I recently bought a 99 3.8 camaro with 108k on the clock. Runs well most of the time but there is a code in the computer saying the mass air flow sensor is dead. or something. It stumbles upon startup, and sometimes when driving. My mechanic told me the MAF sensor needs to be replaced. I tried to clean what i thought was the MAF sensor.... in the air intake tube, in the center front (when the hood is open) there is a sensor of some sort that sticks in the side of the plastic tube. On my other car, this is where that sensor is. I looked up a pic of the part on rockauto, and i guess i cleaned the wrong one. Anyone know where exactly this sensor is? because im sure as hell not paying the "mechanic" 400 bucks plus parts to replace it. Thanks a bunch!!!

 

That sensor is the AIT or Air intake Temp sensor. THe MAF sensor is part of the Throttle body assembly it is the black box right on the top that has the 4 wire plug going into it. You can see it on the top of the throttle body (silver part) just behind the rubber intake tube.



If you remove it be careful not to damage it. You can easily replace the sensor with a Torx bit, I would not pay $400 for some one else to do a 5 minute job (litterally 5 minutes)

Also take the rubber tube off the front of the TB and make sure there is no fuzz or debris in the screen. DO NOT REMOVE THE SCREEN!!! This does not add HP it makes for odd readings to the computer that could rob you of HP. That screen acts as a wind tunnel giving the air going across the sensor a uniform direction for better readings.

To clear the CEL if it does not clear on it's own you can have that done for free from O'reilly or Advance autoparts, dont pay some one $100 for another 5 min job.

Here is a link to the MAF sensor.

NEW
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...2204&ppt=C0033

REMANNED
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...2204&ppt=C0033

Massey

 

Everything Massey said was dead on but I would add; if you are on a tight budget you can usually get these from junkyards for $40-50 as they are plentiful and not Camaro/Firebird unique. I got mine for $40 and it been fine for about a 1000 miles so far and they gave me a 90 day warranty. I figured since this repair literally is only slightly more time consuming than changing an the air filter and definitely easier than an oil change I would save some money and if the used one breaks I will just get another used one.

Also I would never go back to the mechanic that quoted $400 for this. That is a total rip off as the part new plus tax is only about $150. This should be a $200 job Max.

 

Yea $400 is a rip... It would not suprise me if his invoice read like this:

Parts $150
Labor $50
Time to scratch ***** $50 (they really itch bad ever since that one night)
Lunch $50 (I was really hungry)
Shop supplies $25 (had to clean up the spilled soda)
Tax $75

Total $400

Massey

 

Well I cool maybe understand the 400 if he had to diagnose it but even then still high priced.

 

Moat shops only charge a 1 hour diagnostics fee and that is usually included in the total repair bill if you have them fix the car. Even then the fee should not be more than $75 ish or what ever hourly labor is in your area.

Massey

 

what about trying to clean it with a can of maf cleaner? i had a taurus that posted a dead maf, bought the cleaner and cleaned it, and never had any problems out of it after that. I have to make a trip to texas next week. so if the cleaner will kill it... then i will just wait till i get back to replace the damn thing. Anyone had any luck cleaning em?

the shops around here will charge a diagnostic fee, but if you have them fix the problem they take it off the bill. im pretty handy, i havent had to pay a mechanic in 3 years (since i got rid of the POS durango)well except for an alignment.... i do all my own maintenance including trans etc fluid changes, etc. i know everyone has to make a living. but when i walk into someones house to replace their carpet or tile, i dont bend them over and lie to them, and when i leave they are always happy. but mechanics are a different story. most, anyways. the only honest one i knew went out of business. go figure!

 

MAF cleaner works good if that is what is causing the failure. You can have the car scanned and your CEL read or turned off at your local Advance or O'Reilly auto part stores. It sure beats paying some one $60 to do it for you.

Massey

 

I originally tried to clean mine. It dose not hurt nothing and almost cost nothing. In my case it did not help. The car did better for a few hundred miles the it was back to messed up.

Joe

 

Maf cleaner does work sometimes but if it's a problem in the sensor itself then it'll do nothing. They aren't to pricy either. They cost around $100 and about 2 minutes to instal. A few philips screws and a pigtail until it's free then plop in the new one. From the sounds of what your describing it's probably dirty and in need of a cleaning so give that a shot and see how she runs after that.