Having difficulty starting your car is one sign that your mass airflow (MAF) sensor is going bad. It isn’t the only sign, however, according to Clark’s Car Care. The MAF is a sensor that measures how much air flows into your engine while you drive your automobile. It reports the amount of air to the engine control module so it can make adjustments to the air and fuel mixture. If the mass airflow sensor is bad, you may experience the following problems.
Acceleration Trouble
Depending on the misreading by the MAF, the engine control module may put more air in the combustion chamber than is necessary and you will have problems accelerating your automobile. It will hesitate and sputter before it responds.
Black Exhaust
The opposite problem could be too much fuel in the engine, and this will cause your vehicle to release black exhaust through the tailpipe. This is because the engine is burning away the excess diesel fuel or gasoline.
Check Engine Light
The check engine light will come on because of the imbalance between the air and fuel in the engine. It will also come on because the mass airflow sensor has sent an error code to the engine control module. Chances are it will not turn off until such time as the MAF sensor is replaced.
Engine Hesitation
Getting back to engine problems, a lean fuel mixture, which means there isn’t enough fuel in the engine, will cause your engine to hesitate just like it causes your acceleration to hesitate. Your engine may also sputter and stall, especially when it’s idling.
Engine Surging
Engine surging means that there’s too much fuel in the combustion chamber. The engine is burning away the fuel and surging forward as if it is a bucking bronco that is out of control.
Idling Roughly
A lean fuel mixture can also cause your vehicle to idle roughly and stall. In fact, it can stall while you are at an idle and, depending on how bad the imbalance between the air and fuel is in the engine, you may not be able to get your vehicle to start again.
Poor Gas Mileage
Finally, low gas mileage is also a sign that your mass airflow sensor is not operating as it should be. This is because the engine is either struggling and using extra fuel because it has too much air, or it is burning away excess gas because it has too much fuel.
Clark’s Car Care in Naperville, Illinois, can test your mass airflow sensor to see if it is working correctly. If not, we can replace it. Call us today for an appointment.