When you repair or replace your vehicle’s mass airflow sensor [MAF], it needs a reset to start working. When it becomes too old and dirty, you will have to replace it with a new one or repair the old one by hiring a mechanic. So, in this article, I will teach you How to Reset Mass Air Flow Sensor with ease. Please stick with me until the end.
What is a Mass Air Flow Sensor?
The Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF) in your automobile is one of the essential components of the electronic fuel injection system that it is equipped with. It is located between the air filter and the intake manifold in the engine’s intake manifold. Take a look at the illustration.
The mass air flow sensor [MAF] monitors the amount of air entering the engine and the flow of air through the engine.
An intake air temperature sensor, also known as an IAT sensor, is integrated into the mass airflow sensor in current automobiles. There are just a few different types of airflow sensors; however, recent cars employ a hot-wire variety.
Symptoms of a bad mass airflow sensor.
When your vehicle’s MAF is down, it will give several indications that help you identify the issue. So what are the symptoms of a bad mass airflow sensor?
A polluted or failing mass airflow sensor will not be able to detect the amount of air flowing through it accurately. As a result, the car’s engine computer incorrectly calculates the amount of gasoline to be injected—mass airflow sensor (MAF).
Therefore, a defective mass airflow sensor can cause a variety of driving difficulties, such as a no-start condition, stalled engine performance, lack of power, and poor acceleration. In addition, a defective mass airflow sensor may cause the Check Engine or Service Engine Soon lights to illuminate on the dashboard.
The airflow sensor’s issue might cause the automatic transmission’s shifting pattern to become erratically shifted.
Whenever the airflow sensor signal deviates from the intended range, the PCM registers a problem and saves the related issue code, resulting in the Check Engine Light on the dashboard being illuminated for some time.
The location of this error code can be determined using a scan tool. When a mass airflow sensor fails, the following error codes are often logged on the computer:
- P0100 – Malfunction of the Mass Air Flow Circuit Range and Performance of the Mass Air Flow Circuit (P0101).
- P0102 – Low Mass Air Flow Circuit (Mass Air Flow Circuit)
- P0103 – “Mass Air Flow Circuit Intermittent” P0104 – “Mass Air Flow Circuit Intermittent” P0103 – “Mass Air Flow Circuit High”
- Problem codes P0171 System Too Lean (Bank 1) and P0174 System Too Lean (Bank 2) can be caused by a faulty or contaminated mass air flow sensor, which is both often seen.
How to trick a mass airflow sensor [MAF]?
Yes, you can always track your mass airflow sensor. But as we are responsible for what we are talking about, we do not recommend tricking the MAF. Here is why.
That sensor detects the volume of air entering your 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.
When the sensor is not functioning correctly, it causes everything to get jumbled. It is possible to clean the sensor with electrical components cleaner, removing any dirt or debris from the sensor and allowing it to function correctly.
I’m assuming you had a scan done and discovered a P-code for the MAF sensor or that someone claimed the sensor was the source of the problem? Avoiding or deleting that sensor will only result in further complications.
What happens if you disconnect the mass airflow sensor?
This will allow it to start and operate well enough to make it to a service repair facility. If you leave, it detached for an extended period of time without having it repaired, and it will begin to foul the spark plugs and cause other driving troubles.
Alternatively, if you want assistance, ItIsMyCar can provide it, with one of our mobile specialists coming to your house to replace your mass airflow sensor.
Why would a vehicle run better with the mass airflow sensor unplugged?
This computer in your automobile is responsible for a multitude of duties, including interpreting the signal from the MAF sensor into meaningful data. It is located in the engine compartment.
It is possible that the MAF sensor could fail, and the ECU will improperly adjust the air-fuel ratio, which will result in the engine running too rich.
On the other hand, the ECU will notice that the MAF sensor has been disconnected and will place the car into a safe/limp mode as a result. As the name says, performance will be lowered, and the turbocharger will not function, but you will be able to operate the vehicle as standard.
If the safe/limp mode provides more power than the usual mode, this indicates that the MAF sensor is suffering from severe failure. You might still attempt cleaning it first, but this is unlikely to be of much use at this point.
How to Reset Mass Air Flow Sensor?
The following steps will bring you through the process of resetting the MAF of your vehicle.
- Start your car’s engine and 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 your car’s engine and allow it to idle for at least 5 seconds before continuing.
- 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. “I am not sure if this is the same for every car, though.”
Some related FAQs to “how to reset mass air flow sensor”.
Does a mass airflow sensor [MAF] need to be programmed?
In fact, you don’t even need to meddle with the dealer wanted to charge me $400 for a new MAF and another $110 for a PCM reflashing.
As a result, I decided to do it myself, but I wanted to be sure the PCM did not truly need to be reflashed as they had stated because I am unable to do so myself.
Is it wrong to drive a car with the MAF unplugged?
That is absolutely safe if you want to drive around with the MAF unplugged. Your vehicle operates on a default map and is a little more luxurious. Simply said, don’t do it for several weeks at a time.
We hope you’ve got the answer that you’ve needed for the question, “how to reset mass air flow sensor” reading our explanation. If you have more questions just leave a comment below.
