Hey every1, just like yesterday i was driving my car and it like completely broke down on me. I know for a fact it has something to do with the MAF, because i've had a lot of problems with it before. After i finally got it home i did a diagnostic test, the codes came up as a 33, 34, and 45. I somewhat expected the 33 because its an intermittent code, but the 34 and 45 were completely unexpected. So if i got both trouble codes for the MAF, does that mean i need a new one again? The symptoms of the problem or problems are i'm driving and i try to accelerate and the rpm's don't really move, i press the pedal and the engine makes sort of this kind of knocking or popping noise, and other times i press the pedal and it jerks the car real hard. I was going and trying to accelerate and the engine wouldn't work at all, then it just died. Then after it died, i would go to start it and it would start but then about 2-3 seconds later it dies. I know the code 45 is rich exhaust, but i haven't determined the exact problem triggering that though. I thought it could be the tps. The reason i though it would be the tps is b/c one of my books said there could be intermittentent bursts of fuel from the injectors due to a faulty tps, this would explain the sometimes jerky acceleration. it could also be the fuel pressure, or maybe the o2 sensor, and help anyone could give me would help a lot thanks

 

well i realized the reason i got a 34 is b/c i unplugged the connector to the MAF, to help me get home, so i just got a 33 and 45. But sometimes the engine is idling and then the rpm's drop and it sometimes dies. I thought maybe this could be a code 34 symptom, not sure though

 

MAF is a major major MAJOR sensor. If that's screwed up, it can cause problems that imitate symptoms of 50 other problems. Get that done first, then see what happens. Your code 45, rich exhaust, could be several things....now considering the MAF measures air going into the engine..if yours is out of whack, it only makes sense that your Air:Fuel ratio will also be out of whack....hence, the code. If you still run rich after a new MAF, then check the O2 sensor of course. If it's been run rich for a while it might be toast...I don't know the life span on those things but I know they're pretty delicate.

Here's the general list of bases I cover when I'm dealing with stalling or a rough operating engine....

-Spark Plugs, Plugwires, and Cap & Rotor (back to basics. Plugs nasty? Replace. Wires nasty? Your call.
Cap and rotor:
CORRODED-either use a small wirebrush to clean the corrosion off..just be careful to avoid scratching the terminals..or replace
BROKEN/DAMAGED-Replace. They're cheap. Get one with brass terminals. $20 at DAP

-MAF (I have no experience with them yet....my first MAF car I've only had for a month and a half now and it's never acted up. Gotta ask someone else about that one!)

-O2 Sensor (if you're not sure about it, just replace the thing. It's only $20 and if it's got any age on it at all, it's gonna bring your gas mileage up with a new one)

-Fuel filter (is it clogged up? If so, replace obviously.. Fuel filter will cause loss of power, sometimes a lean condition, and will cause idle and deceleration/braking stalling)

-IAC Valve (if it's carboned up, use carb cleaner to thoroughly but delicately clean the valve. Use throttle body cleaner to clean the IAC passageways. Keep the carb cleaner away from the engine....big no no with EFI. If the IAC is physically damaged or still acting up, replace it..they're close to $30.)

-TPS (if you've got an adjustable type, is it set right? Voltage correct? These are also FAIRLY inexpensive to replace, and if you have the non-adjustable type, it's extremely easy to swap.)


I just pulled a Tom!

 

i might add i got this MAF from a pick n pull kinda place, the metal screen inside had been tampered with, it had a bunch of damage done to it, it looked like someone tried to take it out, it was so warped i just took it out, with my luck that probably contributed to the problem.

 

Removing the screen usually doesn't cause problems..it's ok as long as you've got an air filter! BUT if the screen was all messed up and not removed...someone probably rough-handed it and they could've damaged the sensor or the filament inside. As expensive as MAF's are, I think it's probably worth it to buy a new one...I imagine junkyard units would be failure-prone.

 

thanks for the pointers nixon, all the help is much appreciated

 

its using engine moris code and trying to tell u to let it retire and let a v 8 take it place. jk im just playin with you. yeah dont trust those pick n pull places at all ive goten pats like that and theya re liek oh yeah it works good then i get home and what do u know it doesnt work at all.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't trust a used MAF..just like I wouldn't trust a used O2 sensor...or a half-eaten sandwich...

 

Well i think that we've decided that it is the O2 sensor and the MAF most likely. See one of my books says that a code 45 is rich exhaust and the trouble code reference on this website says a 45 is the O2 sensor, anyone know if it is hard or a hassle to replace O2 sensor?

 

O2 sensors are CAKE. $20 for one at the auto shops.. Do it when the car is cold, but warm it up JUST a little..so the Y-pipe is warm to the touch but not hot. This will loosen it up a little. Hit it with some liquid wrench if ya need to..disconnect and screw it out. Trust me...it's gonna be a bitch to do! Be careful installing the new one..VERY careful...they break easily.

 

what makes O2 sensors so fragile?


A half eaten sandwich is better than no sandwich at all... :lala:

 

Just the way they're designed and the parts they use to detect the amount of oxygen in your pipes makes them sensitive. After I removed my old O2 sensor I didn't touch it or do anything to damage it further, but when my friend installed it on his O2-sensor-less car to see if it would work as a temporary replacement, his check engine light stayed on and it ran the same..just removing it completely broke it.

 

yeah, putting in the O2 sensor was a piece of cake, real easy. On the exhaust manifold right under the passenger side. From the looks of it, i still had the original one one there, one of my books says it should be replaced every 30,000 miles, my car has 106,767 miles, so it was well overdue. I just got a new maf from kragen for like $73, the O2 sensor was only like $22.

 

Be sure to tell us if/how much it helped now...

 

with the new O2 sensor it had a much more smooth idle and no more SES codes. I'm not exactly sure if i really needed the MAF, but i got that one from a pick n pull, so it was bound to fail eventually i guess. I new one i got obviously wasn't for our specific engine. the original ones had the connector going straight back towards the plenum, but this one has the connector piece facing down. As well the other one a had, had a much bigger opening, inside it was the same diameter as the tubing to the tb. This one i got was much smaller, which means less air flow, but oh well i solved the problem. Plus i concluded that when my car was sitting on the side of the road for a few hours someone syphoned out almost all my gas as well, so i got about a hundred yards and then had to tow it home. Also i think i'm going to replace the tps just because i feel like it.

 

Maybe a locking gas cap too?

 

Sounds alot like the problems i was having. Swap the MAFS adn if it still does it check into a distrubutor rebuilt. I had a backfire till we rebuilt mine. Turns out I had to Much endplay in the gear too nad had to shim the darn thing. Even if it runs ok, a distributor rebuild is a good idea... major performance gain if yours is tired....

Now I just pulled a TomP...

 

yeah a locking gas cap would be a GREAT idea, you know where i can get one MDv6man? Also redraif we completely rebuilt the distributor about five or six months ago, b/c i was having the same kind of problems u were, it helped a lot.

 

Auto Zone

 

Walmart probably has them too...ANY auto store should. I'd tell you what kind I had if I knew what it was...previous owner put it in but man is it GREAT. Sucker is ROCK SOLID...I lost the key and tried to get it open before and couldn't even come close... I've got two keys for it now though so I'm very thankful it's on there..

Not only for the gas part, but yes, there are big enough @ssholes in the world that would actually try to ruin your car for whatever reason....such as sand in the gas tank, etc. These are the same people that would shove sh*t down into people's carburetors when they pulled the air filter for car shows. STUPID STUPID STUPID

 

My locking gas cap has a combination lock, so no chance of key loss. Now memory loss...