It is a good idea to clean the sensor every time you get a new air filter as regular preventative maintenance. Vehicle manufacturers eventually built in a self cleaning mechanism that would superheat the sensor to burn off contamination, but on older vehicles (likely any vehicle built before the late ‘90s), it will be necessary at some point to clean the MAF sensor.Įven if cleaning the sensor does not solve all of the problems it is still beneficial. You’ll notice if the tailpipes eject black smoke or when the engine runs rough or backfires. Any vehicle with 20,000 miles or more could very easily have contamination build up on the MAF sensor – the older, the more likely. A faulty MAF sensor can cause your vehicle to run too rich or run too lean. A common condition in higher mileage cars is that the duct running from the air filter to the throttle body is torn, which allows air to enter the engine which the computer has not accounted for, and can cause symptoms and codes indicating sensor failure.Īnother possibility is that your MAF sensor is simply dirty. They could mean that your car has a vacuum leak, blocked intake, torn tubes or hoses in the intake system, or something else entirely. In fact, symptoms or codes associated with a bad MAF sensor may not be related to the sensor itself at all. Problems with the MAF sensor could be related to wiring, the sensor itself, or actual air flow. You may also notice changes in fuel consumption, or black smoke from the exhaust. Furthermore, it can cause different check engine codes such as the O2 sensor, “low air volume”, or something else. The most common symptoms of a bad mass air flow sensor are engine performance issues such as rough acceleration or rough idling, along with a check engine light on your dashboard. The MAF sensor malfunctioning can also cause your car to throw a check engine light (CEL). If the sensor becomes contaminated or malfunctions, or a wire wears out, then your car will most likely run poorly, waste more gas, and jerk or stall. As the volume and density of air across the sensor changes, the computer is able to make adjustments to the air/fuel mixture and injector timing and optimize your vehicle’s performance, emissions, and economy. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, these sensors were in an evolutionary phase, and if your car was built during these two decades it is very likely that its MAF sensor is not the most reliable.Ī MAF sensor converts the air flowing past it into an electrical signal which goes to the car’s ECU. Your car’s Mass Airflow sensor, or MAF sensor, can cause several problems with how your engine runs, including but not limited to rough idle, mild to severe hesitation, loss of power, poor fuel economy, and even the engine stalling – yes, even in an automatic car. This week on Orozco’s Auto Blog, we’re gonna go over something which can cause a wide variety of symptoms, from the mildly annoying to the critical.
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