The mass airflow (MAF) sensor is located in your import’s engine behind the air filter. This sensor is engineered to determine how much air flows into the engine from the outside. It reports the air inflow to the engine control unit (ECU) so it can make adjustments in the combustion chamber if necessary. Uptown Imports advises that a dirty MAF sensor can malfunction and cause the following problems.
Acceleration Troubles
If the malfunctioning MAF sensor cannot report the correct air inflow to the ECU, the ECU may make unnecessary adjustments to the air level in the combustion chamber. You may end up with too much air and not enough fuel. This combination will cause your vehicle’s acceleration to lag because the engine is being fuel-starved.
Engine Idling Roughly
A fuel-starved engine will also idle roughly. The rough idling is a definite sign that there is not enough fuel in the combustion chamber. In severe cases, if the MAF sensor is really bad, your engine may stall when it is sitting at an idle.
Performance Problems
The engine will also lag and sputter when you are trying to drive at higher speeds. The opposite can also happen, however. The faulty MAF sensor can trick the ECU into putting too much fuel into the combustion chamber, and, as a consequence, your engine will surge unexpectedly and sporadically.
Poor Fuel Efficiency
All of these conditions cause your engine to run inefficiently. When this happens, you will see a noticeable reduction in the fuel efficiency of your import. You will need to fill the tank more often because the engine will burn through the fuel more quickly.
Black Exhaust Smoke
Aside from searching, another sign that the ECU has put too much fuel into the combustion chamber is black exhaust smoke flowing out of your import’s tailpipe. This is an indication that the import is burning too much fuel in the engine. Again, a faulty mass airflow sensor can trick the ECU into this rich fuel mixture.
Hard Starts/No Starts
The dirty MAF sensor can also make it difficult to start your automobile because of the air and fuel imbalance in the combustion chamber. In severe cases, you may not be able to get your automobile started at all.
Check Engine Warning
Finally, as you have learned, when the MAF sensor goes bad, strange things happen in the engine. System sensors throughout the engine pick up on these problems and send error codes to the ECU. The ECU will turn on the check engine light to alert you of trouble.
Call Uptown Imports in Minneapolis, MN, today if your import is experiencing any of the problems listed above. We can clean the mass airflow sensor or replace it if necessary.