Maf Sensor Aka: Mas

[sunnysocal]

Toyota and all other car companies using the ubiquitous mass air flow sensor should all be required to display a large warning (information sticker) on the dash, in the owner's manual, in advertisements, and under the hood concerning the need to occasionally clean the mass airflow sensor. There is simply no excuse for owners having to pay ridiculous prices to have this little piece of wire cleaned, when it is such a common and easily done procedure. Thousands (millions?) of car owners are getting the check engine light on with the error being P0171, indicating a lean condition in combustion. This is caused by dirt buildup on the little wire of the mass airflow sensor, which leads to a false reading of the amount of air entering the engine. So the computer thinks there is less air than there really is and thus does not supply the injectors with the correct amount of fuel. The O2 sensors recognize this lean condition and cause the check engine light to come on.

This problem is easily corrected by cleaning the dirt off the wire of the MAS. Usually done in less than 15 minutes. You can use carb cleaner or even gentle use of a soft tooth brush or q-tips. This procedure is just as necessary as changing oil and air filters and should not result in hundreds of pounds, euros, pesos, dollars, etc in service fees. The dark art of these wonderful trouble codes is resulting in millions of dollars of rip-offs, which could be avoided if the car makers would just reveal some of the basic maintenance to owners.

I think a class action lawsuit against all the auto manufactures and service shops is in order. This "dirty" little secret should be revealed and eveyone who has been overcharged for this simple fix should get a full refund for time and expenses! Toyota is as guilty as all the rest. :ffs:

[GT4 BOOSTER]

why not document your procedure with some pics , to clean the sensor, for others

[vmail]

welcome to the club, where is the MAS