If you take good care of your car, truck, or utility vehicle, you may never need to replace the mass airflow sensor. Also called the MAF sensor, this auto part can get dirty, however, particularly because it is located behind the air filter. Hightech Automotive is here to help if you end up having problems with your MAF sensor. Specifically, you will notice the following signs of a dirty MAF sensor listed below.
Acceleration Lag
The mass airflow sensor’s job is to report how much air flows into the engine. It sends this information to your vehicle’s main computer chip, the engine control unit or ECU. The ECU uses this information to balance the air and fuel in the combustion chamber. If the mass airflow sensor reports incorrect data, the ECU may increase the air unnecessarily and your vehicle’s acceleration will lag.
Performance Trouble
You will also end up with engine performance trouble. When there is too much air in the combustion chamber, you end up with a sputtering engine that struggles to operate at higher speeds. If the ECU adds extra gas or diesel fuel into the combustion chamber, you will end up with a surging engine. This means that your engine will unexpectedly pick up speed in spurts.
Rough Engine Idle
Either condition can also cause your engine to idle roughly. In order to idle smoothly, the engine needs the right amount of air and fuel in the combustion chamber to maintain efficient combustion. If either of these things is out of balance, your engine will idle roughly while you are sitting at a stop.
Hard or No Starting
The dirty MAF sensor can also make it difficult to start your automobile. In this case, the engine is being fuel-starved by too much air in the combustion chamber. This can create a problem with your vehicle’s ignition. Cleaning the MAF sensor should resolve the issue.
Poor Fuel Economy
Indirectly, the malfunctioning MAF sensor can also create a problem with your vehicle’s fuel economy. You will find that you blow through gasoline or diesel fuel more quickly than normal. This is an indication, again, that the air and fuel are out of balance in the combustion chamber.
Check Engine Warning
Finally, when the mass airflow sensor goes bad, many system sensors end up reporting errors. They report these errors to the ECU and it turns on the check engine light.
Call Hightech Automotive in Forest City, NC, today if you suspect that your mass airflow sensor is dirty and malfunctioning. We will inspect and test the sensor and do what it takes to repair it.