Honda Car Forum

Hi , my daughter and boyfriend are saying her 97 Acura needs a mass air flow
sensor and that the part alone is around $300 or so.

Before I bring it to a garage, was wondering if someone could tell me what
this is, and how much they usually cost.

I'm pretty mechanically inclined, though I don't know cars very much... is
this something I could install?


Pete

"Pete Derkowski" <craftydad@nycap.rr.com> wrote in message
news:zabVg.3183$484.1346@twister.nyroc.rr.com...
> Hi , my daughter and boyfriend are saying her 97 Acura needs a mass air
> flow sensor and that the part alone is around $300 or so.
>
> Before I bring it to a garage, was wondering if someone could tell me what
> this is, and how much they usually cost.
>
> I'm pretty mechanically inclined, though I don't know cars very much... is
> this something I could install?
>
>
> Pete
>
The Mass Air Flow sensor is installed in the engine air intake to tell the
ECU how much air the engine is breathing in, so the ECU can make a decent
guess about how much fuel to inject. The ECU then uses the signal from the
O2 sensor to finely control the fuel/air mixture. MAF sensors (also called
AMMs for Air Mass Meters) are fairly delicate and are not an uncommon
failure. Symptoms range from the engine running very badly to intermittent
severe jerking. In the '97 I'm sure the Check Engine light is lit and the
code(s) point to the MAF.

$300 is not an unusual price for a new MAF, but it is still outrageous. I'm
sure it is something you can install without too much inventive language,
and wrecking yards are a good source of a replacement at a much more
reasonable price. I recommend going to a yard that pulls the part and maybe
tests it, and offers the part with a 30 day warranty. If it works for a week
or two it should work for years. Call around for the best price. Note:
handle it like eggs or like a hard drive. Remember, I mentioned it is
fragile. If you don't drop it or let it roll around in the trunk on the way
home you should be okay.

Any service manual for your daughter's car should have enough detail for
this job. Your local library is a good place to start, and if they don't
have it an auto parts store probably does. Haynes makes a manual for the
Integra in that year, but if it's another model you may have to shell out
for a "real" manual from www.helminc.com or wing it. Once you get the
replacement part there shouldn't be any surprises.

BTW - You do have metric wrenches and sockets?

Mike

Thanks Mike, yep, I have metric wrenches and sockets. This must be the
same part I had to replace on a car quite a while back.
Can't remember the details, but it was running rough, and there was this
wide short (6-8inches maybe?) plastic tube with wires coming out of it
placed in the middle of the longer plastic tube that air went into before it
went to the engine (I'd say carb, but there was no carb on the car).

In trying to check things out, I noticed if I fiddled with this short big
short tube, the car would react - run ok, run rough, etc. So I tried
banging it a couple of times, thinking maybe dirt was on something within
it... nope, in fact I made it worse... I think that cost me a bit over
$100 - this was like 10 or 15 yrs ago. I remember the mechanic saying O2
sensor, and to not touch it again. :-)

I'll check the yards around here - hopefully they have them and test them
out - I don't mind replacing with new if I have to, but yeah, $300 seems
overkill for what it is.

She has a CL... I think I'll pop the hood, see if I can spot it, and if I
can get one from a yard, I'll gently replace it.

Thanks for the info! :-)

Pete



"Michael Pardee" <michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote in message
news:X56dnQUSRdVsArjYnZ2dnUVZ_q6dnZ2d@sedona.net.. .
> "Pete Derkowski" <craftydad@nycap.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:zabVg.3183$484.1346@twister.nyroc.rr.com...
>> Hi , my daughter and boyfriend are saying her 97 Acura needs a mass air
>> flow sensor and that the part alone is around $300 or so.
>>
>> Before I bring it to a garage, was wondering if someone could tell me
>> what this is, and how much they usually cost.
>>
>> I'm pretty mechanically inclined, though I don't know cars very much...
>> is this something I could install?
>>
>>
>> Pete
>>
> The Mass Air Flow sensor is installed in the engine air intake to tell the
> ECU how much air the engine is breathing in, so the ECU can make a decent
> guess about how much fuel to inject. The ECU then uses the signal from the
> O2 sensor to finely control the fuel/air mixture. MAF sensors (also called
> AMMs for Air Mass Meters) are fairly delicate and are not an uncommon
> failure. Symptoms range from the engine running very badly to intermittent
> severe jerking. In the '97 I'm sure the Check Engine light is lit and the
> code(s) point to the MAF.
>
> $300 is not an unusual price for a new MAF, but it is still outrageous.
> I'm sure it is something you can install without too much inventive
> language, and wrecking yards are a good source of a replacement at a much
> more reasonable price. I recommend going to a yard that pulls the part and
> maybe tests it, and offers the part with a 30 day warranty. If it works
> for a week or two it should work for years. Call around for the best
> price. Note: handle it like eggs or like a hard drive. Remember, I
> mentioned it is fragile. If you don't drop it or let it roll around in the
> trunk on the way home you should be okay.
>
> Any service manual for your daughter's car should have enough detail for
> this job. Your local library is a good place to start, and if they don't
> have it an auto parts store probably does. Haynes makes a manual for the
> Integra in that year, but if it's another model you may have to shell out
> for a "real" manual from www.helminc.com or wing it. Once you get the
> replacement part there shouldn't be any surprises.
>
> BTW - You do have metric wrenches and sockets?
>
> Mike
>

"Pete Derkowski" <craftydad@nycap.rr.com> wrote in message
news:r6rVg.57252$uH6.52901@twister.nyroc.rr.com...
> Thanks Mike, yep, I have metric wrenches and sockets. This must be the
> same part I had to replace on a car quite a while back.
> Can't remember the details, but it was running rough, and there was this
> wide short (6-8inches maybe?) plastic tube with wires coming out of it
> placed in the middle of the longer plastic tube that air went into before
> it went to the engine (I'd say carb, but there was no carb on the car).
>
> In trying to check things out, I noticed if I fiddled with this short big
> short tube, the car would react - run ok, run rough, etc. So I tried
> banging it a couple of times, thinking maybe dirt was on something within
> it... nope, in fact I made it worse... I think that cost me a bit over
> $100 - this was like 10 or 15 yrs ago. I remember the mechanic saying O2
> sensor, and to not touch it again. :-)
>
> I'll check the yards around here - hopefully they have them and test them
> out - I don't mind replacing with new if I have to, but yeah, $300 seems
> overkill for what it is.
>
> She has a CL... I think I'll pop the hood, see if I can spot it, and if I
> can get one from a yard, I'll gently replace it.
>
> Thanks for the info! :-)
>
> Pete
>
Sounds like the same thing to me! The form may be a little different but I'm
sure you'll recognize it.

Mostly there is no way to clean the sensor. Many of them use a thin platinum
wire (that's why it is delicate) to measure the air flow. The circuit works
by heating the wire and measuring the amount of heat it loses to the air
stream. Typically the circuit also heats the wire initially to burn off
contaminants.

Mike

"Pete Derkowski" <craftydad@nycap.rr.com> wrote in
news:zabVg.3183$484.1346@twister.nyroc.rr.com:

> Hi , my daughter and boyfriend are saying her 97 Acura needs a mass
> air flow sensor and that the part alone is around $300 or so.
>
> Before I bring it to a garage, was wondering if someone could tell me
> what this is, and how much they usually cost.
>
> I'm pretty mechanically inclined, though I don't know cars very
> much... is this something I could install?
>
>


You don't have a MAF. Honda does not use them.

--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

It doesn't have a MAF??? That is what the diagnostic tool at the auto
parts store pointed to.
I'm going by info passed onto to me - I didn't see the readings myself...

What would be the equivalent name/part in the Acura then?

Pete


"TeGGeR®" <tegger@tegger.c0m> wrote in message
news:Xns98545FA1FDF58tegger@207.14.116.130...
> "Pete Derkowski" <craftydad@nycap.rr.com> wrote in
> news:zabVg.3183$484.1346@twister.nyroc.rr.com:
>
>> Hi , my daughter and boyfriend are saying her 97 Acura needs a mass
>> air flow sensor and that the part alone is around $300 or so.
>>
>> Before I bring it to a garage, was wondering if someone could tell me
>> what this is, and how much they usually cost.
>>
>> I'm pretty mechanically inclined, though I don't know cars very
>> much... is this something I could install?
>>
>>
>
>
> You don't have a MAF. Honda does not use them.
>
> --
> TeGGeR®
>
> The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
> www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

Also, you mention 'MAP'. I think the term used was 'MAP' .... can you tell
me the difference?

Pete


"TeGGeR®" <tegger@tegger.c0m> wrote in message
news:Xns98545FA1FDF58tegger@207.14.116.130...
> "Pete Derkowski" <craftydad@nycap.rr.com> wrote in
> news:zabVg.3183$484.1346@twister.nyroc.rr.com:
>
>> Hi , my daughter and boyfriend are saying her 97 Acura needs a mass
>> air flow sensor and that the part alone is around $300 or so.
>>
>> Before I bring it to a garage, was wondering if someone could tell me
>> what this is, and how much they usually cost.
>>
>> I'm pretty mechanically inclined, though I don't know cars very
>> much... is this something I could install?
>>
>>
>
>
> You don't have a MAF. Honda does not use them.
>
> --
> TeGGeR®
>
> The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
> www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

"Pete Derkowski" <craftydad@nycap.rr.com> wrote in
news:fxMVg.3773$484.2624@twister.nyroc.rr.com:

> Also, you mention 'MAP'. I think the term used was 'MAP' .... can you
> tell me the difference?



MAF = Mass Air Flow sensor. Some automakers use these to directly
measure the density of the air entering the engine. Honda does not use
these. I believe the reason is that they are prone to fouling and thus
producing false readings.

Honda does it differently. Honda *calculates* the density of the air by
using the
MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor),
TA (Temperature Air sensor), and
PA (Pressure Air sensor)

The MAP sensor reads the actual depression in the manifold,
independently of ambient air pressure. The PA sensor measures ambient
air pressure.

By comparing manifold and ambient air pressures, and knowing the
temperature of the air in the intake manifold, the actual amount of air
can be determined mathematically.

Was there an error code that indicated the MAP was nad? How does anybody
know it's bad? What are the symptoms?



--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

"TeGGeR®" <tegger@tegger.c0m> wrote in
news:Xns98558C967CDEEtegger@207.14.116.130:

> "Pete Derkowski" <craftydad@nycap.rr.com> wrote in
> news:fxMVg.3773$484.2624@twister.nyroc.rr.com:
>
>> Also, you mention 'MAP'. I think the term used was 'MAP' .... can
>> you tell me the difference?
>
>
>
> MAF = Mass Air Flow sensor. Some automakers use these to directly
> measure the density of the air entering the engine. Honda does not use
> these. I believe the reason is that they are prone to fouling and thus
> producing false readings.
>
> Honda does it differently. Honda *calculates* the density of the air



Just found out: I WAS WRONG. The very latest Hondas DO use a Mass Air Flow
sensor!


--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

But not in his 97... The MAP sensors in these models were also prone to
failure. My sister's 99 civic had hers replaced twice on recalls.... So far
on my 98 I have been lucky, no replacement required. But I've heard people
have problems on all of the 96-00 Hondas, I'm sure the Acuras follow suit.

t

TeGGeR® wrote:
>>> Also, you mention 'MAP'. I think the term used was 'MAP' .... can
>>> you tell me the difference?
>[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>>
>> Honda does it differently. Honda *calculates* the density of the air
>
>Just found out: I WAS WRONG. The very latest Hondas DO use a Mass Air Flow
>sensor!
>

--
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