theANSWER

I have an injen CAI setup on my 5speed 97 max se.

2 weeks ago i had the the rear o2 sensor changed.
afterwards, i cleaned the filter on the injen cai using water and some degreaser and thoroughly dried it using an air compressor and let it sit in the sun til it dried.

ever since then the car started to choke on me, hopping while accelerating at around 2000 rpm. i took it in to the shop and it was giving a code "MAF sensor". I took out my MAF sensor and cleand the contacts on it and put it back in and then it wouldnt pass 2500 rpms at all, it was barely driveable. before this though it was driving just hopping and turning off after i finished reversing and came to a stop.

So, I ordered a maf sensor from a junkyard online ($73 shipped nextday) and installed it, same results, wouldnt pass 2500 rpms. i wasn't sure if the maf i received was working or not so i won an auction on ebay for another maf sensor ($20 shipped) which also did not work.

now i wasn't sure what was going on so i went to autozone today and borrowed an actron auto scanner to read the codes off the car myself and it's giving me

"Maf or VAF Circuit Malfunction P0100".

I want to get this fixed pronto but not sure if the MAF is the problem. Autozone has it for $200-something but they don't allow returns if it turns out being some other problem like the wiring for it.

Now the other thing I considered was buying a MAF sensor from a local junkyard that has a few in stock. The guy on the phone told me I could exchange them repeatedly if they did not work but he would not refund if my problem was something else. It's $100 there.

BTW Nissan quoted me $450+ for the sensor alone, my mechanic quoted me $380 for a rebuilt one. I'm trying to find a low cost way to fix this.

Suggestions greatly appreciated.

theANSWER

Suggestions anyone?

sdoherty_tjm

um, this probably has nothing to do with it, but did you oil the filter again, cus i though you where supposed to do that, and you didnt say you did

theANSWER

i didn't. and i never heard about having to oil the filter. by the way, anyone know if there is any way to check resistance or something on the MAF sensor to see if it's working right?

MaxxAddict

Maybe you screwed up your MAF by not re-oiling the filter?

theANSWER

what do you mean by re-oiling the filter? And how about the 2 other mafs i tried?

risingmist

iTrader: (5)

its not the maf, its the wireing, i had the same problem, i didnt zip tie the wireing after putting in the injen cai. it internally cut the wireing. you have you find where the split occoured. it should be near the plug. not sure where.

cost me 130 for pepboys to find the problem and fix the wireing , but then again the guy working on my car used to be a professional driver. he's good.

redlobster

iTrader: (3)

how did you fix the wiring?

theANSWER

i ended up replacing this connector, one of the wires was cut but the insulation was still on it. wow it's been 2 and a half years. already sold the maxima