MAF sensors general question

hi!
general question.... when MAF sensors go BAD (need replacing), do they typically just completely stop working or can they produce intermittent correct and incorrect signals?

many thanks everyone

 

When mine went bad on my 1996, I had intermittent hard starts when hot for quite a while (years), though once started the truck ran ok, with no codes ... until it didn't. One day I was pulling out of the driveway and had very little power. I parked the truck and checked codes and MAF came up. Replaced the MAF sensor unit and the truck ran great again. I don't know if the MAF issue caused the hard starts when hot, but after replacing the MAF sensor, that problem went away.

 

Thanks. I did get a MAF P0101 code once, but I have not had it back and I still have hard starts / rich runs. Maybe I should just spend the $40 and see if it it the MAF sensor getting old and about to die...if they do that kinda thing

 

I'm also curious on this? My MAF throws codes all the time but goes away after I clean it. I think it gets fouled when I drive on treated roads ahead of a snowstorm or at least that's the trend I've noticed. I just make sure to clean the MAF every oil changes and haven't had issues since.

 

Just fixed my sons. wouldn't idle. No codes. Unplugged ran, but plugged in ran rich until loading up then stalling. New unit installed, ran like a Toyota again

 

Thanks 1 Limited Toyota... yeah my vehicle is doing exactly the same with regard to plugging and unplugging.

Any advice on Toyota part $125 vs same manufacturer but no Toyota label $59?

 

Personally I would rather spend the differance on a trusted o.e.m. source when buying critical engine sensor type parts. I've learned ESPECIALLY things like wheel bearings and front end components. Some of the chinesium parts out there aren't worth scrape weight

 

Thanks..... seems like OE ones are about $125 - $135, a remanufactured OEM one by Hitachi - is about $59 and a copy is about $26

 

New OEM.

Stay away from reman and aftermarket.
Toyotas are picky about the sensors they like and work well with.

I’m only telling you this to prevent future issues.

There are somethings you can go cheap on. But a MAF sensor isn’t one of them on these trucks.

 

you need to weigh the potential 'replacement-of-the-replacement' cost.

the oe's risk of not working, or failing again is relatively low. not zero, but low-- they have very stringent standards to meet, which is part of the price tag.

remanufactured-anything-- it needs to be broke, so they can 'fix' it, to re-sell at that lower price point. how well they do that comes down to individual companies standards and willingness to put money into the item to fix it. some companies do it well, some don't. the prevailing argument is that they generally start with oem parts, so they 'should' be at a higher level of finish than the copies. but you're still buying a failed part that was rebuilt to a specific price point for them to turn a profit. and failure modes of any part vary wildly.

copies generally are cheapest because they meet all the main dimensions without the exacting tolerances of the oem. it's literally what the raw part cost would be while ignoring the toyota oe standards.

in vehicle racing, there's the knowledge that every step of precision can double the cost. to finish 30th in a field of 35 cars, it could take $100,000. but to finish 20th, it could take $1,000,000. to finish 18th, it could take $2,000,000, and so on. the cost of precision can become significant to get a reliable top-5 finish.

there's also the time and reliability factor. the MAF is on top of the motor, and easy to get to. if you don't mind keeping 2-4 of them on hand, changing it yourself, and you have the tools/time to do so, you can save a significant amount of money getting the copies. especially in custom/one-off builds that seem to eat up oem parts for an unknown reason. in this case, you're trading your time and possible vehicle reliability for the discounted price of part. the oe part on the other hand, is putting that time and reliability specification onto someone else that must be paid for their time and input into the part.

i'm not saying that any of the options are inherently better or worse than another, only that each option has its positives and negatives. usually the cost directly relates to the expected quality and time the person buying it needs to deal with the part. lower cost generally means more work with less reliability, higher cost means less work, and higher reliability.

but if the choice is the $30 model and putting food on the table for the week, or the $130 and going hungry, i'm choosing the $30 model...

 

I’ve found for some stuff, even coming out of the same factory, the quality difference between OEM and b-stock no-name Chinesium can be huge. I figure the out-of-spec products get sold as generic parts instead of scrapping them. As mentioned, precision costs money but generally leads to improved performance and reliability.

 

The one I purchased was a new Hitachi, who are rumored to make OEM for Toyota. Apparently Hitachi does the same as Aisin in removing any Toyota P/N before selling them under their name. In any case, I've had the Hitachi unit for 3-4 years and it's performed flawlessly.

 

That's the same thing I am seeing.
and yes the OE Toyota part is made by Hitachi and they (Hitachi) sell that separate part without the Toyota logo and part number for quite a bit cheaper. (50%)
I see some people on line think its a fake because the Toyota part and logo have been removed, but that doesn't mean it's fake. Hitachi have to remove the Toyota logo for legal reason.

 

Good to know! How were you able to find out Hitachi made the part?