Thread: SC 5 Litre and SC 3 Litre RR Engines.

Prior to 2012 the cam chain tensioners on the 5.0 had a plastic component that needed to be replaced although most of the research I could find was indicating vehicles with more than 100,000miles, so not early in their life. The other bugs is the plastic coupler on the supercharger that looks like a reasonably easy one for a home mechanic and the plastic water pipe that distributes the coolant to the heads. I'll likely be investing in a coolant alarm for mine like I did for my TD5 Disco to save a very expensive overheating incident.


Aside from that they seem to be a well respected engine. The 3.0 is the same block with the end two pistons deleted and would suffer from the same problems, although I'm not sure about whether they ever had the plastic cam tensioner components or not.


Regards,
Tote

They are a complex engine, DI and DOHC with variable timing on both inlet and exhaust. Repairs are expensive due to the complexity.
The SCV8 have more problems than the NA V8 because they put out a lot more power with subsequent stress on the components. That said, if they they are looked after with regular oil and filter changes with the correct oil, the coolant is kept in the engine and they aren't worked hard all the time they are reliable. Remember they are pushing a large heavy body and this is hard on the motor if it is revved to the limiter all the time. The camchain tensioner problem is well known and was sorted after 2012.
My 2014 RRS is at 130K now.
For preventative maintenance I'll be replacing my water pump, plastic inlet and possibly the thermostat housing in the near future as well as doing the supercharger coupling and oil change. My supercharger is quiet but you have to remove it and the inlet manifold to get to the plastic inlet.

WOW!! That is seriously great info Tote and Geedublya. Thank you.

Could I stretch the friendship and ask about the auto transmissions?
Cheers guys.

The transmission is a ZF 8HP70 and provided you ignore the Land Rover "factory sealed" recommendation seems to be reliable. The same caveats apply as with the 6HP24 in the earlier Discos. The 8 speed trans is used in many other marques, mostly made under license. Oil changes are best done with the ZF lifeguard fluid, bearing in mind that you change less than half of it by draining the transmission. 50-80,000KM would be the sweet spot for oil changes depending on your use and whether you do lots of off-road work or towing.
Also, personal opinion here, changing the filter (and sump)is a waste of time unless you have bits of friction material floating around in the oil, and if this is the case you are up for a rebuild, not a fluid change. For reference I had to replace the transmission at about 130,000 KM in my Disco 3 as it was starting to drop out of torque converter lockup. When the oil was dropped it was black. So much for sealed for life, this was also inside 3 years from new.... The new transmission was serviced at about 80,000KM after that and the oil came out the colour of slightly dark honey, fresh it is very light honey coloured, although my Disco did a fair bit of work towing farm trailers and 4wd trips.
There is no steel sump replacement for a 8HP but it's probably not necessary given the plastic sump has a drain plug unlike the plastic sump on the Disco 6HP.

Regards,
Tote