+1. I had the same problem in my GS430 last year and it is so not worth the problems. If there was a minute gas savings, it was more than negated by the repair cost and hassle..

 

My neighbor is a Ford Dealership Mechanic who would disagree with you based upon the number of oily MAF sensor problems he has seen in the shop

 

Meh, I take the claims with a grain of salt. MAF will eventually get contaiminated no matter what filter you're running on your vehicle. They pick up water, oil, blowby, etc from road and engine itself all the time and no filter is 100% effective. I think its more a case of a convienient product to blame it on to explain any residue on the sensor that the filter itself being a problem area.

I know (and have worked with at the Dealership I used to work for) many, many "Ford Mechanics" that were little more than glorified parts changers, so just because someone's got the title, doesn't mean they're a completely credible source.

I can only speak from my own personal experience and that experienc is in the nearly 20-years I've been driving and the dozen vehicles I've owned and have run K&N filters in for many, many miles I've never once had an issue related to a contaminated MAF sensor....not a single one!


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No...oil and crap doesn't get to the maf because the FILTER is there to stop it. I'd love to see a oily maf sensor that was behind a paper filter......IT WON"T happen...

 

Ryan, It doesn’t matter what kind of filter you've got. No air filter is 100% impenetrable and junk is going to make its way into the intake track and eventually to the MAF sensor to some degree. The oil and contaminants I'm referring to aren't the ones in the filtration solution that come with the filter (although I'm sure to some tiny degree some of it may be drawn in as well), but the oil and junk coming in from the environment around your vehicle. Are you under the impression that all of that moisture, condensation, during worst case scenarios water being sucked into your intake coming off of the road on a rainy evening is 100% pure H2O.

Why do you think it’s so much easier to spin your tires on the pavement in the first 20-min or so of a rainfall that any other time? It’s because of the petroleum based tars, oils and other contaminants are seeping up from the asphalt and separating at surface level leaving that oily film exposed. That’s the majority of what’s being pulled into your intake, not oil from any filter you’re using. Don't even get me started with the salt, calcium and several other chemical deposits that are sucked into your intake during winter months in some areas. And that's not even considering any of the crap that's just floating around in the air.

You’ve also got to consider the condition of your engine. A little blow by from the engine rings being sucked into the intake track through the PCV valve is quite common (those of you like myself, with supercharged vehicles running oil separators are very familiar with this condition). Even though the line is downstream of the sensor in cases, you’re intake assembly is still subject to momentary backwash of air flow when the throttle body snaps shut. This can also explain why there’s often visible signs of oil contamination on high mileage filers (yes, even paper ones) in areas where airflow travel and velocity is highest.

What I’m saying is that a certain amount of oily residue or dirt contaminating your MAF sensor and/or ACT, or any other sensors present within your intake is completely normal and to be expected. In cases with higher mileage vehicles, long duration maintenance intervals, and/or increased driving in areas or situations your vehicle may be exposed to harsh outdoor element, the probably of fouling the sensor goes up.

Blaming it on one companies oiled cotton filter assembly is easy. Especially for the ones that don't know any better, or the guy trying to sell you their brand of filter instead.....but it doesn’t paint a very accurate picture of what's really going on under your hood.