Looking for a little schooling here. About 100mi ago I installed an EVO Intake on my 2002 turbo with 12Kmi on it. The car has only EVO DV's, GIAC Stage 1, and of course the EVO Intake. This morning I was out for a drive. I was on it fairly hard enjoying the hell out of the car. I was coming up on second gear redline, grabbed 3rd and... the car surged, no it felt more like it stalled. I got off the throttle. The car was still running. I let the clutch back out and the car drove normally except. The CEL, ABS, and PSM Off lights were all lit up. The OBC was flashing and telling me to drive to the workshop. From what I've read here from many of you it sounds like I just blew my first MAF! If my assumption is correct and I did blow the MAF I have a few questions.

1. Is there a simple way to test the MAF unit, like measuring the resistance with an ohm meter?

2. If the MAF is bad, will simply replacing it reset the warning lights or do I have to visit the dealer?

3. Is the new Intake what causes the MAF to fail? If so why?

4. Is there something I can do to prolong the life of the new MAF?

5. How much should I expect to pay for a new MAF?

6. Does it hurt the car to drive it in it's current condition (the OBC says to drive it to the workshop so I'm assuming it's not catastrophic)?

7. Those of you that have had the intake installed for longer than I, is this going to be a continuing problem?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Richard

 

Your symptoms are EXACTLY the same as mine when I toasted the MAF sensor. There appears to be a correlation between the EVO Air Box and toasted MAF sensors, however due to the commercial sensitivity surrounding the EVO V-Flow, no one seems willing to take the device to task.

Dealer scanned my car, determined the MAF sensor was the fault, replaced and it has been good as new since, however I did take the V-Flow out since the dealer told me if I toasted another with the box installed they would not cover it under warranty.

 

Sounds like blown MAF to me. I needed the dealer to reset my codes when mine went out. The MAF I believe is $300-$350

 

I have heard that the 2005 Boxster MAF works as a replacement and is a little more robust.

 

Ken - I have also heard that the programming for the Boxster MAF sensor is different and that's why it can't be interchanged with the TT version? Any comment?

 

Richard, You did indeed "blow the MAF". I jus got my car back yesterday from the shop after getting several things fixed. The dealer told me a couple of things:

1. Porsche will not cover MAF replacement with a third party intake on it.
2. He believes it is not actually the intake, but the filter that comes with the intake.
3. He cleaned the filter and re-oiled. He said it is quite possible the filter was over-oiled to start.
4. He also said the MAF can be cleaned (he is happy to do it whenever I stop by.

You must have an OBDII scanner with the ability to clear faults to re-set the car. A new MAF will cost about $440 ($600 installed). It does not seem to damage the car to drive it with those faults, but you will not be able to get full boost! The jury is still out on relationship of intake to MAF failure. I believe another reasonable question is filters and their effect!

 

Thanks everyone. I just did a forum search for "MAF" and re-visited all that I have read before.

I'm going to try and clean the MAF today and see what happens.

In another thread about the same subject I read that the codes will clear themselves once the MAF is clean/replaced and the car is driven a few miles to allow the computer to learn. Can this be true?

Also, can anyone recommend a OBD Tool for our cars and where to order it from. Thanks again.

 

Another question:

Is it possible for the MAF to trip the error codes and not be physically bad. In other words, let's say the MAF was dirty or oily. The CEL, ABS, PSM lights go off. You clean the MAF and put it back in. Car runs great. All the boost is there but so are the warning lights. Is this scenario possible? If so is all that is required the resetting of the fault lights? Thanks

 

Yes. As a matter of fact it seems that many of these "blown MAFs" are actually "Dirty Mafs". The EVO air box is allowing more air and thus more potential debris. I have spoken with Todd at length on this matter and hopefully there will be a more robust MAF available soon.

 

If "debris" is getting past the filter and damaging the MAF, as you wrote, is there the potential for this same "debris" to damage the turbos????

Craig

 

Having spent many years building and racing engines it is very simple; Increased debris getting into the engine shortens the life of many components. On some off road cars I built engines for in the 70's we had "leak down" in the 20% to 30% range after every race. We were running K&N type filters which are exactly like the BMC. We switched to dry paper filters and reduced the leak down to 3% to 5% after every race. The moral here is that while the oil/paper filter MAY allow increased air flow, they also allow increased debris. You won't EVER find an oiled paper filter in my TT, EVER.

 

I went through 3 MAF's on my car. On my third one, the dealer pulled my K&N filter out & replaced it with an OEM unit. Good thing is that they never charged me.

 

If the maf is dirty at all and the new box is installed it will throw the codes. Much like bad plugs and a new program. You can clean the MAF. You must use an industrial circuit cleaner and let it soak for 20 minutes. Do not used air to dry it. Let it dry on its own. The cleaner will leave no residue and will restore the maf.

 

Good to hear from you Stephen. Thanks

 

My pleasure.