Valve cover gasket replacement ($3,200)

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vindio

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2011 LR4 HSE, with 195K miles, but in great shape overall. We absolutely love the truck.

We have leaking around the valve cover gaskets. When we turn off the engine, white smoke can be seen (& smelled), as the oil drips on the hot exhaust, based on my research?

Got a quote from a local indy rover shop, to replace both gaskets, and injectors (I guess they typically have to come out, and often bend/break during this job), as well as oil change and filter. $3,200 out the door.

Sound reasonable? Anybody invested in this kind of job for a high-mile engine?

Thanks!

v
 

Rover Range

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Nothing breaks when doing valve covers.
$3,200 seems excessive.
The job pays 8hrs. Plus seals.
 

festus

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I've got 197K on my 2013 and my local shop quoted me $2,050... although they're replacing the seals, not the injectors.
 

powershift

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It seems silly to pay for that. My shop charges $200 hr (the most expensive) and with 8hrs of work its $1600 + parts which aren't that much in the Land Rover world. If that indy breaks the injectors then they should pay for them. I'd take it somewhere else since they are unable to remove the injectors without breaking them. My shop did my valve covers and just needed new injector seals is all (and the valve cover gaskets). You might want to do plugs too while your in there.

As an aside, white smoke is from coolant. Oil smoke is blue whether its from the pipe or the exhaust manifold, but if you smell oil then its oil.
 

scapistron

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I have heard of some challenges removing injectors from these 3.0 and 5.0 motors. With that kind of mileage I'd replace the plugs, coils, and injectors if you don't know their history.
 

jp7147

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Hey bro,
If all it’s doing is leaking oil and you have no other issues, just have the valve cover seals replaced. You can get them for around $100!
If you have codes coming back with injector issues then replace them. Otherwise just fix the leak and save thousands!
While you are there, check the back crossover pipe for coolant leaks. That can lead to white smoke as well.
 

mav100

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I agree with Powershift and Festus, the price seems a bit high. The fuel injectors will need to be removed in order to replace the valve cover gaskets, and they can be difficult to remove. I found that lubricating them with penetrating oil the night before removal will make for a signicantly easier task and the engine should be cold when removing. Shops don't always have the option to tie up a bay overnight, so they will often quote replacement as well. If you decide to tackle the job, be sure to obtain the correct fuel injector removal tool. While the fuel injectors are removed, it's also good idea to inspect and clean the carbon deposits off if necessary while removed, and you can find a fuel injector cleaning tool on Amazon for around $24 and there are a number of YouTube videos on this task. I would also recommend replacing the fuel injector seals, and a seal sizing tool would be needed to prepare the new seals for re-installation. So tools will likely cost a minimum of $75 or more depending on the quality of tools you prefer, and $25 or more depending if you prefer aftermarket or OEM seals. I went with the less expensive tools on Amazon and the aftermarket seals and they worked in my 2010 RRS and in my 2014 RRS. If for some reason an injector is damaged in the removal process, replacements can be ordered at Atlantic British, Amazon or a local parts store.
 

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