Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting MAF (mass airflow sensor) replacement

Hi all:

I have mercury mystique 96 with the 2.0L engine ...

I have had CEL dealing with 'lean condition' for quite a while now, like P0171.

Yesterday, I decided to take the car to the dealer hoping that they would replace whatever was causing the problem (MAF sensor most likely) for free since I think it looks like it is a major defect.

Guess not.

The diagnostic is MAF Sensor completely out of range (now, why it does not give a CEL of its own, I don't know). The dealer wants $460 to fix (I imagine diagnostic and maybe labor is to be added), so I said no sireee, I'll pay the diagnostic fee and get out of there.

Now, I am sure I am not the only one with this MAF sensor problem causing lean condition and other little things. There is a technical service bulletin about it so it must be pretty common.

Can you guys recommend a place online where I can get a brand new MAF sensor at a discounted price ? I tried fordpartsonline.com but hey don't seem to carry it.

Thanks a million,
Hugues -

Is the CARDONE rebuilt unit you can can find at parts store ok ?
It's about $100 with a $60 core charge.

Hugues =

I had PO171 system to lean bank 1 back in Februarry.

You can clean your MAF with non-residue eletric cleaner, and also dont know if you have to but I had to have the downstream O2 sensor replaced as well. The code hasnt came back yet, cost about $120 total part and labor by the way.

ok, thanks HITMAN ...
I think I'll just spend the 100 bucks for a new one ... Had it been $500, I would reconsider.

Do you need to clean them often ??? Should it be added to the list of things to do every six months ?

At one point I had 4 CEL codes showing up ... all pointing to a lean condition ... I did not complain then since my MPG was fantastic ... unfortunately, I cannot pass Mass inspection with a CEL light showing so I really have to fix it now.

It seems the CEL code P0171 is the first one to show up when I am under load (putting AC on, going uphill, things like that).

IS there a way to test the MAF sensor when out of the vehicle ... Resistance readings to be compared with resistance specs (something like that) ... I don't recall seeing anything on HAYNES manual but maybe FSM has some better info.

Hugues -