The mass airflow (MAF) sensor rarely goes completely bad, but it can get dirty and malfunction. When this happens, RSW European Auto Repair advises that you may run into one or more of the following problems. In most cases, we can clean the mass airflow sensor to resolve the issue. If the sensor has gone bad, we can replace it.
Check Engine Warning
The check engine light will turn on if the mass airflow sensor is acting up because it directly affects how well your Land Rover’s engine performs. As things start to go awry in the combustion chamber, which we will talk more about below, system sensors will send error codes to the engine control unit. If the unit cannot resolve the problem itself, it will turn on the check engine light.
Dark Exhaust Smoke
The MAF sensor keeps track of the air coming into the engine. It lets the engine control unit know the air inflow. If it gets dirty and starts to malfunction, it may send incorrect inflow data to the unit. When this happens, the engine control unit will make adjustments to the air and fuel in the combustion chamber that aren’t actually needed. If there is too much fuel in the chamber, you will see black exhaust smoke.
Hard Starts/No Starts
Too much fuel can also make it difficult to start your Land Rover if the engine is flooded. If the opposite happens and there is too much air in the chamber, it will definitely be difficult to start your Land Rover. Unfortunately, when the engine is fuel-starved, it has a harder time firing up and running.
Performance Trouble
The unbalanced conditions in the combustion chamber can also cause engine performance problems. For example, when the Land Rover has too much air in the chamber, the acceleration will lag in the engine will sputter and install. When the Land Rover has too much fuel in the chamber, the engine will pick up speed by itself unexpectedly.
Poor Fuel Economy
These performance problems will affect your Land Rover’s fuel economy. Unfortunately, it won’t affect the fuel economy for the better. Rather, you will start to get fewer miles per gallon out of a full tank of gas or diesel fuel.
Rough Engine Idle
Finally, the faulty MAF sensor can make your engine idle roughly if there is too much air in the combustion chamber. Generally, cleaning or replacing the mass airflow sensor will solve the problem.
Call RSW European Auto Repair in Green Brook Township, NJ, today if your Land Rover or other European automobile is experiencing any of the problems listed above.