Natural MAF cures "they" don't want you to know about....;)DIY
#1
03-18-2009 | 03:02 AM
Natural MAF cures "they" don't want you to know about....;)DIY
So since noone seemed to know exactly why I'm getting P0172 and P0175 I figured I'm gonna get to the bottom of the problem and figure out WTF??
Read this complete article before you tackle any part of it as it is not written in a particulat order, but reather in a way i discovered things.
Once I solved my overboosting problem both codes still remained.
The car would drive ok at WOT. However the Idle would dip to 400rpm when I would shift it into gear (TIP) and sometimes when pulling up to a stop sign. It also felt like a dog. It would also hesitate when rolling onto the throttle. Once every week I'd get a CEL light for the same codes that I'd have to reset. Progressively the situation got worse. So since I finally had some time to investigate I fired up my PC put my blue gloves on and went to investigate.
First went to a neat website that has a lot of codes listed:
http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/index.php
Which pointed me in the right direction.
Since both codes for both banks appeared at the same time, without the presence of other codes the #1 thing to check was the MAF aka Mass Airflow Sensor aka Air Flow Meter.
Than I dug on renntech.org and found a neat thread which pointed me to another board with another interesting thread on DIY MAF cleaning:
http://www.ppbb.com/boards/ppbbphp/s...ue#Post1058760
Great thread....the only thing, there is a picture of the MAF with an arrow suggesting to spray the shiny piece with electronics cleaner which I think it's not too important as the airflow goes through a hole below it and exits on the bottom.
Basically a MAF works by heating up a resistor element and measuring how it cools down as air rushes through it. Than it compares the results to the ambient temperature and thats probably what the mirror part does, but in my opinion cleaning the hole-through-the bottom is the vital/most important part.
Well, this wasn't enough for me and I figured out I'lll take it to another level
So, I went to ACE Hardware and picked up an Electronics Cleaner and a Security Bit Set since you need a little Torx with a hole to remove the MAF.
tip....I also noticed that it is easier to remove the air filter housing with the MAF removed.
Well as far as taking it to another LEVEL:
I went ahead and used "my friends" copy of AllData- I recommend it to all you DIY car nuts and gear heads and what I found out you can see in the PDF attachment.
Well, the first thing on the list is to attach a "Porsche" tool and run some tests.
Here's where my expertise and reasearch comes in:
After poking around I figured the only thing you need is a volt meter. $9 at Harbor Freight for any of you that don't already stock one. Set it to 20V DC as you need to measure DC current from the MAF.
This should be the first step that you do before you take the MAF out to clean it as it will set a benchmark on improvement. It should also help you diagnose if your MAF is taking a dump on you.
1. Fire up your car and bring it up to operating temperature= when oil level checking is enabled
2. Turn off the car
3. Pop the engine cover
4. Locate the MAF
5. The maf Connector har a rubber boot on it to keep the moisture out, gently peel it off, don't be scared.
6. Exposed will be 4 wires coming out of 5 possible terminals on the connector. If you gt close to it you'll notice they are numbered. #1 is not used.
7. We will only be concerened with #5.
8. Fire up your Volt Meter and hook up the Black probe to the ground and the red one stick into the #5. There is a little blue (seal) around the wire that you can stick the needle of the probe into to get a reading, dont worry you will not cause any damage if gentle, just watch the voltmeter to see if you get a reading. With the ignition on and engine off you should get around 0.9V-1.1V. I was getting 1.17V which was on the high end but not throwinng the ABS/PSM light on. If it is more than 1.19V that than you are probably getting more codes than P0172-P0175.
9. With the volt meter turned connected turn on the car. (It is important that the car is warmed up to operating temperature). You should get approx 1.4V. If not, your MAF is contaminated or fried.
10. Write down the results for both the car on and off. Mine were:
a. Ignition On Engine Off= 1.17V
b. Car Running = 1.68V (way too high)
11. Turn off the car and use the security torx to remove the maf. You don't have to remove the whole Air Filter assembly, but I did as I wanted to inspect what kind off air filter I had. To my surprise I had a BMC(sp) which is like the K&N. ( I already have a paperfilter on order as I never thrusted these to keep the contaminanst out of the engine, I always figured that if they were the next best think to sliced bread how come they don't come stock on high performance cars or cars looking to increase fuel economy) Anyway, past the MAF there is a rubber sleeve that connects the Air Filter Housing to the intake duct. Holly cow, that thing was so greasy that I had to wipe it off.( Back in a day when cars had PCV valves hooked up back to the throttle bodies they weren't as greasy as this) I used two papertowels to wipe off the filter from the excessive grease. I honestly think that the problem with the K&N and BMC filter is the fact that people soak them with the oil spray like they're gonna fry eggs on them. I suppose that the only reason for the oil is to keep the cloth filter fibers from drying out and getting sucked into the engine like the junk you clean out of your clothes dryer every time you do laundry. So for you BMC and K&N junkies, keep the oil to the minimum. A little goes a long way.
12. Spray the MAF, liberally, with the electronics cleaner. The mirror surface along with all the holes. I didn't use any q-tips or any force, just the spray. I also sprayed the harness connector.
13. Let it air dry for an hour or to speed things up blow it off gently with compressed air. ( I didn't blow too hard, just in case)
14. Assemble, start the car, let it warm um again and mearure it up. Mine was right on the money after the cleaning:
a. Ignition On Engine Off = 1.01V
b. Car Running = 1.46V
Huge difference. I took it for a spin and like heaven and earth. I will report tommorow if the CEL comes back and will keep this updated for a month to see if it comes back.
Read this complete article before you tackle any part of it as it is not written in a particulat order, but reather in a way i discovered things.
Once I solved my overboosting problem both codes still remained.
The car would drive ok at WOT. However the Idle would dip to 400rpm when I would shift it into gear (TIP) and sometimes when pulling up to a stop sign. It also felt like a dog. It would also hesitate when rolling onto the throttle. Once every week I'd get a CEL light for the same codes that I'd have to reset. Progressively the situation got worse. So since I finally had some time to investigate I fired up my PC put my blue gloves on and went to investigate.
First went to a neat website that has a lot of codes listed:
http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/index.php
Which pointed me in the right direction.
Since both codes for both banks appeared at the same time, without the presence of other codes the #1 thing to check was the MAF aka Mass Airflow Sensor aka Air Flow Meter.
Than I dug on renntech.org and found a neat thread which pointed me to another board with another interesting thread on DIY MAF cleaning:
http://www.ppbb.com/boards/ppbbphp/s...ue#Post1058760
Great thread....the only thing, there is a picture of the MAF with an arrow suggesting to spray the shiny piece with electronics cleaner which I think it's not too important as the airflow goes through a hole below it and exits on the bottom.
Basically a MAF works by heating up a resistor element and measuring how it cools down as air rushes through it. Than it compares the results to the ambient temperature and thats probably what the mirror part does, but in my opinion cleaning the hole-through-the bottom is the vital/most important part.
Well, this wasn't enough for me and I figured out I'lll take it to another level
So, I went to ACE Hardware and picked up an Electronics Cleaner and a Security Bit Set since you need a little Torx with a hole to remove the MAF.
tip....I also noticed that it is easier to remove the air filter housing with the MAF removed.
Well as far as taking it to another LEVEL:
I went ahead and used "my friends" copy of AllData- I recommend it to all you DIY car nuts and gear heads and what I found out you can see in the PDF attachment.
Well, the first thing on the list is to attach a "Porsche" tool and run some tests.
Here's where my expertise and reasearch comes in:
After poking around I figured the only thing you need is a volt meter. $9 at Harbor Freight for any of you that don't already stock one. Set it to 20V DC as you need to measure DC current from the MAF.
This should be the first step that you do before you take the MAF out to clean it as it will set a benchmark on improvement. It should also help you diagnose if your MAF is taking a dump on you.
1. Fire up your car and bring it up to operating temperature= when oil level checking is enabled
2. Turn off the car
3. Pop the engine cover
4. Locate the MAF
5. The maf Connector har a rubber boot on it to keep the moisture out, gently peel it off, don't be scared.
6. Exposed will be 4 wires coming out of 5 possible terminals on the connector. If you gt close to it you'll notice they are numbered. #1 is not used.
7. We will only be concerened with #5.
8. Fire up your Volt Meter and hook up the Black probe to the ground and the red one stick into the #5. There is a little blue (seal) around the wire that you can stick the needle of the probe into to get a reading, dont worry you will not cause any damage if gentle, just watch the voltmeter to see if you get a reading. With the ignition on and engine off you should get around 0.9V-1.1V. I was getting 1.17V which was on the high end but not throwinng the ABS/PSM light on. If it is more than 1.19V that than you are probably getting more codes than P0172-P0175.
9. With the volt meter turned connected turn on the car. (It is important that the car is warmed up to operating temperature). You should get approx 1.4V. If not, your MAF is contaminated or fried.
10. Write down the results for both the car on and off. Mine were:
a. Ignition On Engine Off= 1.17V
b. Car Running = 1.68V (way too high)
11. Turn off the car and use the security torx to remove the maf. You don't have to remove the whole Air Filter assembly, but I did as I wanted to inspect what kind off air filter I had. To my surprise I had a BMC(sp) which is like the K&N. ( I already have a paperfilter on order as I never thrusted these to keep the contaminanst out of the engine, I always figured that if they were the next best think to sliced bread how come they don't come stock on high performance cars or cars looking to increase fuel economy) Anyway, past the MAF there is a rubber sleeve that connects the Air Filter Housing to the intake duct. Holly cow, that thing was so greasy that I had to wipe it off.( Back in a day when cars had PCV valves hooked up back to the throttle bodies they weren't as greasy as this) I used two papertowels to wipe off the filter from the excessive grease. I honestly think that the problem with the K&N and BMC filter is the fact that people soak them with the oil spray like they're gonna fry eggs on them. I suppose that the only reason for the oil is to keep the cloth filter fibers from drying out and getting sucked into the engine like the junk you clean out of your clothes dryer every time you do laundry. So for you BMC and K&N junkies, keep the oil to the minimum. A little goes a long way.
12. Spray the MAF, liberally, with the electronics cleaner. The mirror surface along with all the holes. I didn't use any q-tips or any force, just the spray. I also sprayed the harness connector.
13. Let it air dry for an hour or to speed things up blow it off gently with compressed air. ( I didn't blow too hard, just in case)
14. Assemble, start the car, let it warm um again and mearure it up. Mine was right on the money after the cleaning:
a. Ignition On Engine Off = 1.01V
b. Car Running = 1.46V
Huge difference. I took it for a spin and like heaven and earth. I will report tommorow if the CEL comes back and will keep this updated for a month to see if it comes back.
#7
03-18-2009 | 09:08 AM
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#9
03-18-2009 | 09:40 AM
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Great write up! I've cleaned my MAF before but it seems like its in need again. I too ditched the oiled filter. I used to work for a filter manufacturer doing engineering work and I can tell you that the level of development, testing and engineering that goes into an OEM paper filter would blow most of you away. A LOT of work goes into those and I can almost guarantee you that any filter that flows more does so at the cost of less filtration.
#10
03-18-2009 | 12:39 PM
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Great write up! I've cleaned my MAF before but it seems like its in need again. I too ditched the oiled filter. I used to work for a filter manufacturer doing engineering work and I can tell you that the level of development, testing and engineering that goes into an OEM paper filter would blow most of you away. A LOT of work goes into those and I can almost guarantee you that any filter that flows more does so at the cost of less filtration.
