
I'm curious because of exposure to timing chain related problems/trends in many other vehicles. I know of some cases where a specific motor will commonly get noisy chains, but serious problems don't usually develop, so it's no big deal. People will drive for tens of thousands of miles after the noise develops and nothing else ever happens (example: old-school Saab 16v motors). However, I know of other motors where chains get noisy and it's very common for the chain and/or tensioners to actually break very soon after the noise develops, causing catastrophic engine failure (example: the direct-injected Audi 4.2 V8). Serious problem!
I'm just curious if we have any proof that the 5.0 falls into the former or the latter.
I'm curious because of exposure to timing chain related problems/trends in many other vehicles. I know of some cases where a specific motor will commonly get noisy chains, but serious problems don't usually develop, so it's no big deal. People will drive for tens of thousands of miles after the noise develops and nothing else ever happens (example: old-school Saab 16v motors). However, I know of other motors where chains get noisy and it's very common for the chain and/or tensioners to actually break very soon after the noise develops, causing catastrophic engine failure (example: the direct-injected Audi 4.2 V8). Serious problem!
I'm just curious if we have any proof that the 5.0 falls into the former or the latter.
