I have an ongoing issue with my 2012 L322 TDV8 4.4 ..

I had the auxiliary belt, tensioner and idle pulleys replaced as the belt was jumping under power steering load..

Ever since then I have had a distinct rattle at the front of the engine that I am certain was not there before.

https://youtube.com/shorts/jL4QD3NogH0

I also had some other issues with the belt vibrating and snatching afterwards - possibly due to the use of aftermarket (cheap?) parts ... I then stripped it down myself and replaced all the pulleys and tensioner with genuine LR parts. Whilst I was in there I also replaced the water pump, fan bracket & pulley, and the alternator - all genuine LR ...

I had hoped that this would also eliminate the rattle - but no joy - it's still there..

There is nothing catching on the belt or fan, and nothing obviously loose ...

I have also noticed that very occasionally if I have a high electrical load on and rev the engine, it seems to start a cyclic 'walking' motion from side to side on the belt as it leaves the alternator and runs over the adjacent idler puller to return no the tensioner. It then continues to move side side on that idler by apx 1cm until the engine is stopped and restarted ...

I would very much welcome anyone's view on the rattle - especially if you have heard it and tracked it down on another engine, and I'm curious if anyone else has seen the sideways walking belt issue before.

Many thanks

Chris Chris
2012 TDV8 4.4 Westminster

I think someone on here had something similar and they found the power steering pump was loose.

Thanks - I did consider this after reading another thread, so I re-checked it this morning and the PS pump and AC compressor are both fixed on firmly !

I did remove the belts and ran the engine - No rattle at all, so there is definitely something wrong but as I've changed all the belt driven items other than the PS Pump and AC (both of which seem to be OK) I'm more than a little puzzled ...

Chris Chris
2012 TDV8 4.4 Westminster

did you manage to resolve issue? SOLD | Tuned MY 2011.5 Range Rover Autobiography 4.4 TDV8 Orkney Grey | e-diff | ACC

New Toy: Unimog U1550L/37
New : G350D

No - I haven't resolved this yet .. I have it in bits again and am re-checking the PS and AC pumps for any bearing issues ... Chris
2012 TDV8 4.4 Westminster

Looking forward to your finding  SOLD | Tuned MY 2011.5 Range Rover Autobiography 4.4 TDV8 Orkney Grey | e-diff | ACC

New Toy: Unimog U1550L/37
New : G350D

Did you end up solving your rattle issue? SOLD | Tuned MY 2011.5 Range Rover Autobiography 4.4 TDV8 Orkney Grey | e-diff | ACC

New Toy: Unimog U1550L/37
New : G350D

Try changing the power steering fluid; I had a low rubbing noise from that area that I couldn’t track down. Then did a full fluid service, including PS fluid, and it went away never to return. PS fluid is cheap to do so there’s nothing to loose. TDV8 4.4 2012

Mine has a rattle aswell, and it goes away once the viscos fan kicks in or if I put load on by twisting steering side to side.

The steering is working fine...I wonder what it might be. SOLD | Tuned MY 2011.5 Range Rover Autobiography 4.4 TDV8 Orkney Grey | e-diff | ACC

New Toy: Unimog U1550L/37
New : G350D

Last edited by ffrr14 on 19th Sep 2023 12:52pm. Edited 1 time in total

It is the aux belt SOLD | Tuned MY 2011.5 Range Rover Autobiography 4.4 TDV8 Orkney Grey | e-diff | ACC

New Toy: Unimog U1550L/37
New : G350D

Did your issue get solved? I have the exact same noise on my 4.4 and i have only found a couple videos like this that sound the exact same as what im experiencing

After doing an alternator and belt change, I know have this exact rattle and cannot get to the bottom of it. Can anyone chime in and give some info/fix please? I did see that the OP changed the belt again and that cured it, as to which I have also done but the rattle still persists. Any help is much appreciated.

You may have checked this during your belt change; Sam goes through belt alignment below and checks it with a straight edge but doesn’t really say how….. it may be worth checking your alignment and looking for belt debris on the ancillaries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-SWu5i4adk&t=839s TDV8 4.4 2012

is noise still there with the fan not fitted?