Cooling fans not working freelander td4

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fastasulike72

fastasulike72

Member
Posts
82
Location
Walsall
Hi fellas been an avid reader of landyzone as to help with my freelander many times but looked everywhere to find help on my latest problem.my motor is a 2004 freelander td4 auto.my problem is cooling fans don't come on via getting to temperature to switch on via an obd reader or when I switch a/c on,I've looked at many YouTube vids but all test through a relay and only one I can find is main relay in engine bay fuse box,I've put direct current to both motors and they spin freely,I have got a multimeter but haven't got a clue as to where to check or test,hope you guys can help as its doing my head in specially with how warm the weather is,yours thankfully
 
The cooling fans are under engine ECU control. Check the fan fuse and test for voltage at the fan controller, which is bolted to the left hand side of the radiator. There's not way to test the system without an oscilloscope or some expensive diagnostic equipment. I've never seen my fans run to cool the engine however. They only come on to cool the AC condenser, but they'll only run slowly for that task.
 
Thanks nodge68 for your time to reply,the fuse is ok and there is power coming from the two thicker cables of the fan controller,unfurantley when a/c is switched on neither of the fans switch on,I have unplugged them to see if direct current from battery operates them and they both turn freely,it bothers me as I towed a caravan two weeks ago and got stuck in traffic jam in this heat,when cleared felt like the freelander was struggling to pull under load,I've since checked what the temp gets to through obd reader and temp got up to 104 with out fans kicking in before I decided to switch off,we go away in 3 weeks time with caravan and wanted to try and sort it before then,kind regards
 
fastasulike72 said:
unfurantley when a/c is switched on neither of the fans switch on
Click to expand...
The fans will only activate with the AC, if the AC is actually working. If the ECU measures the AC gas as too low, it won't activate the AC compressor or fans.
fastasulike72 said:
I've since checked what the temp gets to through obd reader and temp got up to 104 with out fans kicking in before I decided to switch off,
Click to expand...
The fans won't run if the engine temperature is below 106°C, so running the engine to 104 wouldn't put the fans on anyway. My engine runs at below 100°C, when AC is on. AC on runs the fans on slow, cooling the AC condenser and the radiator at the same time. If I run with the AC off, I've never seen the fans come on as the TD4 is very thermally efficient.
 
Alright nodge thanks again for replying but my ac was recharged last week and the compressor comes on and it blows cold but the fans still don't come on mate,i had the car on tick over to get to 104 on temp with obd and they didn't kick in then as I read on a forum site that the fans kick in at 102 at slow speed,106 mid speed and so on bud,I now for a fact the other week when towing my caravan in traffic that the temp went above 106 but they still didn't come on which is why I'm trying to sort them out before I go away in August,I appreciate you info,contemplating running a separate bypass as struggling to find any info,I've scoured all the info on this site and many others to try and find fault,but great with mechanics but not so good with electrics,got a multimeter and now there's current and the two thickest wires going to controller on the rad but there's also a smaller plug with two wires on which haven't got any idea where from and what they do, the Haynes manual shows a basic diag for fan but doesn't relate to my fans :(,cheers for your time anyway replying to myself as I've learnt loads from this site and all the info,kind regards
 
If it helps. I've got a TD4 auto that I used to tow the caravan with. In the 7 years we used it for towing duties I can count on one hand the amount of times the fans kicked in.
I once went from Rotherham to St David's in Pembrokeshire, 300 odd miles and about 6 hours of pulling, guess what, no fan action.
Just be sensible, check the coolant, check the oil, tyre pressures. Steady acceleration etc, you know the drill.
Tow, pitch up, erect awning, drink beer:)
Mike
 
Skinny Mike said:
If it helps. I've got a TD4 auto that I used to tow the caravan with. In the 7 years we used it for towing duties I can count on one hand the amount of times the fans kicked in.
I once went from Rotherham to St David's in Pembrokeshire, 300 odd miles and about 6 hours of pulling, guess what, no fan action.
Just be sensible, check the coolant, check the oil, tyre pressures. Steady acceleration etc, you know the drill.
Tow, pitch up, erect awning, drink beer:)
Mike
Click to expand...
....and you've only needed 5 new engines in that time ;)
 
fastasulike72 said:
Alright nodge thanks again for replying but my ac was recharged last week and the compressor comes on and it blows cold but the fans still don't come on mate,i had the car on tick over to get to 104 on temp with obd and they didn't kick in then as I read on a forum site that the fans kick in at 102 at slow speed,106 mid speed and so on bud,I now for a fact the other week when towing my caravan in traffic that the temp went above 106 but they still didn't come on which is why I'm trying to sort them out before I go away in August,I appreciate you info,contemplating running a separate bypass as struggling to find any info,I've scoured all the info on this site and many others to try and find fault,but great with mechanics but not so good with electrics,got a multimeter and now there's current and the two thickest wires going to controller on the rad but there's also a smaller plug with two wires on which haven't got any idea where from and what they do, the Haynes manual shows a basic diag for fan but doesn't relate to my fans :(,cheers for your time anyway replying to myself as I've learnt loads from this site and all the info,kind regards
Click to expand...

Ok. So it sounds like the fans aren't being driven then. So you need to do some tests with a DMM at the fan controller connection. Measure for battery voltage on the thick (brown I think) wire. Also check the earth wire is solid to the body.
At the controller there's a very thin wire (I can't remember the colour). This is the PWM signal from the engine ECU. You should be able to measure a voltage at this wire, which will be above 0 volts, but under 12 volts. It's a PWM signal, so a DMM will only show an average representation of what it's actually doing. An oscilloscope is needed to get a true idea of what's going on with it.
 
Grumpy/ Nodge...If he unplugs the temp sensor will this force the fans to run?

Obviously not a permanent fix especially if there's a deeper issue but at least he'll know the fans are running.

Fritz
 
Cheers skinny Mike,I'll be travelling from Walsall to Cornwall so dreaded m5 And thanks nodge,I did check the current on thick brown wire and was getting just over 12v and a good negative from over thicker wire,but didn't check the other plug which has two wires coming from it as didn't now what it was so will check what that reads tomorrow,
 
Hi fritz thanks for taking time to help,I have read that but as its under the inlet manifold so has to be taken off don't now how possible to run engine while it's off unless but everything back together again after disconnecting but then that would effect ecu as there'll be no reading from it for fuelling and etc
 
Fritz said:
Grumpy/ Nodge...If he unplugs the temp sensor will this force the fans to run?

Obviously not a permanent fix especially if there's a deeper issue but at least he'll know the fans are running.

Fritz
Click to expand...
You asked one correct person!

....and you'll have to wait for his (or other's) reply.

On the Rover engines, if you pull the (correct) temp sensor it will turn the fans on, but those Germans are "clever" people, gawd knows what they will decide to do on a TD4.
 
Pulling the CTS will force the fans on, if the system is working. However the CTS is under the inlet manifold, so isn't easy to pull off. It is possible to pull the plug at the ECU, but I suspect it'll just prove the fans aren't working.

More investigation into this problem is needed.
 
Alright fellas just an update on this problem and ended up bypassing and wiring both fans via relays and a switch,makes life easier when towing in the occasional hot weather we have
 
fastasulike72 said:
Alright fellas just an update on this problem and ended up bypassing and wiring both fans via relays and a switch,makes life easier when towing in the occasional hot weather we have
Click to expand...

That's an interesting approach, although not without its pitfalls. For instance the AC will request the fans be run, to prevent the condenser from overheating, and the TCM will also request the fans be run, when the box fluid exceeds a set temperature. Bypassing the "on demand" fan control is ok as a get you home trick, but not a good plan for long term reliability of the AC and gearbox.

I suspect your fan control module has failed, or has corrosion on the contacts.

Thanks for finishing the threads though. ;)
 
Last edited:
Thanks nodge for feedback but the fan control module connections are all clean and good,so did suspect the module,but for temp info I purchased a Bluetooth Obd reader which sends the water temp and gearbox temp to an app on my phone so when temps get to a certain temp I can flick the fans on to cool down and air conditioning failed a while back,thought it needed re gassing so had it done and still no joy,checked the compressor and there was the magnetic wire that had been pulled out before purchase so put it back in and still no good,so when it gets to hot in side I open the sunroof and windows and cool down the old fashioned way lol,love this site tho,did two auto gearbox oil changes over the last three months and wouldn’t even consider it,but with the info off here done it a piece of cake and done myself so now it’s been done right,thanks to all who give there info on here,very valuable
 
Nodge68 said:
Ok. So it sounds like the fans aren't being driven then. So you need to do some tests with a DMM at the fan controller connection. Measure for battery voltage on the thick (brown I think) wire. Also check the earth wire is solid to the body.
At the controller there's a very thin wire (I can't remember the colour). This is the PWM signal from the engine ECU. You should be able to measure a voltage at this wire, which will be above 0 volts, but under 12 volts. It's a PWM signal, so a DMM will only show an average representation of what it's actually doing. An oscilloscope is needed to get a true idea of what's going on with it.
Click to expand...

Just found this thread as Im having the same issue, so in theory if theres a voltage being supplied to the thin wire from the ECU and voltage on the heavy wires, theres a good chance the finned fan controller is the culprit ?
 
Hi mate,my lfrerlander over heated and noticed the fans didn’t come on,I originally wired them up to a switch and controlled them my self which was ok,but I replaced the main relay bolted to radiator to make things right but by that time my air/con compressor wasn’t any good and tbh the air con in freelander 1s is hopeless so not worth replacing,just opened the windows lol,but fans worked correctly with temp after fitting second hand relay unit
 
Perfect thanks. My aircon works superbly but the fans don't operate so when you get stuck in traffic it struggles until your at speed again.
 
You might have a dodgy thermostat then as mine only got hot when towing caravan up a large hill otherwise it never kicked in as they tend to be over cooled
 
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