MAF Sensor is bad - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

hdpt73 · 02-02-2005, 11:53 AM

will it hurt my car if i drive it without replacing it? my check engine light is on but not blinking red. thanks guys.

Tool Pants · 02-02-2005, 02:08 PM

The check engine light is yellow - never goes to red.

Why do you not want to replace the air flow sensor if that is the reason for the light?

JonnyBGood · 02-02-2005, 02:22 PM

It sounds like if the MAF is bad, sooner or later, its going to mess up your engine. Too rich, too lean, bad adjustments on the air/fuel mixture... Even if it doesn't, sounds like its going to be damn rough ride.

I know its not cheap, but thats one of those that seems like you're going to have to do it.

Just my opinion.

Brucelee · 02-02-2005, 02:38 PM

IF it is the MAF sensor, driving the car is a no/no.

hdpt73 · 02-02-2005, 03:46 PM

reason i don't want to change it is it's 400+ dollars. my reasoning is if it's not going to hurt the car and just give me bad gas mileage then i can hold off on it. i'm buying a house and getting married very soon so if it's an annoyance thing (the yellow light) then i have more important things to spend my money on right now. but if its going to blow my engine (gas/air mixture) then i'm going to change it asap. engine is smooth as usual. i notice when i disconnect the battery for a few minutes and then reconnect it again, light goes off for a few hundred miles. then it comes back on again later. anyone ever try to get married and still have money left over? is there anywhere i can buy the maf for cheaper?

Brucelee · 02-02-2005, 04:26 PM

I really don't see an option here. If the MAF is bad (it seems like it is) the engine will not run with the right fuel/air ratio. Either too lean or too rich can cause serious engine damage, from simply fouled plugs to ruined rings and bearings, valves etc.

We are talking serious money in the worst case.

Yes, you can find a local Porsche mechanic who has a better hourly rate and yes you can shop for MAF from web supply, parts stores etc. You won't save a ton but you can save some money.

And before we start bashing Porsche, I just took a Lexus in trade with a bad MAF sensor at 56K miles. Sadly, it happens to the best of them.

Please for your own sake, don't let this go.

tqtran · 02-02-2005, 05:44 PM

If you have a bad MAF then you could be starting to have bad O2 sensors too.
If you plan to save $$$ by not replacing it then just park it and don't drive it until you can aford to replace it. $400 seems a bit high for a price, I was quoted $300 by my dealer for one a long time ago.

98blackboxster · 02-02-2005, 06:25 PM

How do you know you have a bad maf? did the dealer read the code? What caused the maf to go bad? Depending on what teh problem is you could just correct the problem on the MAF you have. Is there something on the sensor? Like the oil from a K&N? Debris? I had a problem with mine and if you let the maf set in some rubbing alcohol for a few hours and than let the alcohol evaporate overnight it cleans it pretty well. Of course this is just what has worked for me int he past.

Tool Pants · 02-02-2005, 10:26 PM

If you are positive it is the air flow sensor you can buy it for less.

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=659&st=0

There are 100 other reasons for the check engine light to come on.

hdpt73 · 02-03-2005, 05:52 AM

yes, i'm sure it's the maf. it was diagnosed by the dealer and the cause was a k&n air filter that i threw away. what a great idea, to soak it in some alcohol. i will try this as well and see if it fixes the problem.

so i will soak in alcohol first to clean it.
then i will drive and see if it comes up again
if it does not fix it, i will take tool's advice and buy from the cheaper source.

thanks again fellas.

YellowJacket · 02-03-2005, 07:57 AM

Can an occasionally lumpy idle be the result of a bad MAF? My idle is usually ok, but sometimes bounces around a little, or sometimes just has a little too much vibration. No check-engine lights, though. Should I clean the throttle body, or replace the MAF, or what?

Sorry to hijack your thread, but it got me thinking...

Brucelee · 02-03-2005, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YellowJacket

Can an occasionally lumpy idle be the result of a bad MAF? My idle is usually ok, but sometimes bounces around a little, or sometimes just has a little too much vibration. No check-engine lights, though. Should I clean the throttle body, or replace the MAF, or what?

Sorry to hijack your thread, but it got me thinking...

I fixed this several times with Fuel Cleaner and/or replacing the fuel filter.

Chevron makes a very effective Fuel Cleaner.

hdpt73 · 02-18-2005, 07:53 AM

no more MAF light after soaking it in alcohol, i used motherboard cleaning alcohol to soak mine, it evaporates pretty quickly. i'm impressed at the idea 98blackboxster. i'll hope it doesn't come on in the future but if it should then i'll break down and buy the expensive thing. thanks guys for the help, i feel like i should buy ya'll a beer.