People don’t think about the mass airflow (MAF) sensor until it starts to give them problems. The good news is that the mass airflow sensor rarely goes bad. It can get dirty, and this can skew the information it sends to the engine control module. When this happens, the faulty MAF sensor indirectly affects the air and fuel balance in your vehicle’s combustion chamber. Uptown Imports advises that it may be difficult to get your import started, or you may experience one or more of the following problems.
Acceleration Lag
If there is too much air in the combustion chamber, your import’s acceleration will be affected. The acceleration will seem sluggish from a dead stop or when you pick up speed. Unfortunately, this is being caused by fuel starvation in the engine.
Black Exhaust Smoke
The opposite of fuel starvation is too much fuel, and this, too, can be caused by a malfunctioning MAF sensor. When there is too much fuel being burned by your import’s engine, you may see black exhaust smoke flowing out of the tailpipe.
Check Engine Warning
A dirty mass airflow sensor can also turn on the check engine. The sensor itself might send an error code to the engine control module, or the check engine light may come on because of the engine performance issues discussed in this blog post.
Engine Hesitation
One such issue is engine hesitation. Just like acceleration lag, the engine will hesitate at higher speeds if it isn’t getting enough fuel to support the speed. It will stutter and threatened to stall until you get the mass airflow sensor cleaned or replaced.
Engine Surging
Another engine issue is engine surging, which can be caused by excess fuel in the combustion chamber. This strange sensation feels as if your engine is a bucking bronco. Your vehicle will pick up speed unexpectedly at interim moments.
Poor Fuel Economy
When your engine is doing either of these things, the bottom line is that it is not running efficiently. When this happens, you lose your fuel economy. You will notice that you aren’t getting the gas mileage you normally get out of your import.
Rough Idling
Finally, your import will also idle roughly if there is an imbalance of air and fuel in the combustion chamber. Again, this can be caused by a dirty MAF sensor that is sending incorrect data to the engine control module.
We’ve got you covered here at Uptown Imports in Minneapolis, MN. Call us today if you are experiencing any of the problems listed above.