As you know, fresh air flows into your car, truck, or utility vehicle’s engine via the grille and inlets. This air is routed to the combustion chamber to be used for combustion. Pit Shop Auto Repair advises that the mass airflow (MAF) sensor is responsible for tracking how much air flows into the engine. If the sensor is faulty, it indirectly causes an imbalance of air and fuel in the combustion chamber and you will experience one or more of the following problems when you drive your automobile.
Acceleration Trouble
If there is too much air in the combustion chamber, you will experience trouble accelerating your automobile. Unfortunately, the excess air starves the engine of fuel, and, as a consequence, your acceleration will lag.
Rough Engine Idle
The excess air will also cause your engine to idle roughly. This is noticeable when you are sitting at an idle, such as being stopped at a stoplight or stop sign. You will hear the engine struggling to idle and you will feel your vehicle vibrating.
Performance Problems
Too much air in the combustion chamber can also cause engine performance problems at higher speeds. In this case, your engine will hiccup and sputter. If there is too much fuel in the combustion chamber, the engine will pick up speed erratically.
Black Exhaust Smoke
Too much fuel can also cause black exhaust smoke to be released out of the tailpipe. This is because the engine is burning away the excess fuel, and, consequently, the black exhaust smoke is a byproduct of that. A faulty MAF sensor can be to blame.
Hard Starts/No Starts
If the imbalance of air and fuel in the combustion chamber is severe, it may become difficult to start your automobile. In extreme cases, the vehicle may not start at all. Unfortunately, you will continue to have this problem until the MAF sensor is replaced.
Poor Fuel Efficiency
You may also experience poor fuel economy as the engine struggles to run or burns away excess fuel. Either fuel condition causes the engine to operate inefficiently, and, as a consequence, it burns through fuel quickly.
Check Engine Warning
Finally, all of these symptoms may be accompanied by a check engine light warning on your vehicle’s dashboard. It’s important to pay attention to the check engine warning. A recent study proved that this light is extremely efficient in notifying drivers of problems.
Pit Shop Auto Repair in Libertyville, IL, is here to help, so call us today if you suspect your MAF sensor is going out. We can test the sensor and replace it.
