Land Rover Freelander Diesel Losing Power & Smoking

I dealt with similar symptoms on my 2007 Land Rover Discovery 3 TDV6 at around 160,000 km. The black smoke and power loss got me worried too. Turned out the engine control unit was failing, causing wrong fuel mixture and boost pressure readings. Got it checked at a garage and they found corrupted software in the ECU plus a failing turbo sensor. They had to reprogram the ECU and replace the sensor. It's not a quick fix, my car was in the shop for 3 days. They needed special diagnostic equipment to properly identify and solve the issue. It was definitely serious since a faulty ECU can eventually damage other engine components if left unfixed. The symptoms you describe match my experience pretty closely. Would suggest finding a garage that specializes in Land Rover diagnostics since these issues need proper equipment to diagnose and fix. Just my take based on what happened with my car. Might want to get it checked soon before it potentially causes more problems.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Discovery! I had the exact same symptoms on my Freelander last year. Sounds like our issues were pretty similar, glad you got yours sorted! Quick question, do you remember roughly how much the ECU reprogramming and sensor replacement set you back? Also, has everything been running smoothly since the repair, or have you noticed any other quirks pop up? I'm trying to get a sense of what I might be looking at cost-wise and whether it's likely to be a long-term fix.

Hey there! Yeah, I'm happy to share the update on my Discovery repair. The final bill came to 1000.00 € for fixing the faulty ECU, but honestly, it was worth every penny. The best part is that since getting the Charge air temperature sensor sorted, the car's been running like a dream, no more black smoke, weird noises, or power issues! I know that might sound like a hefty sum, but considering how much damage a faulty ECU could've caused if left unchecked, I reckon I dodged a bullet. The car's been absolutely spot-on for the past few months, fuel consumption is back to normal, and that nasty exhaust smell is completely gone. I had my doubts at first, but getting it fixed at a proper Land Rover specialist was definitely the right call. The diagnostic equipment they used really pinpointed the exact issues. If you're facing similar symptoms with your Freelander, I'd say go for it, might save you from bigger headaches down the road. My Discovery's been purring like a kitten since the repair, no quirks or issues at all. Just regular maintenance now. Hope this helps give you a better idea of what you're looking at!

Thanks so much for all that detailed info! Actually, I bit the bullet and took my Freelander to a specialist mechanic last week. You won't believe it, turned out my car had multiple issues. The turbo was partially blocked, and there was a cracked intercooler hose causing that weird whistling noise. The mechanic also found a faulty sensor that was messing with the fuel mixture, explaining all that black smoke. The whole repair came to around 1200.00 €, a bit more than yours, but they had to replace more parts. Been driving it for a few days now, and what a difference! No more black smoke, the engine's got its power back, and those strange noises are gone. Fuel consumption's back to normal too. Really glad I didn't wait any longer to get it fixed. The mechanic said I could've ended up with some serious engine damage if I'd kept driving it like that. Definitely learned my lesson about getting weird symptoms checked out sooner rather than later! Thanks again for your help, it really encouraged me to get it sorted properly instead of trying quick fixes. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it, but so far, it's running better than it has in months!