🚩In This Article, You Will Find Out:
- What the MAF sensor is?
- How the MAF sensor works?
- Why “MAF sensor delete” is done?
- How “MAF sensor removal” is done?
- MAF sensor fault codes
- Pros and cons of MAF sensor delete
- What is a VAF sensor?
- MAF sensor removal software
- MAF sensor removal tutorial
What is a MAF Sensor?
MAF sensor is one of the useful and significant sensors in your vehicle. Airflow sensor (under the Hot-Wire category which its operation is similar to an element) that measures the mass of entrees to the engine. It is installed between the internal air filter and the intake manifold and is connected to the ECU to provide the correct amount of air for the engine, not to cause any rich or lean idling.
We will continue to see how the MAF sensor works.
How Does The MAF Sensor Work?
As you may know, modern vehicles are equipped with fuel injection systems. In this injection system, injectors have to be fed with correct information to be able to work precisely and accurately. The component which does this task is the ECU. By categorizing the info, it indicates how much fuel must be injected into the cylinders and it is closely related to the amount of air going in the engine. You may ask how this is done, and the answer is that the sensors particularly the MAF sensor that indicates the intake amounts and sends the information to the ECU. The MAF sensor has a platinum wire passing through the intake path of the engine. The ECU also sends a current through the wire to increase the temperature of the wire so that it is higher than the air. By increasing the airflow, the temperature of the platinum wire decreases more rapidly (Ohm’s Law). Therefore, the ECU needs to feed a higher current in the wire to keep the temperature in the specific range. The changes in the current mean that variable voltage information is transferred to the electronic control unit. Based on the voltage value, the engine air intake mass is calculated.
If the MAF sensor malfunctions due to any fault, false or corrupted information may be sent to the ECU, causing increased fuel consumption, slower acceleration, power, and even problems in other parts of the vehicle such as the transmission.
❓But despite the MAF sensor’s huge advantages, why is it removed in some cases?
Why “MAF Sensor Delete” is Done?
Despite all the benefits a MAF sensor has, there are logical reasons why it is removed. One of the reasons is that some owners may want to equip their engines with turbochargers. If you prefer your vehicle not to operate in atmospheric air pressures and need a turbocharger, you can remove the MAF sensor and do a remap. This way you can extract more power and acceleration from the engine.
Another reason why could be the malfunction of the sensor itself. According to the points we mentioned earlier, the platinum wire which is in contact with the airflow, accumulates wastes and pollution and if not removed, the waste could increase the diameter of the wire, leading to a drop in its performance. A solution has been prepared, however, and that is after turning the car off and switching off, the wire is kept active for 1 second, evaporating all the accumulated waste. Car owners and technicians can also open this sensor and manually clean it, but the drawback is that this renewal process has its limitations just like any other mechanical part which explains why some of the owners remove the sensor permanently.
MAF sensor malfunction can also slow the vehicle down especially on steep slopes, increase fuel consumption, and cause rattling noises. The sensor that does not send correct information or cannot control the correct amount of fuel injection is cased as “broken” by us.
How “MAF Sensor Removal” is Done?
MAF sensor removal can be done in many ways, including the removal of the sensor itself, or by doing a “MAF OFF remapping", or a combination of both. You can clean the MAF sensor wire yourself, however, it is suggested that you leave the work to a technician. The installation and removal of the sensor are described in the vehicle manual and it is not a complicated task. But beware that this sensor is a crucial and fragile part!
Our customers prefer to have the MAF removed and the ECU remapping done for them, to get better performance.
MAF Sensor Trouble Codes:
🚨Trouble codes such as:
- P0100 indicating air flow volume
- P0101 indicating air flow volume out of range
- P0102 indicating very low air mass flow in the circuit
- P0103 indicating very high air mass flow in the circuit
- P0104 indicating intermittent air flow error
All are relevant to the MAF sensor, which causes the check light to be turned on and leads to future problems.
📍At CaracalTech, we help you to DTC OFF either using car scan tools or directly from the ECU and rid yourself of the check lights.
MAF Sensor Pros and Cons:
We listed some of the pros and cons of the MAF sensor earlier, so we can come up with a conclusion. A healthy and clean sensor not only is vital for efficient performance but can also bring the following advantages:
- The correct value of air to fuel ratio
- Reduction in fuel consumption
- Increase in acceleration and power
A broken sensor will have the following consequences:
- An increase in fuel consumption
- Triggering the check engine light to “ON” and other trouble codes
- Poor performance of the vehicle in inclines
- Slow response of the vehicle when the gas pedal is pushes down.
- Decrease of engine efficiency
A broken sensor has the following symptoms:
- Changes in fuel consumption
- Lean or rich idling
- Black smoke exiting the exhaust
- Lack of power
- Lack of acceleration
- Triggering the check engine light to “ON”
- Stalling engine after starting
🚨The removal of the MAF sensor is mostly suggested for high-performance vehicles and the ones equipped with turbochargers. The reason for that is the high volume of the airflow in such engines that causes a degradation in the quality of the sensor, requiring constant changes. So, if you are a typical owner of a vehicle who does not extract lots of power from the vehicle, you would not need to remove the MAF sensor, except due to breakages or failures.
What is The VAF Sensor?
Besides the MAF sensor that is in charge of the inlet and outlet air volume, the oxygen sensor, IAT sensor (which is the older version of the oxygen sensor), MAP sensor, and many others have a similar task. The VAF sensor, however, is an older version of the MAF sensor that has a conventional technology and operation method. The VAF sensor was more mechanical, consisting of a blade that was connected to a coil on a screw. When the airflow passed by the blade, the force compressed the coil. While the coil was connected to a Rheostat, the compression around the screw changed the resistance of the Rheostat, which led to an increase or decrease in fuel injection.
The VAF sensor is old and nowadays the MAF sensor is replacing it.
MAF Sensor Removal Software:
In CaracalTech company, we have years of experience in ECU remapping and calibration and have the ECU Programming Tools and tables for identifying MAF sensors for all ECU types. Adjusting the map changes related to the MAF sensor or “MAF sensor off” can be done with different techniques. Additionally, “MAF sensor and MAF off” tutorials have been prepared for customers to fundamentally learn and understand the tables related to the MAF sensor in the EMS and to choose which changes to apply.
In some vehicle models, removing the MAF sensor is not sufficient, since it causes some trouble codes. We can solve this for you, using the diagnosis programmer or remap the ECU to correctly do the “MAF Removal” process.
MAF Sensor Removal Cost By Remap?
MAF sensor removal price differs from cars and in CaracalTech we can do it for you with the lowest price and we do our best with guarantee and support.
Here, you can learn once, fully and for good, the adjustments or removal of MAF removal in engines. Below is a link of removing MAF sensor training video in various software's and ECUs.
1- If you want to learn how to delete MAF sensor in diesel engines in WinOLS and ECM Titanium software, you can enter to our ECU training course.
2- If you need MAF sensor OFF file, DTC Off service ore any other services, upload original ECU file in Tuning File Service, after short time our experts send you remapped file.
3- If you know remapping software like WINOLS or Swiftec, for ease and accuracy of work you can use CaracalTech Mappack in the following link.
AdBlue Off:
AdBlue is a chemical liquid used in Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) on diesel vehicles in order to reduce NOx levels. AdBlue is sometimes referred to as DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid). There are several different benefits of AdBlue removal which include improved vehicle performance, the reduced running cost as you no longer have to spend money on AdBlue fluid and even increase the vehicle's power when combined with remapping. For full information about the pros and cons of AdBlue off, read the AdBlue Off article.
📍For more information and probable problems feel free to contact us: support@caracaltech.com