Replacing your maf sensor or mass air flow sensor?
Well, you may not need to.
Read the checklist to find out why.
For prices & free advice
Tel: 01424 870888
A air flow meter or mass air flow sensor or maf sensor is used to determine the airflow that is being delivered to your vehicles engine. It does this by sending an electronic signal to the vehicles ECU, which in turn sends the correct signal to the fuel injectors that regulate the amount of fuel that is delivered to the engine.
When you are troubleshooting you will often have a list of a number of possible causes which you will have to go through one by one, until the actual problem is found. Check all the simple things first before you change your Maf.
Symptoms you will have from a bad maf sensor are low performance and inconsistent or rough idle.
It's important that the intake hose is air tight after the maf sensor because the amount of metered air won't be correct if its leaking out of a disconnected or split hose.
If these air or vacuum leaks are not corrected first you could be changing the maf sensor or mass air flow sensor for no reason.
The maf sensor can fail as a result of dirt particles or water entering the intake tube.
All maf sensors will degrade with age.
For those of you who have fault codes the following links are well worth a read..
The links will take you to obd-codes.com and will help to explain,
1. What the code means
2. Some of the possible symptoms.
3. Some of the Possible Causes
4. Diagnostic Steps & Possible Solutions
P0100 MAF Circuit Malfunction
https://www.obd-codes.com/p0100
P0101 MAF Circuit Range/ Performance
https://www.obd-codes.com/p0101
P0102 Mass Air Flow/ MAF Circuit Low
https://www.obd-codes.com/p0102
P0103 Mass Air Flow/ MAF Circuit High
https://www.obd-codes.com/p0103
P0104 Mass Air Flow/ MAF Circuit Intermittent
https://www.obd-codes.com/p0104
There is a full list of other fault codes on the site.
Happy reading don`t forget to come back.
Also check out the videos at bottom of page for more info.!!
If your vehicle lacks power this could also be caused by other faulty components/sensors such as
EGR valve
Pressure converter switches either for the EGR valve or Turbo
Lambda/oxygen sensors/02 sensor
Clogged air filter
Split wiring (common on top of plug)
Split intercooler turbo hoses
Split vacuum hoses/pipes
Crankcase breather valve
Fuel pressure sensor.
Also check
Exhaust leaks just before the first 02 sensors
High long term fuel trim
Throttle position sensor
Engine fault codes
If you have a P0100, P0101, P0102, P0103 or P0104, diagnostic trouble code it means that there is a problem with the maf sensor or circuit. When these codes are generated the Malfunction warning light will come on.
The first thing to do is reset the code and then see if the light comes back on.
You should also check the following as these will effect the maf sensor which could give a false voltage output reading and turn the warning light on.
1: Air leaks in the intake pipes after the maf sensor, you should carefully inspect all of your hoses, clamps and intake tubes for air or vacuum leaks prior to replacing the maf sensor
2: Air filter clogged up with leaves etc blocking intake.
3: Faulty Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor (Map sensor) if fitted.
4: Intake air temp sensor. (This can be integrated into maf or fitted as a separate component.)
Other parts that can cause problems.
EGR Valve if fitted
Potential fault:
The EGR valve is permanently open.
The amount of returned exhaust gas is much higher than required. As a result, less fresh air arrives at the cylinders.The air mass sensor measures less air than calculated by the engine control unit.
Potential fault:
The EGR valve remains closed.
No or only very little exhaust gas is returned as a result, more fresh air arrives at the cylinders.The air mass sensor measures more air than calculated by the engine control unit.
Remedy:
Check EGR valve and replace
PCV valve
The positive crankcase ventilation or PCV if fitted could give a false maf sensor code.
Pressure converter Valve
If fitted can give problems to the turbo or egr.
More and more cheap pattern parts mostly from Asia are coming into the market;
Some of these have problems regarding quality and performance. They can have the following problems.
Unacceptable curve deviation, consequently giving inaccurate air mass measurement:
Increase of fuel consumption up to 20%
Bad engine characteristics, loss of power/torque etc
Short life due to:
Bad materials
Low fatigue strength
Low grade connections within the electronic circuit.
If you see an mass air flow sensor, air mass meter or maf sensor for a very cheap price, it will probably be a reproduction copy made in Asia.
You get what you pay for and in our experience it is false economy buying a cheap maf sensor as it will only lead to more problems and expense in the future.
So remember !!
" Buy cheap buy twice ".
Don't get caught out with cheap fakes which are sold on some auction sites.
Only fit original parts to your vehicle for the best performance,
Bosch, Denso, Pierburg, Siemens Continental VDO.
Airmassmeters.com only sell branded parts.
We are UK based.
If after you have checked the above info and still need a maf sensor or mass air flow sensor then contact us.
For prices & free advice call:
Tel: 01424 870888
Please note that all of the information is for guidance only and in no way should substitute the advice of a professional mechanic.
When you are troubleshooting you will often have a list of a number of possible causes which you will have to go through one by one, until the actual problem is found. Check all the simple things first before you change your Maf.
- Make sure you have a clean air filter.
- Check that you have no split hoses causing air leaks.
- Check that there is no oil or water in the air intake (this would cause the new one to fail).
- Check wires are ok at the plug end.
Symptoms you will have from a bad maf sensor are low performance and inconsistent or rough idle.
It's important that the intake hose is air tight after the maf sensor because the amount of metered air won't be correct if its leaking out of a disconnected or split hose.
If these air or vacuum leaks are not corrected first you could be changing the maf sensor or mass air flow sensor for no reason.
The maf sensor can fail as a result of dirt particles or water entering the intake tube.
All maf sensors will degrade with age.
For those of you who have fault codes the following links are well worth a read..
The links will take you to obd-codes.com and will help to explain,
1. What the code means
2. Some of the possible symptoms.
3. Some of the Possible Causes
4. Diagnostic Steps & Possible Solutions
P0100 MAF Circuit Malfunction
https://www.obd-codes.com/p0100
P0101 MAF Circuit Range/ Performance
https://www.obd-codes.com/p0101
P0102 Mass Air Flow/ MAF Circuit Low
https://www.obd-codes.com/p0102
P0103 Mass Air Flow/ MAF Circuit High
https://www.obd-codes.com/p0103
P0104 Mass Air Flow/ MAF Circuit Intermittent
https://www.obd-codes.com/p0104
There is a full list of other fault codes on the site.
Happy reading don`t forget to come back.
Also check out the videos at bottom of page for more info.!!
If your vehicle lacks power this could also be caused by other faulty components/sensors such as
EGR valve
Pressure converter switches either for the EGR valve or Turbo
Lambda/oxygen sensors/02 sensor
Clogged air filter
Split wiring (common on top of plug)
Split intercooler turbo hoses
Split vacuum hoses/pipes
Crankcase breather valve
Fuel pressure sensor.
Also check
Exhaust leaks just before the first 02 sensors
High long term fuel trim
Throttle position sensor
Engine fault codes
If you have a P0100, P0101, P0102, P0103 or P0104, diagnostic trouble code it means that there is a problem with the maf sensor or circuit. When these codes are generated the Malfunction warning light will come on.
The first thing to do is reset the code and then see if the light comes back on.
You should also check the following as these will effect the maf sensor which could give a false voltage output reading and turn the warning light on.
1: Air leaks in the intake pipes after the maf sensor, you should carefully inspect all of your hoses, clamps and intake tubes for air or vacuum leaks prior to replacing the maf sensor
2: Air filter clogged up with leaves etc blocking intake.
3: Faulty Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor (Map sensor) if fitted.
4: Intake air temp sensor. (This can be integrated into maf or fitted as a separate component.)
Other parts that can cause problems.
EGR Valve if fitted
Potential fault:
The EGR valve is permanently open.
The amount of returned exhaust gas is much higher than required. As a result, less fresh air arrives at the cylinders.The air mass sensor measures less air than calculated by the engine control unit.
Potential fault:
The EGR valve remains closed.
No or only very little exhaust gas is returned as a result, more fresh air arrives at the cylinders.The air mass sensor measures more air than calculated by the engine control unit.
Remedy:
Check EGR valve and replace
PCV valve
The positive crankcase ventilation or PCV if fitted could give a false maf sensor code.
Pressure converter Valve
If fitted can give problems to the turbo or egr.
More and more cheap pattern parts mostly from Asia are coming into the market;
Some of these have problems regarding quality and performance. They can have the following problems.
Unacceptable curve deviation, consequently giving inaccurate air mass measurement:
Increase of fuel consumption up to 20%
Bad engine characteristics, loss of power/torque etc
Short life due to:
Bad materials
Low fatigue strength
Low grade connections within the electronic circuit.
If you see an mass air flow sensor, air mass meter or maf sensor for a very cheap price, it will probably be a reproduction copy made in Asia.
You get what you pay for and in our experience it is false economy buying a cheap maf sensor as it will only lead to more problems and expense in the future.
So remember !!
" Buy cheap buy twice ".
Don't get caught out with cheap fakes which are sold on some auction sites.
Only fit original parts to your vehicle for the best performance,
Bosch, Denso, Pierburg, Siemens Continental VDO.
Airmassmeters.com only sell branded parts.
We are UK based.
If after you have checked the above info and still need a maf sensor or mass air flow sensor then contact us.
For prices & free advice call:
Tel: 01424 870888
Please note that all of the information is for guidance only and in no way should substitute the advice of a professional mechanic.
Videos for the basic understanding of the different sensors and pointers on what to check. For advanced Diy`ers.These videos are for info only.
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