Does The MAF Sensor Position Matter?(Explained)

Does The MAF Sensor Position Matter?

Car MAF sensors measures the amount of air entering an engine, then trigger specific actions based on what they sense. They provide fuel control, idle speed, and idle air control.

Yes! The MAF sensor position should be at least 6″ on a minimum straight piece of intake tube and 10″ from the throttle body. It can affect the fuel economy of your car, which can make having a bigger engine or better fuel efficiency worth it. Plus, the importance of the position exists on the side-to-side axis and top-to-bottom axis.

The MAF sensor position is mainly because the car’s computer can read how much air enters the engine through a specific position within the tube.

When you shift gears, you change how much air it needs. For example, if you are accelerating, you need more air going into your engine than cruising in fifth gear at a constant speed.

Many tubes feed air to other engine parts to ensure you get enough air for any given situation.

These tubes run through the same MAF sensor, and the computer can read which tube receives the most air.

If you are using your MAF sensor as a mass flow meter and looking for a specific tube to get more air, then you need to move that MAF sensor further away from your engine.

You can do this by purchasing and installing an intake system that puts the MAF sensor in a different location. This is because moving it even just a little will change how much air all of your tubes get.

How Do You Position a Mass Air Flow Sensor?

Steps	Explanation
Remove the MAF from your car and clean it with a brush	If it’s difficult to remove the MAF by hand, then use a tool such as a pliers. If your MAF has a metal wire around it, then make sure you clean the tine and copper wire too. Now attach the sensor to something rigid like a ruler or wooden dowel. The stiff surface will help provide accurate readings.
Set-up a fan so blows air through the sensor	The faster the airflow, the more accurate your readings will be. Turn on a faucet or hose to ensure the airflow is strong enough. You could also use a vacuum cleaner to create high-speed airflow.
Measure the flow at different distances from the fan	Use a ruler or measuring tape to find out how far you can get before you stop getting accurate results.
Calculate the flow rate for each distance you measured	Divide your final reading by your initial readings to determine the flow rate for each position
Make sure no obstructions block airflow through the MAF sensor’s length.	If there is an obstruction, measure airflow from both sides (without moving it). If the airflow is higher on one side than the other, you know there is an obstruction. You can eliminate or reduce the obstruction by adding more space on that side
Adjust the height of the computer mounting bracket	Once you have calculated your flow rate, adjust the computer mounting bracket to match your sensor’s height.
Install the MAF into your engine bay	Ensure no obstructions in the engine bay that will affect airflow.
Check for squealing or any other noises from the sensor	If there is a noise, go back to step 4 and repeat until no noise is present. If the noise persists, contact the dealer for a professional inspection.

What Happens If You Use the Wrong MAF Sensor?

If you use a suitable MAF sensor for your car, there will be a positive impact on the performance of your vehicle.

For example, if you use a three-bar MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor on a vehicle that requires four bars, the air coming into the engine will be short by one bar.

This will lead to the usage of less gas to burn and create power, which means less fuel economy.

The intake manifold sensor information on your OEM ECU sticker determines the good sensor to use.

The highest airflow sensor number represents the most air velocity, while the lowest airflow sensor number represents the least air velocity.

For this reason, I recommend using a four-bar MAF with your car. Your engine will always run rich at idle and low RPMs.

You want to be sure that the MAF is aware of the air velocity and giving proper readings, especially at low RPMs or idle.

In the past, I have seen people turn off their MAF sensors to improve fuel economy. This leads to problems with engine performance and the ECU throwing codes.

A four-bar MAF will always give the best fuel economy, even at wide-open throttle.

However, if your car is not experiencing a rich condition or is just looking for more power from your engine, you can turn off the MAF sensor to allow more air into the combustion chamber.

Where Does the MAF Go on A Cold Air Intake?

On a cold air intake, the MAF goes to the MAF sensor, which you can locate at the air filter assembly. The MAF sensor has a small opening on one side for the throttle body sparger.

In some applications and setups, it can be difficult to get either the tubing or sparger into position without removing other components from the cold air intake and performing further modifications.

Ensuring that you have access to both openings is essential to get proper readings from your MAF sensor.

The MAF sensor is generally placed with four screws behind the air filter assembly. If you remove the air filter assembly, it is essential to identify where the screws go back correctly.

You don’t want to put them in the wrong place and strip them out when reinstalling. Make sure to find the correct screws for your truck and application.

It is also essential to ensure that you DO NOT get any debris or dirt inside your intake system during this maintenance procedure.

After removing the screws from the MAF, it should be relatively easy to get the MAF sensor out.

Look behind your air filter housing to find where it connects to other components, such as power steering lines or throttle body sparger tubing.

Make sure you don’t pull too hard on the wires or any other parts attached to it; if it’s connected, you will want to leave these connections alone to ensure you will put them back together in their original condition.

Can Mass Air Flow Sensor Cause Shifting Problems?

Yes! Sometimes, it can cause an erratic or wrong signal on the initial take-off, leading to power loss and over-shifting. The fix is to install a new mass air flow sensor.

It is common to have an airflow sensor go bad. After all, these sensors are the ones that measure air density and report it to the engine controller.

The mass air flow sensor sits in a housing, typically including a mounting bracket, hoses and ducting electrical connector, and vacuum lines.

The housing style varies depending on the make and model of your car (or truck); You may connect additional lines directly to the mass air flow sensor itself.

The mass air flow sensor boasts designs for protecting the engine damage from improper air density and to provide a more efficient fuel mixture (leaner than stoichiometric).

Sensors are tiny electrical devices that measure air density. They help the intake system (or carburetor) adjust the fuel/air ratio.

Mass airflow sensors are typically plastic, but their mounting brackets may also be metal. These sensors come stock on most cars as you drive down the road.

Do Thicker Air Filters Restrict Airflow?

Yes! The larger the filter, the thicker it can be, making it more difficult for air to flow through the system. Air filters are typically sized from the inside diameter of their tubing or pipe.

A smaller diameter means a greater surface area for filtering and is recommended for higher airflow rates and tighter restrictions.

Remember, the greater the surface area, the more it can remove contaminants. It will also make your system more expensive to install and operate.

Note that the filter size does not affect the airflow rate, but it could decrease efficiency by reducing the amount of airflow traveling through your system.

If you have thick filters, it may restrict the amount of air flowing through your system. This could increase the pressure drop in your system.

Suppose there are very high airflow rates and a relatively large filter. In that case, the air may flow rapidly as it passes through the thicker filter.

There may be enough turbulence within the filter to cause problems with back pressure and thus harm the airflow rate.

What happens is that the pressure drop in the filter may be more significant than the pressure drop through your system, thus decreasing the airflow rate and increasing the resistance through your system.

What Could Happen If You Put A MAF Sensor In Backward?

When you install it backward, the vehicle may idle fine and even rev with no problem.

However, when the vehicle’s transmission is put in gear, and you press the accelerator pedal, the engine will stall because too much exhaust gas is pumped back into the intake manifold.

In throttle-by-wire applications, such as with a variable valve timing system or in specific turbocharged applications, this sensor may report to the computer that they are running leaner than they are.

This could result in improper fuel delivery to compensate for what it thinks is a lean burning engine and lead to combustion knock or other tuning issues.

This could prevent an idle air control valve from working properly in throttle-by-wire applications.

It will also cause a CEL (check engine light) to illuminate on the vehicle’s dashboard or throw engine codes. It tricks the computer into thinking there is something wrong with the car when there is nothing wrong with it.

The engine will return to normal once the vehicle is shut off and restarted. It may also reset itself after several minutes of driving, but this is only sometimes the case.

How To Put A MAF Sensor Backward

First, Assemble the sensor. Installing backward means putting the filter before the MAF and the filter cap at the end. The air charge temperature sensor should be in front of, not behind, your MAF.

Once you assemble everything and connect it to your engine properly (don’t jump ahead!), start by warming up your car for a few minutes. Cold engines misread mass air flow sensors.

You will want to use a scan tool to see if you are getting fault codes. If you don’t get a code, you’re in good shape, and your car reads the new MAF sensor.

If codes are being thrown, and you install the MAF correctly, you will need to remove it and put it back in properly.

What to look for:

Fault codes: You should be fine if you get a code. If you don’t, then the MAF has been installed backward and will need to be put in properly.

Retardation of engine performance: If your car doesn’t run as well or is having trouble with its performance, you should consider alternatives to the stock MAF sensor.

The common failure points are the air box or filter and the MAF.

No performance loss, but you are getting a code: The original MAF sensor was installed backward and may have torn wires. Also, you should not have gotten a code initially, so this would be your fault.

What Happens If the Mass Air Flow Sensor Is Not Working?

1. Engine Runs Too Low

An engine doesn’t get enough air, which can cause rough idle, hesitation, and poor performance.

This is because the vehicle may not be able to meet emissions standards, and the OBD system will show a misfire on one of the cylinders.

2. Engine Runs Too Rich (Sometimes)

An engine has too much fuel for the amount of oxygen it’s getting, which causes black soot to form in its exhaust system.

This is because they delivered the vehicle with less fuel than it was designed for. For example, its original tank had a larger capacity than the one supplied by the retailer when you purchased the vehicle.

You can resolve this situation with a dealer who can go through the OBD system reset procedure.

3. Trouble Codes Stored

The engine control module (ECM) will record a misfire, which you can read on the OBD system whenever that cylinder misfires again.

Some OBD systems will show trouble codes for other parts of the exhaust system that contribute to a misfire, such as the catalytic converter or oxygen sensors.

4. Mass Air Flow sensor (MAF)

A MAF is a device you use to help determine how much air the engine can consume. If defective, the vehicle may run too rich, resulting in black soot in the engine’s exhaust system.

The MAF sensor is inside the air cleaner housing near both spark plugs.

This defect will appear on a code on your OBD system, showing that code with other emission problem information if an emissions test station scans the vehicle.

What Kind of Airflow Sensor Do I Need for My MAF?

Type	Explanation
Hot Air Sensor	These are static temperature probes. They are meant to measure the amount of air flowing into a given engine at one time You can mount a hot air sensor on various parts of your car intake system, including the manifold, throttle body, or plenum chamber. Most cars and many motorcycles use these types as standard equipment.
Mass Air Flow Sensor	Also known as a MAF, this sensor measures the amount of airflow into your engine using pressure-sensitive diaphragms. It has a built-in fan that constantly moves air over the sensor’s face to measure the airflow rate.
Volumetric Flow Sensor	These sensors are mounted in a special air duct rather than just being a part of the intake or exhaust system. This type of sensor is typically used when building a custom intake system by removing some factory ducting to make room for a direct MAF-style sensor. This style of mass airflow sensor was standard equipment in many Audi, BMW, and Volkswagen vehicles.
Hot Wire Airflow Sensor	This type of MAF can measure the air mass flow rate. This allows accurate fuel delivery even under varying engine loads, temperatures, and speeds. The shape of the air duct is also significant in this type of sensor as it will affect how accurately it measures air mass flow. If a long curved duct directs the airflow, it will give you an accurate reading of up to about 100 feet per second.
Dual Sensors	Dual flow sensors mean having two hot air sensors or MAFs. The first sensor is used in normal conditions. In contrast, the second can be used to sense the changes in air density across different atmospheric changes such as temperature, pressure, and humidity.

Conclusion

MAF sensor is one of the most important sensors. The MAF sensor is important as it controls how much fuel an engine will burn.

You can easily find out whether your vehicle needs a new MAF by checking the oxygen sensor codes you are getting from your car.

This will help you know whether you must replace your air mass flow sensor (MAF).