A car mass airflow sensor is an important part of your vehicle. In simple words, it is a sensor on the air intake that is called the mass air flow sensor. This sensor is needed for calculating how much air to mix with the fuel.
Sometimes, car owners might want to trick that airflow sensor, but this is exactly where most of them stumble upon the same issue: how is it possible to rick my car’s mass airflow sensor?
In this article, we will try to give you the answer to this question, as well as answer the related questions. You will not only learn whether or not you can trick your mass airflow sensor on a car.
In addition, you will find out what it is and what it is needed for in your vehicle. Moreover, we will explain how you can tell if your car’s mass airflow sensor is not working properly, and what should be done if this is the case.
How to Bypass Mass Air Flow Sensor?
First of all, it is true that you can trick your car’s mass airflow sensor. The only way to safely trick the MAF of your car is to have a true cold air intake that is away from the hot engine.
However, we do not recommend you trick the mass airflow sensor, and here is the reason, why.
See, this sensor is used for detecting the volume of air that is entering your car’s engine as well as the temperature of the air (depending on the manufacturer) so that the PCM can regulate the amount of fuel it requires.
And if this sensor is not functioning correctly for any reason, everything is becoming jumbled.
It is possible to clean the sensor with electrical components cleaner though. Like this, you will be able to remove any dirt or debris from the sensor and allow it to function correctly.
And you have already probably had a scan done and you discovered a P-code for the mass airflow sensor or that someone claimed the sensor was the source of the problem. In case you decide to avoid or delete that sensor, it will only result in further complications.
A Mass Air Sensor For Car. What Is This?
Even if you are a car owner, it does not mean that you know all the insides and the engine structure of your vehicle perfectly. So perhaps, you have wondered about what a mass airflow sensor is. See, the mass air flow sensor in your car is a part of it that measures the air mass that is flowing into the engine intake.
You might not be aware of this, but measuring that air mass is critical in calculating how much fuel to add to achieve the correct air-fuel ratio.
See, the ideal air-fuel ratio for a car is 14.7:1 (where 14.7 pounds of air to 1.0 pounds of gasoline), but the air-fuel ratio in real life often varies.
Acceleration might require a rich air-fuel ratio, sometimes reaching up to 12:1, while cruising requires a leaner rate, sometimes as low as 22:1.
If your car has a bad mass airflow sensor, the engine control module cannot calculate fuel injection correctly. In this case, this issue can lead to larger problems with your vehicle.
What Happens If You Have A Bad Mass Air Flow Sensor?
As we have already figured out before, the mass airflow sensor is an essential part of your car’s engine. This sensor measures the amount of air that is coming into the engine. And also, it sends a reading to your car’s computer.
Like this, the car’s computer will then be able to adjust the engine accordingly for optimal performance.
Why is this so important, you may be wondering? Well, simply because you want the engine of your car to perform at its best, just like any car owner would say.
In this case, if the engine operates perfectly well, the car burns the fuel and operates with lower emissions efficiently.
However, a mass airflow sensor is a mechanical thing and of course, it can get damaged or broken, which will result in some sort of malfunctioning. The airflow sensor can fail in several ways.
But one of the most common reasons for the failure of this part of a car is that it becomes contaminated, which causes it to malfunction.
When this happens, your car will display you a code that will be indicating that a mass airflow sensor failure has happened. The car will show a code on the dash and illuminate the check engine light when this happens.
This means that your vehicle needs to be taken to your mechanic for diagnosis and further repair.
Please note that it is essential to replace a malfunctioning mass airflow sensor as soon as possible in this case because this will optimize the performance of your car’s engine!
When you take your car to the automobile service center, your mechanic will test the system and determine how bad the mass airflow sensor failure is. See, many car owners might not notice a decline in their car’s performance, but still, one can detect a decline in fuel economy anyway.
So whether you want it or not, you will not miss the red light from your vehicle!
In the majority of cases, after all the things are considered, it will be much cheaper and also better for your vehicle if you place the broken part.
In addition, you are not likely to run into problems with re-installing or repairing the mass airflow sensor, this is why you can easily leave this step to professionals.
They have all the necessary knowledge and skill, so they will take care of your car exactly the way it should be done!
Symptoms Of a Faulty Mass Air Flow Sensor
All right, you may say, now I know that my car’s mass air flow sensor might get broken and fail to function properly. But if I’m not a professional mechanic, how do I know whether or not it is faulty?
Well, there are several symptoms of a bad car’s mass air flow sensor. However, you need to take into consideration that not all of them are immediately obvious:
- Illuminated Check Engine Light. Performance and circuit diagnostic trouble codes may refer directly to the mass air flow sensor of your car, but fuel trim and misfire codes can also be linked to the MAF sensor.
- Trouble Accelerating. If you are having problems with accelerating into highway traffic or while passing, the ECM may be limiting injection due to the problems with your car’s mass air flow sensor.
- Rough Idle. As you probably know, smooth idle is hard to achieve without the proper amount of fuel. If the mass air flow sensor in your car has issues, the engine may not run smoothly, especially while idling.
- Poor Fuel Economy. The mass air flow sensor does not have to fail completely or stop running to affect fuel economy. If the ECM errs rich, it may add more fuel than necessary, causing poor fuel economy.
- Black Exhaust Smoke. In some cases, the ECM may err so much that it results in black smoke coming out of the exhaust. This can also overload the catalytic converter.
- Hesitation or Surging. During acceleration or cruising, you might notice hesitation or sudden abnormal power, which can be unnerving.
- Hard Starting. You know that engine starting requires more fuel than idling. But the ECM may not command enough fuel injection to start the engine right away if the mass airflow sensor signal is skewed.
Nevertheless, we want to remind you that these issues don’t always mean that your mass airflow sensor is faulty. There are issues that can mimic a bad mass airflow sensor of your car. For example, those could include:
- vacuum leak
- a clogged air filter
- restricted exhaust
- a clogged catalytic converter
- a broken intake tube
So we suggest you check the intake system to figure out first whether or not the problem is in one of those issues.
How Do You Fix Your Faulty Mass Air Flow Sensor?
Let’s say, you notice some problems with your car’s engine and you suspect it could be the faulty mass air flow sensor.
However, after the car is checked, and the sensor appears to be all fine, the issues won’t disappear.
In case your car’s intake system is in a good condition and works well, but you are still having issues, there are several things you can try out to solve the problem:
- Shake out the dust by blowing out the intake tubing. Then install a new air filter in order to prevent future dust intrusion.
- Use a cleaner. A specific cleaner designed for a car’s mass airflow sensor may be able to take care of any contamination.
- Replace it. If none of the steps listed above appears to be effective, you have only one solution left. It is replacing your mass airflow sensor. Luckily, it is usually a simple job!
Anyway, diagnosing any issues is always a good option.
Compare your vehicle’s components with known-good signals for accurate diagnosis and quick repair. And remember to check your car’s engine regularly! Like this, you will be able to spot any failures and malfunctions in advance at the early stages and fix them. It will take less time and less money than if you had to do this when the car is almost not running!
How to Reset Mass Air Flow Sensor?
If you undergo the following steps exactly one by one, they will bring you through the process of resetting the mass air flow sensor of your vehicle.
- Start your car’s engine
- Allow it to warm up to its normal operating temperature before continuing
- Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position
- Disconnect the connection for the mass airflow sensor harness
- Start the engine of your car
- Allow it to idle for at least 5 seconds before you move on
- Stop the engine and reconnect the connector for the mass airflow sensor harness
- Check to see that DTC P0102 is shown
- Delete the DTC memory from your computer
However, this sequence of actions may not work for every car model, so if you try it and it does not work, we recommend you ask your mechanic for advice.
So, now you folks know a bit more about such a part of your car’s vehicle as a mass air flow sensor that is also known as MAF.
We told you how this thing could be tricked, and also we explained why you should not do that anyway. Also, you have learned how to reset your car’s mass air flow sensor with our step by step instruction, and how your MAF sensor could be fixed.
Nevertheless, if you notice that the mass air flow sensor of your car is not working properly or it’s not running at all, and if you try all the life hacks we give you in this article, but your MAF is still dead, you’d better take your car to the mechanic to get it checked and the issue fixed.
[wp-faq-schema title=”Frequently Asked Questions”]
Hi everyone! If there’s an experienced driver here, I need your help. See, my MAF is not working properly, but I’ll be able to take my car to the service center next week only. Until then, can I drive with a bad MAF sensor?
Hi there! Yes, it is possible to drive with the signs of a bad MAF sensor but for a specific duration. However, I would not recommend you drive with a bad MAF sensor since it might lead you towards engine issues. See, usually, people neglect what the MAF sensor tells them that often leads them towards the worst engine conditions.
My car’s MAF is faulty and I’m afraid to use the car (even though I have to!). Can a bad MAF sensor cause a misfire?
See, if a mass airflow sensor is failing, it could give incorrect data to your engine’s computer, causing the misfire. When a vacuum line is broken, it can cause a fuel-injected motor to misfire. Replacing a vacuum line that’s gone bad can potentially resolve the misfire.
Hi! I have a question for you folks. Is it safe driving with mass air flow sensor unplugged?
Yes, it’s quite safe. When you unplug the MAF, the computer goes to a default value. Your fuel economy will probably suffer a little bit, but it’s not a big deal. You’re going to be OK for a week or two. But if you keep it like this long term, it may result in the car not operating to it’s full potential.
Does anyone know how to reset mass air flow sensor correctly and whether it can be done myself?
Yes, you can do that yourself, just make sure you follow the instructions. You need to remove the old MAF sensor and replace it with a new one. Before you connect the sensor with its harness, disconnect the battery from the ground cable and leave it like that for around 10 minutes. The whole system will be reset.
I have a 2002 Avalanche. It has a new MA F sensor, air cleaner, no vacuum leaks. I can clear trouble code and drive all over with no check engine light. When i shut off and restart light comes on. Any suggestions??
Hello! Thank you for your comment, but it seems that you need to consult a specialist at a car service center.
Thank you for such a useful article! I found a lot of handy stuff for myself in it. Could you also list the symptoms of a bad mass air flow sensor please?
If your MAF is dirty or just going bad, you might have one of the following issues: black exhaust from excess fuel, a check engine light might also comes on. Other signs are hard starts, hesitation, poor gas economy, rough idle, and trouble accelerating.
Is it safe driving with mass air flow sensor unplugged?
You should not drive the car long when the MAF sensor is unplugged. Without a proper signal from the mass air flow sensor, the powertrain control module (PCM), which manages the engine, transmission, and other systems in your car, won’t know how much fuel the engine needs. As a result, the engine will use too little fuel or too much fuel).
My car’s MAF was replaced. Do you know what to do after replacing mass air flow sensor?
As far as I remember, after repalcing your MAF, you have to reset the car’s battery.
Can anyone explain how to reset a mass air flow sensor? Is it possible to do myself?
i guess you can do it yourself if you are skilled enough in fixing your car’s minor engine issues. Well, basically, to reset a mass air flow sensor, take off the old MAF sensor and put a new one in its place. Then, disconnect the battery out from ground cable before you connect the sensor to its harness. Don’t touch it for about 10 minutes. Afterward, everything will start over.
Does anyone know how to test a mass air flow sensor? How do I know if it’s working properly?
Well, I know what signs can show you that your MAF sensor is not doing well. Those would be difficulties with starting or turning over the engine; engine hesitation while under load or idle; jerking during acceleration, and excessively rich or lean idling. I guess if you don’t find any of these, your MAF is doing ok.
If I have already modded my engine to increase air flow, how to modify a mass air flow sensor?
I guess you should go to the car service with that. They know for sure what to do! Even though I’m an experienced driver, I always take my car to the service to fix or upgrade it since I want the job to be done smoothly, and I might do something wrong.
My car technician told me that I should clean my MAF regularly, but I forgot to ask how to do that. Does anyone know how to clean a mass air flow sensor?
I recommend you use a CRC MAF Sensor Cleaner. This stuff is specifically designed to remove oil, dirt, fibers and dust from the sensor without causing any damage to it. The chemicals used are hexane-based, which evaporate quickly without the use of alcohol. Besides, the cleaning process is quite simple and can be completed in about 10 minutes.
Hello! Could you pelas explain why would a car run better with the mass air flow sensor unplugged? I’ve always thought it should do better when the sensor is on.
Hi! In fact, if your car is running better when the MAF sensor is unplugged, it means that the MAF sensor is not giving proper data to the ECU. Simply speaking, you need to clean, repair or replace the MAF sensor.