Suspect I Have A Dodgy Maf Sensor

[bushm]

I hope someone out there can help me with this problem.

I took our Galaxy (2000, TDi 110bhp) out for a spin to test it at high speeds for the first time (we will be driving through Germany at the end of July with our 7 & 5 yr olds and 4 month old baby, so we want to get to our destination as quickly as possible!!). The car stormed effortlessly to 70 mph in 5 th gear, but then I noticed it ran out of ooomph at 80 mph (at 3000 rpm), I had to floor the accelerator (until it hit the rubber stop on the floor) to get it up to 90 mph and it was very unresponsive. Not what I would have expected from an engine that's only done 52,000 miles.

I've been following the MAF sensor story in the technical section and decided to venture under the bonnet, hoping there might be a loose connecter or something equally simple to fix. I think I found the sensor (attached to the big black pipe heading rearwards from the air filter box) the connecter seemed firmly attached so I followed the cable back and found a branch about 2" back from the sensor. This branch (a black/yellow and a brown wire inside a heat-proof sheath) was hanging loose behind the engine cover, it ended in a black plastic connecter with 2 terminals, it was burnt and carbonised. Should this cable be connected to anything or is it there for an accessory to plug into? Also if I unclip the connector going to the MAF sensor and drive the car to see if it makes a difference (if the sensor is bust then it should n't) will this damage the engine? Or is this lack of high speed performance due to something else? The car has a full Ford service history (for what that's worth).

I'd like to be armed with some knowledge before I take it back to the independent dealer who sold me the car. Thanks, Max.

[Guest mrtonywade]

that senser costs around

[bushm]

Thanks for your reply Tony.

It's still under warranty, so it should be fixed without any cost to me. A neighbour who used to be a mechanic also has a Galaxy TDi and said 9 times out of 10 the sensor is at fault. Does this mean that every X thousand miles we all have to get our MAF sensor changed?

Have Ford changed the sensor type for a more reliable one or are they still replacing like with like?

It seems as if the Galaxy owners on this forum are not very confident in Ford dealer's servicing. I've got a 60,000 mile service approaching at the end of the year. Do I go to Ford or an independent garage? I'll be interested to hear what people think.

Thanks again, Max.

[Guest SA Intruder]

The engine is VW.

 

The sensor is used all over the VW range, Passat and Golf in particular, and also Skoda equivalents.

 

The MAF sensor parts usage is high within VW, according to one of their "friendlier" dealers.

 

Buy from German and Swedish rather than dealers.

[Guest mrtonywade]

yes, most of the parts are interchangable with vw parts, but its always best to compare like for like,

I think that conferdence, in ford dealerships, isnt what it could be, and will proberly be hard to restore, but this is true, I feel, with all main dealers now.

I hear of all sorts of storys, from dismal customer care, to cars that have come out of the workshop with some major nuts not tightened correctly, and these are not one off mistakes, it is happining all the time, all over the country, and its mostly down to the running of the bissieness,and how to save on cost,

for example, a peughot dealer not far from me, has one M.O.T tested examiner,

and one quillified machanic, thay also have 11 apprentaces, and 10 vehicle ramps, I personnaly, cant see how one quilified person can possable check all

of the work that has been carried out by unquilified personnel on every vehicle.

Before it leaves the workshop,

plus, heres another thought !!!!!

the appreneces, dont get paid any wages, thay are from collage, learning a trade,

therefore you would think that the money saved on machanics wages would go to employ a few more quilified personnel, not only to up there custormer care polices, but to check on the work being done on, what are after all there custermers vehicles,

It was differant, years ago,

not only where the cars a lot easier to fix, and diagnose, but the mechanic was also the fitter. now days, chances are your vehicle will be put onto a diagnostic tester, by one person, and the part fitted by somebody else, in thery, this should work, but of course in practice it doas,nt.

the problum come,s when an inexperanced person does the diagnosing,

( and sometimes even quilified personel get it totolly wrong )

A tipical example would be that somebody brings there vehicle in, because it is running very rough, the diagnostic machine outputs a code that tells the machanic that the lamda probe is faulty ( its a sensor in the exhaust )

so a new one is fitted, but nothing has changed, the test is re-done with the same fault code read out, further investigation reviels a perised vaccum hose,

which is letting in air, causing the lamda probe to read faulty, this job has cost the owner

[Guest mrtonywade]

MAX

I forgot to mention, the small connector you found next to the air filter trunking

is a pic up piont for a sensor on a differant engine,

its surposed to be as is ( dis-connected )

[Guest SA Intruder]

"Most parts are interchangable with VW parts???????"

 

A VW part is a VW part.

[bushm]

Thanks Guys that was very informative.

Glad to know I won't need that pick up point which is destroyed anyway. I'll take the car to the dealer tomorrow and arrange a time for it to be fixed. Let you know how the stroy develops, hope it will be short and dull...ie took car back, they fixed it, car now ok!

[wiggybn]

Parts may be different prices according to whether you get them from Ford or VW. My 2.8 petrol Sharan had new spark plugs at a VW dealer 4 years ago, the plugs were charged at almost

[Guest reefer]

To add to the topic of parts prices. I recently had to change the auxiliary drive belt tensioner wheel, very noisey. I checked with a VW main dealer and they wanted

[bushm]

Well it looks as if the moral to the story is to shop around for the best price. Anyone not prepared to do so will pay the price.

[bushm]

Got the maf sensor fixed yesterday under warranty and what a difference it makes accelerating through the gears. Shouldn't have any trouble driving fast through Germany now!

Thanks to all of you and this forum for bring the problem to our attention.

Max. :D