Dirt generally makes the mass airflow (MAF) sensor cause problems. The sensor sits behind the air filter, and, consequently, it can get quite dirty. When this happens, it may be unable to report the correct amount of air flowing into the engine. John Ellis & son advises that when this happens, the engine control unit is often tricked into making unnecessary adjustments to the air and fuel in the combustion chamber. This causes the following problems listed below.
Black Engine Exhaust Smoke
Black exhaust smoke flows out of your tailpipe when the engine is burning too much fuel. If the engine control unit added fuel to the combustion chamber when it didn’t need it because the mass airflow sensor is reporting incorrect data, you will end up with black exhaust smoke flowing out of your tailpipe.
Difficulty Starting the Car
You might also have difficulty starting your car with a dirty MAF sensor. Again, this is due to the imbalance of air and fuel in the combustion chamber. Whether there is too much air or fuel, firing up your automobile will be difficult if not impossible until the MAF sensor is cleaned.
Engine Performance Issues
This imbalance can also cause engine performance issues that will make you want to pull your hair out. For example, your engine will sputter and hiccup if there is too much air in the chamber. If there’s too much fuel in the chamber, your engine will pick up speed in unexpected spurts.
Idling That Is Rough
You will also experience engine idling that is rough and acts as if your vehicle is going to stall. In severe cases, your car, truck, or utility vehicle just might stall. This symptom of a faulty MAF sensor is easy to detect because you will feel the rough idling when you are sitting in your automobile at a stop.
Trouble With Acceleration
Aside from the engine performance issues discussed above, your vehicle will also have a hard time accelerating when the combustion chamber is filled with air. This can be frustrating when you need to pick up speed. Instead of responding right away, the engine will hesitate.
Reduction in Fuel Economy
All of these things cause a reduction in your vehicle’s fuel economy. Unfortunately, until the MAF sensor is cleaned and the balance in the combustion chamber restored, you will end up having to fill your tank more often than normal. With gas prices what they are today, this can be a huge problem.
Illuminated Check Engine Light
Finally, because of the issues discussed above, the engine control unit will turn on the check engine light. Your vehicle cannot pass a smog check with the check engine light on. You will need to address the problem with the mass airflow sensor to get the check engine light turn off.
John Ellis & Son in Sacramento, CA, can do this for you, so call us today. We’ll get to the bottom of the MAF sensor problem and fix it.
