You may never have problems with your vehicle’s mass airflow (MAF) sensor. A sensor can go bad, however, if it gets too dirty or wears down. Dad’s Automotive can clean the MAF sensor or replace it if your vehicle is having any of the problems listed below. These are signs that you have a faulty mass airflow sensor underneath the hood.
Performance Trouble
You may end up with engine performance trouble such as sputtering or lagging if the MAF sensor is unable to track the air that flows into the engine correctly. The reason why the engine lags is that the sensor sends incorrect air data to the engine control module (ECM). Consequently, the module may put extra air in the combustion chamber and starve the engine of fuel.
Rough Idling
This lean fuel mixture condition will also cause your engine to idle roughly. You may not realize that your vehicle is having performance lag if it is minimal, but you can feel the engine idling roughly when you are sitting at a stop. Pay attention to how the engine feels and sounds.
Surging Engine
The opposite can also occur. The ECM may put extra fuel in the combustion chamber that will make the engine surge sporadically when the fuel is burned. This problem, again, is being indirectly caused by a malfunctioning MAF sensor that is sending incorrect air inflow data to the ECM.
Poor Gas Mileage
Unfortunately, all of these things will reduce your automobile’s gas mileage because it will burn more fuel even if the engine is sputtering. The engine needs to be running efficiently in order to get the best gas mileage possible. A faulty MAF sensor can make the engine run inefficiently.
Black Exhaust
If the engine is burning away excess fuel, it may release black exhaust smoke out of the tailpipe. Depending on the severity of the fuel burn, it may become unsafe to drive your automobile if the fuel ignites. If you have excessive exhaust smoke, have your vehicle towed to our shop.
Hard Starts
The malfunctioning MAF sensor can also make it difficult to start your automobile because of the reasons discussed above. The imbalance of air and fuel in the combustion chamber will directly affect your engine’s ability to fire up and run efficiently.
Finally, Dad’s Automotive in New Era, MI, advises that you may end up with an illuminated check engine warning if the mass airflow sensor is going bad. Call our shop today to schedule an appointment.