What is the Air Sensor?
Thread Starter
|
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 5,643
Likes: 8
From: NE Texas
What is the Air Sensor?
Give you an idea what's going on...
I changed spark plugs Friday the 5th - all went well. Got in my truck yesterday and it began to cutout, sputter, misfire. Surprised me after all that hard work, but i took it to Ford and left it. They called me a few minutes ago and said that some kind of Air Sensor (located behind the air filter) seems to be bad. This thing has a small wire that detects something and tells the computer something and it regulates air/fuel mixture or something. I can't see how that can make the motor misfire so much. Said they hooked it up to their computer and it is never the same plug that misfires - they all misfire randomly. What in the world.....?
I changed spark plugs Friday the 5th - all went well. Got in my truck yesterday and it began to cutout, sputter, misfire. Surprised me after all that hard work, but i took it to Ford and left it. They called me a few minutes ago and said that some kind of Air Sensor (located behind the air filter) seems to be bad. This thing has a small wire that detects something and tells the computer something and it regulates air/fuel mixture or something. I can't see how that can make the motor misfire so much. Said they hooked it up to their computer and it is never the same plug that misfires - they all misfire randomly. What in the world.....?
Posting Guru
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,990
Likes: 1
From: Middleburg, FL
What is the Air Sensor?
Your description is a mass air flow sensor. Not sure about the misfire diagnosis, but a bad MAF sensor will make the engine run like crap. The MAF sensor detects the amount of air coming into the engine and feeds a signal to the engine control computer. The computer then uses this signal to schedule fuel flow to maintain the optimal air/fuel ratio. If the signal coming in is bad or no signal at all, the computer doesn't have a clue how much fuel flow to schedule for any throttle setting. That's a pretty simplistic explanation but hopefully gives you a rough idea. The MAF sensor is extremely critical.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 194
Likes: 0
From: North Dakota
What is the Air Sensor?
Some people with kn filters have had trouble with there maf sensors becuase they oil them too much. It happened to my boss's f150 after he serviced it then he brought to the dealership and had it fixed and then told me the problem and and I said a little squirt of brake clean would have fixed a 200 dollar repair bill
Postmaster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,417
Likes: 3
From: Durham, NC
What is the Air Sensor?
Originally posted by Big Orn
So, Panzer, do you mean you can spray the MAF sensor with Brake Cleaner and it will begin to operate properly?
So, Panzer, do you mean you can spray the MAF sensor with Brake Cleaner and it will begin to operate properly?
that this is what contaminated your MAF sensor. When this
happens, you can usually clean the elements with an electronic
cleaner that does not leave a residue.
I am not a believer in K&N air filters, the OEM paper filters
much better....Just my $0.02
Thread Starter
|
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 5,643
Likes: 8
From: NE Texas
What is the Air Sensor?
Yea, I have thought about that and it seems that this little sensor is sensitive enough to detect that oil. Come to think of it, that sensor is not 4 inches from it. Will check that out. Thanks, men.
Trending Topics
New User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: San Diego
What is the Air Sensor?
On a related note, can a stock MAF somehow tell the engine computer to compensate the mixture if you change to an aftermarket air filter like a K&N or others? I wonder if the mixture needs to be adjusted to keep the air/fuel balance right after adding a differently designed, larger air flow filter.
My dealer added my filter, but I wonder if they adjusted mixture or not. Hmmm.
My dealer added my filter, but I wonder if they adjusted mixture or not. Hmmm.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!
Joe Kucinski
Thread Starter
|
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 5,643
Likes: 8
From: NE Texas
What is the Air Sensor?
Don't know, Eric, but I removed my K&N over the weekend and installed a standard filter. Cleaned MAF sensor. This made no difference at all - guess it was not the K&N that caused my problems. Still looking into it.