Freelander Overheating: Failed Fan Causing A/C Issues?

Hey there! I have some experience with cars and had a similar issue with my 2003 Land Rover Discovery diesel. My also owns a Defender, so I'm quite familiar with these machines. Sounds very familiar! I had exactly the same symptoms, hot air from A/C and overheating engine. Turned out to be a faulty electric fan control unit/resistor. Got it fixed at my regular workshop about 6 months ago, cost me around 480€ for parts and labor. The mechanic also checked the entire cooling system just to be safe. Before you head to the workshop, does the fan spin at all? Any warning lights on the dash? Have you noticed any coolant leaks? This info would help me share more specific details about what you might be dealing with. These symptoms can sometimes mean different things in different engine variants.

Thanks for the detailed response! My Freelander's at 102700 KM and had its last service about two months ago. The fan does spin but seems inconsistent, sometimes it works fine, other times it's barely moving. No warning lights on the dash at all, which is weird. I've been keeping an eye underneath and haven't spotted any coolant leaks, though I do need to top up the coolant more often lately. Really hoping it's just the control unit like in your case and not something more serious. Been driving it for years and this is the first major cooling issue I've had.

Hey again! Thanks for those extra details about your Freelander. You know, this sounds even more similar to what I experienced with my Discovery now that you mention these specifics! My fan was doing that exact same inconsistent spinning thing, working one minute, barely moving the next. And yeah, I also had to keep topping up coolant more frequently before I got it fixed. The weird thing with mine was also no warning lights, which had me scratching my head for a while! Since you mentioned having to top up coolant more often, my mechanic actually found that along with the faulty control unit, I had a slightly worn pump seal that was causing a slow coolant loss. It wasn't visible as drips under the car, but it was definitely going somewhere! Might be worth getting that checked too while they're at it. Just a heads up, if it's anything like my experience, you might want to avoid long trips or heavy A/C use until you get it sorted. I learned that the hard way when I got stuck in traffic one day! The inconsistent fan really struggles when the engine needs the most cooling. Let me know what you find out when you get it checked. I'm really curious if it turns out to be the same issue as mine!

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! That's really helpful, especially the bit about the pump seal, I hadn't even considered that. You're absolutely right about avoiding long trips; I've already started taking shorter routes and keeping the A/C off just to be safe. I've booked it in at the workshop for tomorrow morning, and I'll definitely have them check both the control unit and the pump seal. Can't risk getting stuck somewhere with an overheating engine! Really appreciate you taking the time to help me figure this out. I'll definitely update you once I know what's actually causing the problem. Fingers crossed it's something straightforward like in your case and not too heavy on the wallet!