When we say CEL, we mean the check engine light on your vehicle’s dashboard. If the mass airflow or MAF sensor malfunctions, the engine control unit may turn on the CEL. This can also happen if the MAF sensor gets dirty. Unfortunately, Scott’s Auto advises that it’s easy for the MAF sensor to get dirty because it is located behind the air filter. Here are signs that your MAF sensor is dirty or bad.
Acceleration Lag
The MAF sensor tracks the airflow into the engine. This helps the engine control unit keep a balance of air and fuel in the combustion chamber. If the MAF sensor figures things incorrectly, the engine control unit may put too much air in the chamber. Consequently, this will cause your acceleration to lag.
Rough Engine Idle
The excess air will also make your engine idle roughly because it is firing on a lean fuel mixture. This means that the engine is being fuel-starved. A fuel-starved engine cannot idle smoothly because there is not enough fuel to sustain combustion. In fact, in severe cases, your engine may even stall.
Poor Performance
The added air can also cause your engine to perform sluggishly. You will feel as if you have to press down harder on the accelerator to get it to go. This being said, if the MAF sensor gets things wrong, the unit may add excess fuel to the chamber and your engine will surge.
Increased Consumption
Either of these problems increases the consumption of fuel in the engine. The only way to get excellent gas mileage is to have an engine that is running efficiently. When the MAF sensor messes up the air inflow data, the engine runs inefficiently and uses more fuel.
Black Engine Exhaust
In fact, when the engine burns excess fuel, it produces black exhaust. The excess fuel can also cause problems with the catalytic converter because it means the converter must treat excess hydrocarbons. This, too, can create black exhaust.
Hard Starts/No Starts
Finally, if the MAF sensor has gotten everything wrong and the air and fuel are completely unbalanced in the combustion chamber, you may find it difficult to start your automobile. In fact, the engine may refuse to start because it does not have enough fuel in the cylinders to generate combustion.
Scott’s Auto in Litchfield, MN, would be happy to help. Call our shop today so we can set up a service visit for your automobile. We will check the MAF sensor and clean it if it’s dirty.