The Mass Air Flow sensor (MAF) is one of the key components of an electronic fuel injection system in your vehicle. It is installed between the air filter and the intake manifold of the engine.
Our customer complained of poor performance and increased fuel usage. It can be seen from this initial photo, that their MAF was extremely dirty, an indication that the air filter cover had not been fitted correctly.
This allowed dust to bypass the air filter and enter the engine. A dirty or faulty MAF sensor can cause serious engine wear and numerous serious faults; including lack of power, poor acceleration and in some cases put the vehicle into Limp Mode. 😳
The MAF sensor measures the amount of air entering the engine or the air flow. There are a few types of air flow sensors; however, all modern vehicles use a hot-wire type.
When the engine is idling, a small amount of air flows around the hot wire, so it takes a very low electric current to keep the wire hot. When you accelerate, the throttle opens allowing more air to flow over the hot wire. The passing air cools the wire down. The more air flow over the wire, the more electrical current is needed to keep it hot.
The electric current is proportional to the amount of air flow. A small electronic chip installed inside the air flow sensor translates the electric current into a digital signal and sends it to the ECU.
The ECU uses the air flow signal to calculate how much fuel to inject. The goal is to keep the air/fuel ratio at the optimal level. In some vehicles, the ECU uses air flow readings to determine the shift points of the automatic transmission. If the air flow sensor doesn't work properly, the automatic transmission might shift differently too
This all goes to show how important regular maintenance is for your vehicle engines, especially here in the heart of dusty NT, Australia.
Contact us today to book your next service online: Contact | All Rural Mechanical | Humpty Doo NT (armechanical.com.au)
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