It isn’t a common occurrence for the mass airflow (MAF) sensor to go bad and need to be replaced. If you take good care of your car, truck, or C/SUV, you may never need to replace the MAF sensor. The mass airflow sensor can get dirty, however, and this can cause the engine problems Miller Brothers Auto Repair is going to list below. These symptoms indicate a dirty or faulty MAF sensor.
Acceleration Troubles
You may end up with problems with your vehicle’s acceleration if your mass airflow sensor is dirty or malfunctioning. The reason why is that it indirectly affects the delicate balance of air and fuel found in the combustion chamber. Too much air can make your acceleration lag.
Black Engine Exhaust
The opposite, too much fuel, will cause your vehicle to release engine exhaust out of the tailpipe. The color of the exhaust will be black. This is a sign that the engine is burning fuel. Unfortunately, again, a malfunctioning MAF sensor can indirectly create this problem.
Engine Hesitation
It can also indirectly cause your engine to hesitate, especially at high speeds. Engine hesitation or sputtering is a sign that your engine is fuel-starved. This can point to a problem with the mass airflow sensor, the oxygen sensor, or a fuel delivery problem.
Engine Surging
Your engine may also surge if there is too much fuel in the combustion chamber. Surging means your engine picks up speed unexpectedly and bucks like a bucking bronco. As we discussed in a previous blog post, the oxygen sensor can cause the same problem.
Hard/No Starts
Sometimes, a dirty MAF sensor can make it difficult to start your automobile. This could be due to a system error code received by the engine control module, your vehicle’s main computer chip, or the imbalance of air and fuel for engine combustion.
Poor Fuel Efficiency
As you already know, any time your engine is unable to run inefficiently your fuel efficiency suffers. Whether dirty or faulty, because the mass airflow sensor is affecting how your engine runs, you will end up with poor fuel economy until you resolve the issue.
Rough Engine Idle
Another indication that your mass airflow sensor is dirty or faulty is rough engine idling. This is easy to notice because you are sitting at a stop in your automobile and you can hear and feel the roughness in the engine’s idle.
Check Engine Light
Finally, as we mentioned above, a dirty or malfunctioning MAF sensor can cause other system sensors to send an error code to the engine control module. When this happens, the module will illuminate the check engine light.
Call Miller Brothers Auto Repair in Somerset, WI, today if you are experiencing any of the symptoms of the faulty MAF sensor listed above.