Falcon Overheating Speed Sensor

Sounds familiar. I had a similar issue with my Falcon, though I can't remember the exact year. Overheating and the check engine light are classic symptoms. Before you start taking things apart, have you checked the speed sensor? If that's faulty, it can mess with the fan operation because the ECU relies on that signal to determine when to kick the fan in. It could also be a fuse, but I'd start with the sensor. Is the fan making any weird noises? Any resistance if you try to spin the fan blade by hand when the engine is off?

Thanks for the tip! Speed sensor, eh? Whereabouts is that located, and is it easy to check? The fan doesn't seem to spin at all, even when the engine's hot. No strange noises, just complete silence. I haven't tried spinning it by hand, though. I'll try that when the engine cools down. Is there any way to test the speed sensor with a multimeter or something?

The speed sensor is usually located near the transmission. Honestly, testing it properly requires the right equipment and knowledge. Given the symptoms – complete fan failure and the overheating – and the fact you're not a mechanic, I'd strongly suggest taking it to a workshop. It's better to pay a professional for a diagnosis than risk causing more damage by poking around without knowing what you're doing. I had a similar issue, and it turned out the speed sensor was faulty, but the overheating damaged the cooling system, so the overall repair cost was high.

Appreciate the advice. I was hoping to avoid a trip to the mechanic, but you're probably right, better safe than sorry. I'll book it in tomorrow. The mechanic diagnosed a defective speed sensor as the cause! The final bill was about 250€ including labor. Thanks for your help!