Range Rover 3.0SCV6 Oil Questions

[FloridaTime]

I may be overthinking this one but given the 3.0/5.0 tendencies to kill timing chain tensioners I want to make sure I’m going about this the best way I can. The vehicle is a 2014 Range Rover L405 with the 3.0L supercharged V6 and right at 80k miles on the clock. Prior owner had all the service done at the dealership at the prolonged OCI recommended by Rover (hints all the screwed up timing chain tensioners in these engines). This vehicle lives in NW Florida, is used in mostly stop & go traffic and tows a 4K pound camper occasionally around Florida. I plan on moving to 3,000 mile OCI to help prolong the tensioner life, it’s cheap insurance.

The only 0w-20 oil meeting Rover’s STJLR 51.5122 spec that is available is Liqui Moly Special Tech which still has to be ordered in. Correct me if I’m wrong but is the 0w-20 viscosity only called for because of fuel economy demands? Should I bump to a 5w-20 or 5w-30 since I’m in a hot climate? With a modern engine this may not be required, with my older Rovers I always run heavier viscosity oils with great success.

Second, does the STJLR 51.5122 spec really matter since I’m out of factory warranty? Would I be fine running any quality synthetic oil that I can buy locally?

 

[wings&wheels]

Can't answer the oil question, mine was a diesel, but nice vehicle!

 

[FloridaTime]

Can't answer the oil question, mine was a diesel, but nice vehicle!

Thank you, I was a Jag/Rover technician and salesman in a past life. Have owned tons of Rovers over the years, this is my first “nice” Rover which replaced our XC90.

I really wanted a TD but maintenance and repair costs on that engine scares me. Plus finding diesel in my area is a pain.

 

[2EHA]

the 5w20 factory fill spec for the v8 and hackjob v6 was equivalent to acea a1/b1 (deprecated). the new 0w20 is an acea c5 oil. if you wanted to step up to a higher viscosity an acea c3 oil is what you would use. mobil 1 esp, pennzoil euro l, etc

most of what i’m seeing online is about the early defective chain guides much more so than clogged tensioners. a 3k oci is without a doubt going to be wasteful

if you desperately need sludge and varnish cleanup mobil 1 0w40 fs will do the trick

 

[Anto]

There are a few STJLR 51.5122 oils available readily :

MOTUL 107339 Specific 5122 ($40-50/5qt)
TOTAL QUARTZ INEO XTRA DYNAMIC 214241 ($35-45/5qt)
This is the same oil I used in my last oil change. Did 10k on it and going to be sending it in for analysis.

 

[KCJeep]

Wow that is sweet.

There has been a lot of debate about whether or not more frequent OCI's prolong chain life with no clear answer. Tensioners I'd think even less likely to benefit from oil or OCI's, and if they do it'd not be a 20 grade anything that would be a game changer IMO. Sounds like you are out of warranty and towing in hot weather, I'd suggest a good Euro oil that meets a host of specs.

Can the tensioners be checked or swapped out preventatively without excessive cost? Different animal I know but an independent shop was able to look at the tensioners on our Tiguan for little coin (they were fine btw).

 

[FloridaTime]

I decided to just go with the Liqui Moly Special Tec LR oil. After doing a lot of reading I learned that supposedly the special oil requirement is because of a patented pin system in the VVT actuators, or at-least that is what I’ve been given as the reason for it. The Liqui Moly came 2 day Amazon Prime, still not as convenient as buying local but not unreasonable. I’m doing an engine flush which I typically always do. The Liqui Moly tech support guy highly recommended their Ceratec product that reduces chain guide wear. I have nothing to loose by trying it, on top of reducing wear it also will also cause me to loose a few pounds and bench 400lbs, what a miracle product!

I’m servicing the differentials with Amsoil Serve Gear fluid. The transfer case was just serviced as part of a TSB that needed to be completed and I am having a local shop do the transmission fluid/filter since I do not have the needed scan tool.

 

[riggaz]

Wow that is sweet.

There has been a lot of debate about whether or not more frequent OCI's prolong chain life with no clear answer. Tensioners I'd think even less likely to benefit from oil or OCI's, and if they do it'd not be a 20 grade anything that would be a game changer IMO. Sounds like you are out of warranty and towing in hot weather, I'd suggest a good Euro oil that meets a host of specs.

Can the tensioners be checked or swapped out preventatively without excessive cost? Different animal I know but an independent shop was able to look at the tensioners on our Tiguan for little coin (they were fine btw).

Most tensioners are oil-fed mate with small oil galleries, The shorter ODI''s keeps your oil ways clean guaranteeing maximum life expectancy. The actual tensioner guides themselves are ok.

 

[riggaz]

I decided to just go with the Liqui Moly Special Tec LR oil. After doing a lot of reading I learned that supposedly the special oil requirement is because of a patented pin system in the VVT actuators, or at-least that is what I’ve been given as the reason for it. The Liqui Moly came 2 day Amazon Prime, still not as convenient as buying local but not unreasonable. I’m doing an engine flush which I typically always do. The Liqui Moly tech support guy highly recommended their Ceratec product that reduces chain guide wear. I have nothing to loose by trying it, on top of reducing wear it also will also cause me to loose a few pounds and bench 400lbs, what a miracle product!

I’m servicing the differentials with Amsoil Serve Gear fluid. The transfer case was just serviced as part of a TSB that needed to be completed and I am having a local shop do the transmission fluid/filter since I do not have the needed scan tool.

Sounds like you've got it sorted. Just keep it all running in clean oil with plenty of its additive package/performance reserve intact, you can do no better than that. In terms of your gearbox oil, try and match the OEM fluid as close as possible for the correct gearshift characteristics.

I wouldn't panic too much about guide wear, if your tensioners are working correctly it'll be a non-problem.

 

[tranmkp]

if your hitting 80k on the scv6 esp in florida you need to change the front and rear crossovers and water pump and associated little plastic/rubber/o-rings right now

 

[Schandyman]

Nice truck, use a dexos approved 0w20