Hey,
I have an odd case, I have all the symptoms of a bad MAF.
In CA there is a 7 years 70000 mile warranty on emission parts. The MAF is included into that warranty. But i went to the dealership and they told me that they cant do anything about it unless the SES light is on. What should I do, if the code pops out they will replace it for free, i got that confirmed by the service manager. Any ideas?
Thank
D

 

unplug the maff sensor element from the connector. and then plug it back in it will bring the SES light right after first start up. but if you wanna damage the maf and also wanna have the SES light to show up then take the maf sensor out and clean it with any cheap line electronic cleaner that will ruine the maf sensor and will also pop up the code that says (maf malfunctioning) and then take to dealer he will check the code and will replace the maf for free. but dont tell them you did open the sensor so make sure not to clean the maf sensor from outside (top) it shouldnt look like cleaned at all. its very easy to remove with the star shape screwdriver.

 

thats seems like an idea

 

Is there any other way, without breaking the MAF all the way, to get Nissan to change it ?

 

ya pay for one.

 

Well lets see. If you think you have a bad MAF, but the dealer want a SES light in order to fix it for free then the plan is to do something to the MAF that will trigger the SES light and bring up a MAF code. If they want a code then give them one. Remember you don't really care about the MAF in your car because they are gonna throw it out anyway. I think if you follow the instructions of OC guy you'll be good.

 

I thought a bad MAF didnt throw any codes?

 

It will once it has completely failed.

 

On the topic of cleaning your MAF. I just changed my Air filter for my Franken Intake and noticed the screen on the MAF is dirty. How can I go about cleaning it? Can I even clean it or I might have to get a new one?

As always : Any help is appreciated.

 

any takers? does that screen need to be cleaned on the MAF?

 

are you reffering to that maf tube screen? you can clean that but i dont recommend the maf sensor cleaning cause it can ruine the sensor and you will end up buying new maf. mostly you dont clean the maf you just replace it.

 

thanks OC, its the maf tube screen i was referring to.

 

is there a way to test and see if MAF is going bad or is this pretty much replace it and see if the car runs better? i dont wanna buy something that may not be the cause.....then again i dont think mine has been replaced in 6years. is there a specific sensor life or period it lasts for?

 

most of the time you do get the CEL/SES light on if the maf is about to go bad. the main symptom is stalling of the engine on start up and hesitation of idle. if you own a maxima you have to have your maf replaced before you hit 130k to 150k you'll be lucky if it last you over 150k. many have reported thier maf going bad under 100k. by the way the smart thing to do is buy and keep the new one in stock incase if your original one does go bad in future. it only cost $100 and the repalcement is easy. then you dont have to worry about it for long time!

Source: been there and done that.

 

thx... ithink i wil go grab one. i have 110k on my car so far

 

Be sure and get it from DaveB. I just orderd mine Friday night and got it today.
Installed it today and it didnt fix my problem though, anybody have an idea why my 01 auto wont idle correctly and keeps stalling?

 

if your problem was a bad maf then it will take few days of driving for the new maf to readjust with the ecu and for the idle to relearn. if the stalling doesnt go away after few days then it could be old plugs or coils. and one last thing is that you should always replace the whole maf assembly not only the maf (sensor) element and should get the ECM reprogram from dealer in order to get better mileage and performance.
EDIT: dont forget to get the throttle body cleaned if its never been cleaned before. this might fix the stalling.

 

Read through this previous posts it has alot of info on MAF's

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=398513

 

Find a new dealership. I've replaced several mass airflows under warranty without a code. Nissan is fully aware of the problems with this gen. The tech does not know what he is doing.