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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3 |
Hi.
I doubt my 98 contour GL has a bad MAF sensor. Is there a way I can clean the sensor myself or have it checked?
The whole story is this car has been giving poor MPG around 17mi/gal. And lately the CEL was on (P1131). I replaced the O2 sensor but mpg is still low. I read some place online saying there's a good chance the MAF sensor is bad on this car.
Thanks!
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,145
Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,145 |
to clean the maf go here maf cleaning i dont think there is a real easy way to check it though
98.5 Black SE ATX
S&B filter, SVT MAF, optimized SVT TB, mesh grille, removed orange reflectors, painted rear reflector, gutted pre-cats, optimized SVT LIM, 19lb injectors, resonator removed
cant afford an svt but lookin for 1 in nc
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 463
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 463 |
You donâ??t have to clean a MAF unless you are using one of those fancy oil soaked air filters. You can test the MAF with a digital volt meter. The procedure is in the Haynes manual. At idle you should have about .7 to .8 volts and the voltage will increase when you rev the engine. If it does this itâ??s working. The MAF is sensitive (small wire) and can be damaged by cleaning.
jeff
have you fixed your ford lately?
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,725
Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
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Originally posted by mercman:
You donâ??t have to clean a MAF unless you are using one of those fancy oil soaked air filters. You can test the MAF with a digital volt meter. The procedure is in the Haynes manual. At idle you should have about .7 to .8 volts and the voltage will increase when you rev the engine. If it does this itâ??s working. The MAF is sensitive (small wire) and can be damaged by cleaning.
jeff
That is totally untrue, you can ask almsot any CEGer. Things get dirty overtime and needed to be cleaned. So far mine has had to be cleaned three times and everytime it made the CEL go away.
So to the original poster yes it does it need to be cleaned, use some NON- residue eletric cleaner and open your air filter box. Remove the air filter, looking up into the tube you will see a gray wire spray that thing and the area that is gray surrounding it.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 463
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 463 |
What on earth could make it dirty? It has the air filter in front of it? I have 101Kmi on mine and it is as clean as when the car was new. So, unless you are running an oil soak filter (or no filter perhaps) or using silicon dressing under the hood (a big no-no) it should not get dirty. Also, since the MAF is actually a thin wire running at a high temperature, it pretty much will clean itself.
Electrical cleaner wonâ??t hurt it, just donâ??t try it when the MAF is hot or you will kill it.
HITMANinMi
What code are you referring to that the MAF cleaning cures?
jeff
have you fixed your ford lately?
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
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PO171 - system to lean bank 1
1st time I had I didnt no much about cars the shop I took it to replaced the downstream O2 sensor and cleaned the MAF
Last week it came again PO171, cleaned MAF went away for three days, came back, cleaned it again. The code hasnt came since Friday and I have driven over 300 miles.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 463
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
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Posts: 463 |
Sounds like you have un-metered air getting into your intake manifold (air that is getting by the MAF). I would guess that the hose that leads to the IAC has a leak or the manifold gasket is bad. When you remove the MAF assy for cleaning you move the hose and plug the leak for awhile. Also, the upstream O2 sensor reports rich/lean, the downstream monitors the precat and has nothing to do with running lean.
The MAF produces a small DC voltage that is proportional to the airflow past the filament. The faster the air the higher the MAF voltage. This voltage is converted to a digital number or step. I donâ??t recall how many steps but itâ??s not too many. The steps are used along with other inputs compute air/fuel ratio and injector timing. The MAF is calibrated to the engine. All in all, the MAF gives the PCM a ballpark reading on air flow it is not a sensitive device and is not usually associated with poor performance (it either works or it doesnâ??t)
Another way the MAF could get dirty is from crankcase gasses from a bad PCV system or worn rings. You would see oil inside the plumbing if this was the case.
jeff
have you fixed your ford lately?
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Hard-core CEG\'er
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No the car is running fine if I had a bad IM gasket the idle would be all up and down and I would get both PO171 and PO174, not just one of them.
Anyways thanks for the info., but I will continue to clean the MAF everytime PO171 comes which isnt very often.
By the way with replacing the downstream many people have said that wasnt the problem most likely, it wasnt my idea though the shop I took it to replaced it.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 750
Veteran CEG\'er
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Veteran CEG\'er
Joined: Feb 2001
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Originally posted by HITMANinMI:
Last week it came again PO171, cleaned MAF went away for three days, came back, cleaned it again. The code hasnt came since Friday and I have driven over 300 miles.
Did you reset the PCM after the cleaning ?
T.
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 23
New CEG\'er
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New CEG\'er
Joined: Mar 2003
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Might want to clean the IAT too, unless yours is built into the MAF (IIRC).
The last time that I had that code come up, the IAT was not fully inserted into the intake stream. My guess was that air was coming in there, and fouling things up.
'98 Mystique (Zetec - ATX)
430,000 km !!
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