McCurley’s Shell is a full-service auto shop in Atlanta, Georgia. We can fix just about any problem underneath the hood including a dirty mass airflow (MAF) sensor. It’s rare for the sensor to go bad and need to be replaced, but it’s common for the sensor to get dirty and malfunction, especially in older automobiles. This is due, in part, because the mass airflow sensor is located behind the air filter. If your MAF sensor is dirty, you will notice one or more of the following five problems.
1. Hard-Starting Engine
When the mass airflow sensor malfunctions, it does not report the air inflow to the engine control module properly. This can cause the module to make incorrect adjustments in the combustion chamber. For example, the module may increase the air or the fuel when the chamber doesn’t need it. Consequently, it will be difficult to get your engine started due to the imbalance.
2. Stalling After Starting
In fact, you may get your vehicle started but it will stall after it has fired up. This is an indication that there is too much air in the combustion chamber and the engine is fuel-starved. Unfortunately, you will continue to have this problem until we clean the MAF sensor to restore its functionality. If the MAF sensor has gone bad, we will need to replace it to resolve the issue.
3. Acceleration Problems
Aside from difficulties getting your vehicle started and it stalling after you start it, you may also experience acceleration problems that, again, indicate that the engine is fuel-starved. Any time the engine does not have enough fuel in the combustion chamber it will struggle to accelerate. It will also struggle when it is under stress, such as when driving up steep hills.
4. Performance Problems
Additional engine performance problems include misfiring, stuttering, and surging. The latter is attributed to too much fuel in the combustion chamber. Again, if the malfunctioning MAF sensor cannot provide the correct air inflow data to the engine control module, the module will make adjustments that will directly affect your engine’s overall performance.
5. Lean or Rich Idling
This includes having problems when the engine is idling. If there is too much air in the combustion chamber, the engine will suffer from lean idling that makes it sputter and stall. The engine can also stall if it is suffering from rich idling because the fuel will flood the engine.
Call McCurley’s Shell in Atlanta, GA, today if you suspect you have a dirty MAF sensor.
