The mass airflow sensor is also called the MAF sensor. It’s a pretty important part in your engine because it tells the main computer chip how much air flows in from the outside. You’ll find the MAF sensor directly behind the air filter. Generally, this sensor doesn’t fail; it’ll last the life of your automobile. Cergizan’s Auto & Truck Repair advises that it can get dirty, however, and this can cause problems with the air:fuel ratio found in your engine’s combustion chamber. We’ll explain more below.
Air:Fuel Ratio Is Too Lean
Also called the engine control unit (ECU), your vehicle’s main computer chip controls how much air and fuel goes into the combustion chamber. If a dirty MAF sensor provides the wrong information about the air flowing into the engine, the ECU might think the combustion chamber needs more air when it actually doesn’t. This causes a lean air/fuel mixture. Consequently, you will notice that your vehicle
- Hesitates when you accelerate
- Sputters when you go at high speeds
- Idles roughly
- Gets poor fuel economy
Unfortunately, you may experience these problems until you have the mass airflow sensor cleaned or replaced if it is faulty. It cannot send the correct air data to the ECU if it is having problems itself.
Air:Fuel Ratio Is Too Rich
The opposite of the above is a rich air/fuel mixture. This mixture means that the faulty MAF sensor has convinced the ECU that the combustion chamber needs more fuel than it actually does. This, too, will affect your fuel economy and engine performance. And in addition, you may notice that your vehicle
- Releases excess black exhaust
- Surges forward unexpectedly
- Blows through a full tank of gas
- Smells like gasoline
All of these things are a sign that you have too much fuel in the combustion chamber. In addition, you may find that it is difficult to get your automobile started or it won’t start at all because the engine is flooded. Unfortunately, as with the lean fuel mixture, you will continue to experience problems until you get the MAF sensor cleaned or replaced if it is gone bad.
Avoiding These Problems
As we mentioned above, it’s rare for the mass airflow sensor to fail. One way to ensure that it doesn’t is to maintain your vehicle per your owner’s manual service section. Getting all of the factory-scheduled services when there do helps prevent the mass airflow sensor from getting too dirty or failing.
Call Cergizan’s Auto & Truck Repair in Chesterton, IN, today if you are experiencing any of the problems listed above. We’d be happy to inspect your mass airflow sensor to see if it is the cause.