dmann57

Call me stupid. What is a MAF? I have a 2000 and have gradually lost power over time. Could it be that I need a new MAF, whatever that is?

Parker Woodruff

Mass Air Flow

XxWarderxX

Hi Everyone.

I was driving my car on the freeway, and stepped on it. Tranny downshifted, the revs climbed, then the car died. I coasted off the freeway and into a parking lot, and now the car won't start!

Originally, I was sure it was because of the CPS recall, but the dealership performed it and diagnosed the problem as a bad MAF.

I start the car and the tach bounces around for a while and then the car dies. It seems like the engine doesn't recognized any input from the gas pedal.

Does this sound like a MAF problem??

PLEASE HELP!

PS Dealership wants ~$800 for the MAF replacement and ECM reprogram.

illlojik

iTrader: (2)

I recently brought my car into a shop for a simple tune up and tranny flush. (I was getting rich fuel codes from Autozone, engine lights on, tranny taking long to shift/shifting roughly like a stick). I get my car back and it feels like super crap. Thats right SUPER crap. Acceleration was horrible. The car felt like I was towing a trailer on 4 cylinders. This "mechanic" then iforms me that the tranny needs to settle and get used to the new fluid so I should take it easy for 3 days. I rev the car @ idle and theres hardly any power. I tell this guy to change my spark plugs back to NGK from the "REALLY GREAT" BOSCH spark plugs he installed. Nothing changed. To make a LONG story short, this guy changed out my fuel pump, and god knows what else was done to my car. The problem.. my dad figured it out by just hearing the car... MAF sensor. I took my car back from A -hole mechanic. ordered the MAF online for $107 shipped, poped it in myself after letting the car sit over night, and my car feels like a friggin BEAST now.
Sigh....
Tuneup and Tranny flush = $450
Fuel pump = free (i wasnt paying for any extra service.)
MAF = $107
Brand new feeling car = GREAAAT..... thought I was gonna say priceless huh. Shooooooot.. there was a price for all of that. LOL

jbengio

Hi there,

So in the end, after reading all the posts, I'm still a bit confused about what I should do. My 2K max is at 87K, I have the symptoms, like the rough idle at start. My coils are all grey-dotted, but I didn't change the plugs yet. I just replaced both O2 sensors about 1 month ago.

If I end up buying a new MAF, what do I need (part or part+housing)? 2000 or 2001 MAF (Someone said there is no difference)? Which part number? How do you know if the ECU program is the most curent one? Should I also change my plugs?

Also, has anyone written a self-install guide for the MAF? I'm really sorry for asking the obvioius (in some cases), but I'm really busy in Pharm school, and haven't had time to do the appropriate research. Thanks for all the help.

jbengio

Bump & To The Top

Cayno

What the Hell is an MAF sensor? What does MAF stand for and where is it located on the car? Thanks

waytoostock00

Mass Air Flow sensor it measures how much air is entering your intake and how fast it's moving. It's located after the intake tube coming from the airbox and before the throttle body.

BewstAdd1ct

if doenst measure the speed of the air...

if you dont have the updated MAF, get teh updated (call daveB and get the p/n or whatever) one, and even if you have the most updated svc program for the car, theres a sooper special program for the updated MAF. do even if oyure up to date, youll need (its suggested, anyway) the other program.

there is no research. its a straightforward swap with hand tools. if you replace the sensor without the tube (which isnt recommended, it comes with a new tube), youll need a tamperproof T20 torx bit. should be flow direction arrows and whatnot.

anyone feel free to add to whatever i missed. ive done this so many times ive probably overlooked something

instil

I have my new one sitting on my desk, awaiting installation. Do I HAVE to remove and clean out the airbox also, or can i just wipe it clean. (I ask because I've read frequently by people who changed theirs that they removed,cleaned, and reinstalled the air filter box,etc.)

Split Level

iTrader: (1)

I know it was said that replacing the MAF is common sense but im not going to even attempt to touch my engine w/o knowing exactly what goes where and how to do it....its fragile enough as it is...I just had to let the car sit for 10 minutes letting it cut out and restarting if just before the engine got warmed up...and I can only barley touch the pedal before the rev goes over 3000...anything more feels like its killing the car lol, it sputters shivvers, and immediatly goes down below 1000rpm or the engine dies...

I took it to the local scottie muffler for a diagnostics they would have charged $185.00 and they said I need a new MAF and Air Filter code 154 and 171 Also I had two transmission codes in the system...

While im at it... does anyone know where I can find the error code 171 it is not on this site, I searched already im guessing it deals with an Air filter but it doesnt state which one, also does anyone know where I can find transmission error codes 732 and 733

So any help with any of the above mentioned will help me greatly.

cabernet

I repalced my MAF and it seemed like a new car too for about 2 weeks and then was back to the way it was. I'm thinking the apparent short term power gain was due to having reset the ECU during the process and when it relearned itself it was back to the way it was. I'll try a reset and see if the power returns.

waytoostock00

i finally replaced the MAF. WOW what a difference, starts right up , idles smoother, better acceleration, throttle response, even sounds like a beast that finally woke up. payed $106.00 at the stealership ($20.00 discount for telling them i work for Kragen Auto Parts) apperently there were 2 other people coming in today to pick up the same part for their maximas. only took like 5 minutes to swap em out. i just wanted to thank everyone that posted info on the MAF problem/upgrade , also my gas guage hasn't moved at all today and i did quite a bit of driving~~~~yay better gas milage!!!!!!!!!!
anyhow thanks again

silvermaxd

I replaced mine and it has'nt stalled out since. Idle still seems a little low. Can't say my car feels any different other than not stalling out. I still drive it the same like not pushing in the clutch until the idle is low on the tack...sucks having to worry about it stalling....guess I'll always worry now no matter what.

Split Level

iTrader: (1)

any help? anyone?

maximaprob

I need to replace the air flow meter on the 2k1 maxima and I got the part. Is the installation easy? Does anyone know of any online resource to help with the installation?

Thank you
Maxima fan

CJ7

I need a new MAF so I'll be ordering one from Dave B tonight and when I get the part I'll be doing a step by step picture install of the MAF because some of these posts are killing me. I've pulled the intake off before while I was looking around under the hood and if I remember correctly it's 4 10mm bolts, a screwdrive, and a strong thumb. Pic's to follow on Friday.

2000-2001 Maxima MAF
Part# 22680-2Y001 $89US as of 10-23-05
From: DaveB 1-888-254-6060
Picture of MAF: MAF

bobaphatt

I have been having some issue with my 2000 GLE lately that may be MAF related. It started several months ago and the car would have a fairly noticeable miss or hesitation once it got to around 3500 rpms. It has absolutely no power on the top end. If it downshifts when I get onto the highway I have to let up on the gas to get it to upshift so the car will actually accelerate again. Seems like it just hesitates and doesnt want to pull at all anything over 4k rpm. Sometimes is knocks/pings like an old diesel too. Mostly at lower speeds and light throttle, giving it a little more gas normally gets it to go away. Does it sound MAF related at all?

On a side note, I just moved to Dallas, does anyone know if there are any good dealers around?

Split Level

iTrader: (1)

Since noone wanted to help me i'll help you...

I had the exact same problem have your MAF replaced and check your Air Filter...if you know some people then you can get that all done for free like I did..

Haterz

iTrader: (5)

boba, I agree with checking your filter, and sometimes it is possible to clean the maf (I use contact cleaner and denatured alcohol) and it will work better. I'm in Dallas as well and Courtesy Nissan is in Richardson just north of Dallas.Courtesy Parts

bobaphatt

Ok, so I stopped by Courtesy last night on the way home from work and picked up a new MAF. I put it in last night along with a new air filter. The filter was almost new but I went ahead and replaced it anyhow. On the drive in to work this morning, all my top end power was back. No hesitation, no loss of power, it just pulled hard all the way up. It is wonderful to have it back. Although I think it sucks that I didnt have any check engine light or anything to signal a bad maf other than having no top end power.

Just one thing though, it took me forever to get that bottom left bolt off of the old MAF and even to get the new one back on. Did people take the whole air box out to do this? I dont have a lot of tools so I couldnt get the deep air box bolt off so I just took the rest off so I had a little wiggle room with it. But getting my hand under the maf to get a socket on the bolt took forever. Getting the new one back on and keeping the gasket in place and getting to that one sucked mightily too.

jkayca

If you haven't done it already...

I just did this yesterday and it's PITA if you replace the whole unit. If you just replace the sensor (requires special tool called a torx) it's not so bad. I did not have the tool so I went a head and replaced the whole tube. Here's what I did. Others can comment if there was an easier way to do it. You will need a 10mm socket wrench and a good sized extension for it.

Below is a pic of my engine with the relavent parts highlighted.



The first thing you should do is disconnect the negative battery terminal. Then disconnect the MAF sensor. The wiring harness that goes to the MAF is also attached to something else (a blue plug on my car). I disconnected that as well so I could move the whole harness out of the way.

I couldn't get to all the bolts attaching the MAF tube to the airbox so I had to remove the box. This was fairly easy except for a couple exceptions. One of the bolts is a fairways down and in a tight spot. I had to borrow an extension for my ratchet to get at it.

After unbolting the airbox you need to losen the clamp on the otherside of the MAF tube. Once eveything is free remove the airbox. This is where things got hard for me. There's a rubber gasket where the MAF tube connects on the opposite side of the airbox. I'm not sure what the tube is connecting to on this side. I'm going to call it the "thingy" just for reference. Anyway, I had to reef pretty hard to get it free. Some wiggling and pulling was required but it came free in the end. After you get the airbox out you can easily remove the MAF tube using the same 10mm socket wrench you used to unbolt the airbox. Just swap them out. It is recommended that you replace the airfilter too but I didn't bother since I just had mine done a couple of months ago.

With the new MAF tube bolted back onto the airbox, connect the airbox and MAF tube back up. This is where my third problem came in. I couldn't connect the MAF tube back into the "thingy"! It was hard to remove in the first place. It took a lot of wiggling , twisting and cursing and I still don't have it back in as far as it was originally. Anyone who knows a trick for this please let me know. Anyway, after retightening the clamp it looked pretty secure and there's no airspace around the connection.

Bolt back in the airbox, making sure the intake is aligned. There's an odd shaped plastic tube that runs from the front of the hood, down over the radiator. This is the air intake and it needs to connect to the airbox. It's loosely done and you probably had to jiggle it loose when removing the box. With a little bit of elbow grease you should be able to slip the end of the intake tube into the airbox.

This procedure took me about 1.5 hours. It would have taken less if I didn't have to borrow the extension for my ratchet. Hope this helps anyone.

Edit: I had code P0171 and it caused my SES light to come on. Even though I left the battery disconnected for about 6 hours the light was still on when I first drove the car. It took about 100km and a couple of starts before the SES light went out.

Charliejag

Sounds like it would have been easier for you if you had the right tools. Mine was a 5 minute job, no questions asked. It makes it easier also if you have an aftermarket intake (like me), but the oiled filters also neccessitate the MAF replacement, so choose your poison.

sontakke

I replaced the sensor only. Here are the few caveats.

I picked up security torx bit set from NAPA for $10.00 before even ordering the MAF from Dave B.

The electrical connector needs LOT of pressure before it will release. I used a multi-bit screwdriver with no bit on it to push it down with all my strength

The only way to remove the sensor element after removing the two torque screws was to wedge a small flat blade between the element and the tube. It still took lot of trial and error. You essentially need to get the flat blade between the two "halves of the diamond" and then pry it out. I used tiny pry bar which is used for adjusting rear drum brake's star wheel (anybody still remembers drum brakes? :-)

At first, I cleaned the old MAF liberally with CRC contact cleaner (no residue). But unfortunately, that did not make any difference. So last week, I finally swapped the sensor element by taking it off the new MAF tube and put it on the car. To remove the connector and the MAF, I still had to struggle even though I knew what needed to be done.

If you are a 300lb gorilla, this job will be lot easier but otherwise you need to figure out some leverage to get the connector and the sensor element off.

After I replaced the element, the jerking between 1000-2000 on the very first start went away. The acceleration is now smooth from start to finish. It used to have flat spots around 3000 and 4000. Also gone is very light pinging on acceleration.

I still have to check the LTFT to see if it is coming down. I think so as I can already see that my gas mileage has gone *down*. The car does not seem to run as lean as it was before.

I was getting P0171 but I had already reset the code before this procesure. I will check the OBD-II parameter next week.

All in all, an absolute must if you have driveability related issues and have not replaced your MAF sensor. It only costs $90 delivered from Dave B and takes less than half an hour if you know the tricks.

No wonder so many people are so estatic after the replacement!

- Vikas

Z Man

I have a 2k Max with about 78k miles and was experiencing acceleration/driveability problems very similar to the ones described by many other in this thread. After replacing spark plugs with new NGK's and replacing two bad ignition coils, the acceleration problem was still there (but my P1320 code and check engine light were gone). I decided to take a shot and replace the MAF based on all the feedback in this thread. As many who have tried this already know, it worked like a charm. The car really does drive like new again. It's amazing what a difference that part makes. My thanks to the many dedicated folks who take the time to share their experiences so that we have a place to turn other than rip-off artists pretending to be qualified mechanics.

So now I'm wondering about the recommended ECM reprogramming. My check engine light did NOT come on when I replaced the MAF. The part number for the new MAF is 22680-2Y001 and as I mentioned before, I have a 2k Max. The slip of paper included with the new MAF says it should be done, but I don't remember reading any posts here from anyone that actually had it done. So far the car is driving great and I'm wondering if the reprogramming is really necessary. On the other hand, I'm also wondering if part of the fix for this part has to do with the reprogramming and if you don't get it done you just risk burning out the new MAF because the old program is bad. Anyone know the real story on this?

Thanks again for all the helpful posts.

jkayca

Z-Man, I'm as confused as you on this ECU issue. From what I've gathered the re-programming has something to do with a new fuel map. I don't think running without it is harmful but you may not get the full benifits from the new MAF in terms of performance and fuel economy.

Z Man

Well, hopefully somebody who knows the answer will check in and let us know. I'm really not too concerned with improvements in gas mileage because I can't believe it would be substantial, so if a new fuel map only improves gas mileage I'm not inclined to go in and spend the money to have it reprogrammed. If there are performance gains I'd like to hear what they are. So far I'm very happy with the way the car performs with the new MAF. If not reprogramming the ECU means the new MAF will go bad just like the original and the car will start to drive like a dog again then I would definitely go in and have it done.

max666

I just had a SES light on and the scanning showed P0171 and P0134. I know what P0134 is and when I was ordering that O2 sensor from Dave B he said that P0171 is most likely the MAF. So I ordered the MAF too. It will be arriving in a couple of days and I'd like to install it myself. Can someone please post some install. instructions as my search function is I believe disabled. And also, as it was asked in here before me, how important is it to reprogram the ECM?

Thanks a lot.

jkayca

Sontakke and myself posted instructions in this very thread! Take a look a few posts back.

cabernet

My local dealer wants $125 to reprogram the ECU for the MAF. Of course, they say it should be done.

BewstAdd1ct

ECM program is only .7 hr.

naijai

iTrader: (1)

Hey i have a 2000 I30 so i guess that i would need to replace mine also how do i contact Dave to get a repl or do i have to go through courtesy parts and do i have to replace my entire housing with the sensor or just the sensor?

jkayca

Does the I30 have the VQ30DE engine? If so, you can probably use the same MAF as on the 00-01 Maxima. I ordered mine from Courtesy Nissan. It came with both the sensor and housing. http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchan...de=22680-VQ30D. DaveB's phone number is listed somewhere on this site if you want to contact him directly.

naijai

iTrader: (1)

The I's are just reskinned Maximas

naijai

iTrader: (1)

i just replaced my Maf and total cost from dealer $111 and it turned off my service engine soon light and car feels like it just coming alive for the first time in its like im sure the former owner never used this car properly before and the dealer said reprogramming the ecu prolly about $70 so im happy with that and will get that done over the winter i wonder how much more power in gonna get from the y-pipe and straight pipe

i suggst making a sticky on in this section for new 5th gen owners to change out the maf before they get caught with their pants down

makdaddy386

I am going by what I was told so digest at your own will (I do feel that this is pretty accurate though). Reprogramming you ECU or not in your case won't "blow" or damage your MAF. Your MAF is one of many sensors that tell the ECU where to set things (i.e. A/F ratios). In my personal car I currently have a decaying MAF hence things like my A/F ratio being adjusted by the ECU to 90% over time. When you purchase a new MAF and reset your ECU, the resetting returns this to say 100% which would be "stock" condition. When I try to reset my car right now it automatically readjusts back to 90% b/c I have not replaced the MAF. With a new sensor I will hopefully be allowed to change all these settings back to their previous state, by mashing a few buttons in seconds. Now with these new settings drivers experience a different driving car (theyve got used to old adjusted settings so factory settings seem like upgrades). Either way, not reseting the ECU won't damage the MAF, it will just not let you take full advantage of the recently broadened range of settings. Hope that clears a little for you, also as a side note; You can do a crude form of reseting your ECU by unplugging your battery for a long period of time, like overnight (typically around 12 hrs.) and this will also reset the ECU instead of manually targeting settings and adjusting individually.

---Kevin

zmaxuser

could my MAF on my maxima going bad? when i turn the car off, it makes this whinning noise from somewhere in the top back portion of the engine...and when the car is in park..or neutral and i hit the accelerator, the car makes the whining noise and it stalls..

Skiv

Hi Guys...fairly new to this site. My '02 Max had the MAF replaced with the updated one just prior to me purchasing it from dealer. After reading all the posts about MAF failure (especially after installing an intake) I hesitated about putting one on. I did it anyway (Frankencar w/ Apexi filter) and LOVE the sound and performance. Don't notice any loss of low end torque. Hopefully the MAF will continue to perform it's duty...if not...I have a plethora of info about replacement, cost, and sources. Many thanks to all the knowlegable members here...Great site!

Moreno

I just got my Max, after replacing the MAF. WOW! I should have done this a long time ago, what a difference I can finially hear the engine growl.

Whtmax'01

Car revs past the 5k mark, but feels like its struggling sometimes like a stubborn mule. Would a new maf be recommended?