A critical part of every car is the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor; your vehicle will have several issues if it isn’t working correctly. Such as lousy fuel economy, trouble starting the car, etc. If your car doesn’t start when you try to start it, these are the warning signs that the mass airflow sensor requires immediate attention.
Engine performance depends significantly on MAF sensors. Your car’s performance would suffer if it started to malfunction. But don’t worry; you can get around this issue by using some approaches and resetting the sensor.
Stick with us as we cover different methods for how to reset the mass air flow sensor.
The Three Easy Methods to Reset Mass Air Flow Sensor
1. Disconnecting the Battery
Resetting the Engine Control Module (ECM), which controls the mass air flow sensor (MAF), can be accomplished by disconnecting the battery. This technique can erase any previously saved error codes and restart the engine control system.
To do this, you’ll need to follow the below steps.
1. Switch off the ignition and remove the lock’s key.
2. Find the battery in your car and determine which terminal is the negative one.
3. Remove the nut from the negative battery cable using a wrench.
4. After the nut has come loose, carefully separate the negative battery cable from the battery terminal.
5. After unplugging the battery, wait at least 15 to 20 minutes. The engine control module can then reset and erase any previously stored codes.
6. Tighten the nut after reattaching the negative battery cable to the terminal.
7. After starting the engine, let it idle to give the ECM time to recalibrate.
Remember that disconnecting the battery can also reset other settings in your car, including the clock, trip meters, and radio presets. If you have any concerns about carrying out this procedure or if the problem with your vehicle persists, consult a qualified mechanic.
2. Idling the Engine
You must examine your MAF sensor to see if your engine light is on. You can see these actions if a reset is necessary. Start your car, turn on the air conditioning, and let it idle for about 1200 RPMs before continuing.
Next, put the car in drive. Once you’ve finished, turn off your vehicle, wait five minutes, then take off! The best place to do this is on a flat surface, but if you ensure your RPMs stay balanced, it should also work on a hill.
3. Use a Long Screwdriver
Although MAF sensors are placed in an easily reachable location, some sensors are more complex to reach than others. Use a long screwdriver to push the reset button if you’re having trouble getting the MAF sensor with your hand.
You should remove the screwdriver and reset the sensor once the button stops working. You should have a technician examine your detector if it is malfunctioning.
The mass air flow sensor (MAF) should not be reset with a long screwdriver, as this is not advised. Using a screwdriver to reset the MAF sensor could harm the sensor or additional engine management system parts in your car.
Four Signs that the Mass Air Flow Sensor Needs to be Replaced
The MAF sensor does not need to be replaced if routine maintenance is performed on your vehicle, but it may be necessary to clean the MAF sensor at some point. But the actual question is: how can we recognize the signs that the MAF sensor in our vehicle needs to be replaced?
- Engine performance issues
- Fuel economy issues
- Trouble starting the engine
- As you accelerate, you may jerk
Conclusion
The MAF sensor is essential for the stable engine performance of our car. Our engine would have issues if this component were to malfunction. Therefore, we need to find a solution to this issue to keep our car running smoothly.
Although we also discuss factors that suggest that our car’s mass air flow sensor needs to be replaced because the engine’s cost is ten times higher than the MAF sensor’s cost, we take appropriate action to address this issue.
This article addresses the most frequently asked query and clearly describes how to reset mass air flow sensor. And if you take the actions mentioned above, your driving experience will improve.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
