[Joelhimself]

Hello everyone! I'm glad to see that there is a community and group of enthusiast for these lovely machines! I have been lurking around here but haven't posted much. Danny540I has inspired me to share my new to me used 2005 BMW engine Range Rover, similar to Danny being a BMW specialist I am a Volkswagen and Audi specialist but wanted to learn and experience something different and the l322 Range Rovers have always caught my eye.

After doing some research and talking with people who had professional experience with Land Rover's and Land Rover repair it seemed that the Jag engine Range Rover had fever problems and was the better way to go but they were out of my price range. A clean, rust free, one owner, garaged kept 2005 with full service history and 112,000 miles came up on craigslist and I jumped on it. The inside of the engine was clean and the oil change intervals were good but the car did need a lot of maintenance! I got it for a reasonable deal @ $6,500.00

It leaked oil and coolant from seemingly everywhere so I went through it meticulously as I wanted to use it as an overland rig and for long road trips including to my wife and I's destination wedding and overland trip honeymoon. In a month and a half we will be setting off and living out of the Range on a 4 - 5 month long road trip around most of the country.

To get it ready I did the following and here are some pictures that I thought you all might enjoy!

Replaced timing chains, guides, and tensioners (I left the VANOS units alone. I hope this wasn't a mistake.. You tell me..)
Serpentine belt replaced
Timing covers and valve cover gaskets replaced
Water pump, radiator and thermostat replaced
Coolant reservoir and valley pan replaced
Rear coolant cross over pipe gaskets replaced and coolant pipes below intake manifold o-ring seals replaced
Spark plugs, air filters and fuel filter replaced
Transmission fluid and filter, front and rear diff and transfer case oils replaced
PCV valve and crank case vent hoses / oil separator replaced
Front brakes replaced
Front control arms, ball joints and tie rods replaced
All terrain tires fitted
Front air struts failed on me shortly after and were replaced

I had trouble with the new valve cover gaskets leaking oil and found a guy on a BMW forum who had installed extra spring washer on top of the existing valve cover grommet washers to solve this. I did the same and now am having no more leakage! I also originally tried using black silicone sealant to replace the leaking valley pan gasket and this did not work! I had to go back in and replace the valley pan with gasket.




Before tear down

Getting into it


Gross oil leaks!


New chains and tensioners fitted


All cleaned and going back together


Out in it's natural habitat


Home away from home


Hope you guys enjoy the pictures and feel free to comment! Also, did I make a mistake in not replacing the VANOS seals? It runs like an absolute top but does make the diesel engine noise after the engine warms up and at idle that is common as the VANOS units age (So I have read).

- Joel

 

[dlimanov]

Congrats on your new rig! I am absolutely planning on replacing VANOS units when the time comes to do timing chain guides/chain just to be on the safe side. There are rebuild kits, but it's hit or miss based on what I've read. Curious how the chain/guides were on your truck at 115,000 miles? I had a BMW 540 Wagon that made it past 220k mi on original guides and chain before I sold it, so it's interesting to me the average life span of these.

 

[danny540i]

Congrats on the purchase! You’ve definitely approached it in the best way possible— sort out all the problems at once and then enjoy it afterwards. Glad I inspired you to post here, it’s nice to keep the community going.

What did you think of the M62tu as a VW/Audi guy? For me, the M62tu was the first engine I had ever really worked on, so I didn’t have much of an opinion on them given that they were all I knew.

There’s nothing wrong with skipping the Vanos seal replacement, it can be a big hassle if you don’t have the right tools. The sound is just that, a sound. As long as the rest of the chain guide job is done correctly, the Vanos won’t cause any problems.

For the valley pan gasket, I’ve never seen RTV working out long term— most people end up having to replace the whole pan either way. Normally I don’t ever use Üro parts, but their Üro Premium valley pan has an upgraded seal and costs less than the Genuine BMW one.

Thanks for posting, hope you get lots of happy miles out of this Range Rover. As always, if you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

 

[sowr]

Good job with the rooftop tent - here's mine:

 

[dlimanov]

What kind of tents are these? They look fantastic! Do they require special base or can be installed on standard LR base roof rails?

 

[Joelhimself]

Congrats on your new rig! I am absolutely planning on replacing VANOS units when the time comes to do timing chain guides/chain just to be on the safe side. There are rebuild kits, but it's hit or miss based on what I've read. Curious how the chain/guides were on your truck at 115,000 miles? I had a BMW 540 Wagon that made it past 220k mi on original guides and chain before I sold it, so it's interesting to me the average life span of these.

The guides were actually still fine. i discovered that the updated timing chain tensioner had been installed and was probably installed by the factory as it is a 2005 model year. I did it for the peace of mind and because the engine really needed to be gone through and re-sealed anyway. The previous owner was changing the oil every 7,500 miles. (I will be dropping that down to 5,000 miles)

 

[Joelhimself]

What did you think of the M62tu as a VW/Audi guy? For me, the M62tu was the first engine I had ever really worked on, so I didn’t have much of an opinion on them given that they were all I knew.

There’s nothing wrong with skipping the Vanos seal replacement, it can be a big hassle if you don’t have the right tools. The sound is just that, a sound. As long as the rest of the chain guide job is done correctly, the Vanos won’t cause any problems.

Compared to the chain driven 4.2L V8 engine that Audi used I much prefer the BMW engine. Audi put the overly complicated timing chain and cam adjuster system at the back of the engine requiring removal of the engine and transmission to service. The system was also prone to failure and extremely expensive to deal with. Also not an easy DIY job. The BMW engine is much more susceptible to fluids leaks I would say however. Before Audi went to a timing chain for their 4.2L V8 they had a timing belt version which was bullet proof and easy to service which I would prefer over the M62tu.

 

[Joelhimself]

What kind of tents are these? They look fantastic! Do they require special base or can be installed on standard LR base roof rails?

Google search "Roof top tent". They are becoming very popular. The Genuine Land Rover cross bars would work for some of the lighter weight roof top tents like the ones sowr and I have.

 

[sowr]

What kind of tents are these? They look fantastic! Do they require special base or can be installed on standard LR base roof rails?

Mine is a Yakima Skyrise Small, about a $1000. I installed it onto a Frontrunner Outfitter platform which in turn I mounted onto the standard OEM rails using clamps I had fabricated. I put a post on this site:

https://www.rangerovers.net/forum/6-range-rover-mark-iii-l322/328596-frontrunner-rack-l322-factory-rails.html#post2229178

My main motivation for getting the Yakima is that I'm an outdoor "athlete" have a pro-deal with them. Otherwise, I probably would've got the Frontrunner tent too.