Your car, truck, or utility vehicle will act up if your mass airflow (MAF) sensor is dirty or malfunctioning. We here at JTR Repair are going to list specific symptoms of a dirty mass airflow sensor below. One of the reasons why these symptoms arise is that if the MAF sensor sends incorrect readings to the engine control unit, the mixture of air and fuel in the combustion chamber will be adjusted unnecessarily.
Problems Starting Your Automobile
The MAF sensor is responsible for tracking the air in the engine. If it can’t do so effectively because it is dirty or faulty, you may end up with excess air in the combustion chamber. This can cause your engine to become fuel-starved, and the excess air makes it difficult to get your vehicle to start or turn over.
Engine Stalls
If you do get your vehicle started, you may find that the engine will stall quickly after it has started. This is because, again, the engine is fuel-starved. There is not enough gasoline in the air and fuel mixture to maintain the combustion and, as a consequence, your engine will stall frequently.
Stress Hesitation
You may also notice that your engine hesitates when it’s under stress. This can be a sign that the dirty mass airflow sensor has affected the air/fuel mixture in the chamber. Specifically, you may find it difficult to get your car to go up steep hills. If you are hauling something, you may notice significant power loss even if you are maintaining a load within your vehicle’s weight restrictions.
Rough Idling
Another problem caused by a dirty mass airflow sensor is rough idling. You may notice that your vehicle is not idling smoothly and threatening to stall. In some cases, it may go ahead and stall. You will have this problem until such time as you replace the malfunctioning mass airflow sensor or clean the dirty one.
An opposite problem can also cause rough idling. In some cases, a faulty MAF sensor will trick the engine control unit into thinking that the combustion chamber needs more fuel when it actually doesn’t. This causes a rich fuel mixture which can also make your vehicle idle roughly.
Acceleration/Performance Problems
Finally, you may notice that your acceleration lags or jumps, and you may also experience engine performance problems such as hiccupping or surging. Again, these two things indicate that there is a problem with the air and fuel mixture in the combustion chamber and the mixture could be off due to a dirty or faulty mass airflow sensor.
JTR Repair in Crawfordsville, IN, can help. Please call us today to set up an appointment.
