SCV6 Engine chatter/knock

[Jimmy Brooks]

Hello all. Returned back home today and the 3.0L SCV6 in the D5 has developed a noise. It follows RPMs, and I can’t tell whether it’s top end or bottom end

Changed the oil 1300 miles ago and there was no metal in the filter, and pulled out 8.3L when I put in 8.5L previously. Praying that it’s not rod knock but tell me what you guys think.

It’s coming from the passenger side. I know I said left in the video but I meant right.

 

[powershift]

I wouldn't keep driving it like that because whatever it is could let go and create an even more expensive repair. I don't know about that engine but maybe it could be a timing chain since that is Land Rovers weakness.

A rod knock may not sound like that. Mine haven't sounded like that but one was a V8 SB 350 with a rod knock and a Renault 4 cylinder that had rod bearings go bad. Both cases the noise was much slower in tempo but definitely metallic and seemed like it was coming from the center of the engine or lower. As an aside, on the Renault all I had to do was drop the pain and change out the bearings on my back. Super easy.

If you can hear it center and above it could be anything valve train related, maybe a pulley, cam bearing, cam actuator but you'd need to take it apart and get a closer look.

 

[16FujiDisco]

Any codes?

To me it sounds external not internal; maybe HP fuel pump? That sounds ‘diesel-ly’ to me, like the normal fuel pump sounds on steroids. HP pump is on that side too.

Also, have you poked around with a stethoscope to pinpoint it?

 

[Jimmy Brooks]

Could be high pressure fuel pumps. The fuel trims are completely wacked, running at nearly +30 per side. I bet that’s exactly what it is.

Any codes?

To me it sounds external not internal; maybe HP fuel pump? That sounds ‘diesel-ly’ to me, like the normal fuel pump sounds on steroids. HP pump is on that side too.

Also, have you poked around with a stethoscope to pinpoint it?

No codes, I’m going to check the oil filter tomorrow to make sure there are no metal shards. If there aren’t I’ll drive it around and see what the fuel trims are at now and I’ll get a closer listen. As of now tho the noise does seem like it’s coming from the bottom end where the HPFPs is located

 

[Rover Range]

Sounds like a collapsed timing chain tensioner.
Yeah. Don't keep driving it.

 

[Jimmy Brooks]

Sounds like a collapsed timing chain tensioner.
Yeah. Don't keep driving it.

I know the tensioner pushing through the guide is common on the older AJ133s but it the tensioner collapsing common on the newer AJ126s?

Any thoughts on it possibly being high pressure fuel pumps? The fuel trims have been slowly rising, last oil change I did about 15 days ago these were the fuel trims. Can HPFPs make that noise?

 

[Rover Range]

Tensioner failures are rare.
High pressure pumps can fail and become noisy.
With the engine running. See if you can put your hand on the pumps and feel for an abnormal knocking.

 

[Jimmy Brooks]

Did some more investigating this morning. — - Pulled the oil filter and it was clean, no site of any material.
- Checked the oil level and it was full.

Decided to turn the car on and listen to patterns with the noise. To my surprise when I first turned it on it sounded normal for about 2 minutes at idle and then the noise slowly came back. I ran the engine at about 2k rpms for about 15 seconds and when I went down to idle the noise disappeared and then slowly came back again.

Sometimes at idle it will go away and then come back.

I decided to drive it very lightly just to get the oil up to temp to see fuel trims, after a couple of seconds of driving the noise disappeared but when I parked back up again after a minute of idling the noise came back. Almost makes me think that it’s related to oil pressure. Anyway the fuel trims are still sitting at +30 on each bank, I reset the fuel trims and they went back down to +15 (still high) the noise seemed to disappear and then return again.

When I listened around the engine I feel like I hear it the most at the top front of the engine, but when I listen next to the passenger side wheel it seems pretty loud too.

I’ll see what I can feel when I get under it seems like there’s a lot of covers covering up the pumps

I also pushed down on the timing chain with a flat head screw driver before I had started the car. I know this doesn’t tell much but the chain was very tense, no movement at all in it through the oil filler cap. The original chain on my LR4 with the 5.0L and 158K miles is noticeably loser and doesn’t really make noise.

Here’s a video of the noise coming and going

 

[DylanM]

You can try feeling or listening with a scope for knocking on the pumps. Just to be on the safe side, I wouldn't wait to get this checked though...

 

[itsaguything]

If it is the pumps, know that mine clatters so loud, many think I have a diesel, lol. Been like that since I got it.

No failures. No codes, No loss of power. So I live with it, with a grin.