Hi all,
I'm almost ready to lift the engine out of the car, but I've hit a snag with the last wiring loom. It runs from the top of the engine, with the connector located next to the oil cooler. The loom then goes behind the engine, down the bell housing, and ends up somewhere on top of the gearbox.

In my case, the loom is running between the engine head and the exhaust crossover pipe, and there isn’t enough space for me to pull it out. I'm not sure if the loom is supposed to be sandwiched between the block and the crossover pipe, or if a previous mechanic installed it incorrectly.

If the loom is in the correct position, do I need to remove any components to get it out?

That doesn't look like its in the right place from what I remember, the arrowed connector is pic 2 remains on the chasis, the other plug is part of the engine loom and comes out with the engine, the arrowed part goes down to the transmisison. Seem to recall there's a metal plate that it should be clipped to, I undid the plate and left the gearbox end loom connected to the plate and tucked it to one side. L405 SV Autobiography LWB SDV8, finished in Aston Martin China Grey by ETO division.

Haha, looks like I'm in for some fun with this loom! You're right — there's a metal plate attached to it, and it was mounted using one of the bell housing bolts. From what I can see, I might need to either remove the crossover pipe or try depinning the connector to get it sorted.
Thanks

I'm sure it should be higher up that that, behind the egr cooler to the drivers side, but definitely not on the bell housing, if it's in it's correct position it's reachable fairly easily from the top. Sounds like someone forgot where it went and took a punt! L405 SV Autobiography LWB SDV8, finished in Aston Martin China Grey by ETO division.

Hi! Managed to get the loom out without removing the crossover pipe – a bit tricky but doable. So, if anyone has the same issue in the future, remove the bracket mounted to the driver's side head (two 10mm bolts), disconnect the oil feed to the oil cooler, and remove the coolant hoses in the same area to gain more room. You can then wiggle the connector down. Uff, what a relief! And finally – she’s out and on the engine stand!

And now the fun begins!!

Well done, looking good!! L405 SV Autobiography LWB SDV8, finished in Aston Martin China Grey by ETO division.

So, I removed the oil sump and found that all 8 conrods have noticeable movement at the conrod bearings. I understand that a small side-to-side clearance is normal, but this is quite a lot — you can actually twist the conrods left and right around the crankshaft.

This engine is a bit of a strange one. It looks like someone has worked on it before, but all the bottom-end parts (crank, etc.) appear to be original. The conrod bearings look very worn.

What do you guys think? Does anyone have a datasheet with the correct measurements so I can check the crank and clearances properly? Or should I just replace the conrod bearings and hope for the best?

https://youtube.com/shorts/K47vffBIUXo?si=41xNq2IJGVC7dZWw

Click image to enlarge

Have you checked the engine numbers against the log book ? Is it from another vehicle, or perhaps a quick repair bodged to get rid. 2021 L405 Vogue SE 4.4 V8 DIESEL ~ #17

If I was that far in to an engine, I'd go the whole hog! I'd get the crank reground and fit new bearings.

Chris. L405 - 4.4SDV8 Vogue
P38 - 4.6V8 HSE
Land Rover series IIA V8

Looking at the condition of that bearing, the crank has suffered severe oil starvation and I would be surprised if it’s still serviceable.

That certainly doesn't look right! Was the youtube video with the bearing caps still tightened?

I'd suggest getting a micrometer and checking the journal diameters to check if the crank has been ground before.

Here's the bearing & journal specs for the big ends: -

https://www.king-catalog.com/Catalog/Set/CR8044SV

And the main bearings: -

https://www.king-catalog.com/Catalog/Set/MB5773SV L405 SV Autobiography LWB SDV8, finished in Aston Martin China Grey by ETO division.

Thanks for all the comments, much appreciated! Yes, all the bearing caps were still tightened except for the one I removed for the video, and they all felt a "bit loose" in the same way. I’ll get around to doing proper measurements with a mic at some point next week – it’s just too nice outside right now to be stuck in the garage! 😅

The engine seems like a classic bodge job to be honest – it leaks oil from pretty much every gasket, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was thrown together with old gaskets or no proper prep. Oh well, part of the fun I guess!

While you're there, check on the face of the crank flywheel end for a 3D barcode and date stamp signifying a genuine crank, maybe it's had a cheap Chinese job fitted at some point? L405 SV Autobiography LWB SDV8, finished in Aston Martin China Grey by ETO division.

HI this is what is fitted

That's a genuine part, so that's good, just hope its in spec to grind, aasuming there's signs of pickup on the journals?

I'd suggest getting it out and cleaned and then down to a crank grinder for checking, they'll know if it's serviceable or not, you've got a max of 30 thou to play with on both mains and big ends. L405 SV Autobiography LWB SDV8, finished in Aston Martin China Grey by ETO division.