How To Trick A Mass Air Flow Sensor? Best Guide

The driver may experience significant inconvenience from a malfunctioning MAF, and your car won’t run as it should. How to trick a mass air flow sensor? The mass airflow sensor can be manipulated. A special tube is required to deceive a mass airflow sensor.

A special tube is required to deceive a mass airflow sensor. This tube is composed of metal rather than plastic and has the same form as the airflow sensor.

It will warm up and provide the same reading as the fuel-air mixture coming from your car’s tailpipe if you place it in front of an ignition source.

Tricking people is a way to remedy this aspect when it malfunctions. This article demonstrates the correct way to fool a mass air flow sensor.

How Do Mass Air Flow Sensors Work?

The MAF sensor, which detects the amount of air entering the engine, is a crucial component of a car’s emissions system. 

This data is used by the ECU to determine how much fuel needs to be injected into each combustion cycle.

Changing or deleting the MAF sensor can cause your car’s calculations to be inaccurate, which will lead to bad performance and poor gas mileage if your car has been tuned using a MAF-based map.

Between the air filter and the intake manifold of the engine, the mass air flow sensor (MAF) remains. It is essential to the operation of the electronic fuel injection system in your car.

There are several types of MAF sensors that are appropriate for various automobiles. The most common varieties have a similar functioning and are hot film and hot wire types.

The MAF sensor primarily regulates how much air enters the engine of your car.

The powertrain control module (PCM), meanwhile, uses its signal to determine how much fuel is required to support the engine. More gasoline is needed the more air there is.

The power control module continuously provides an electric current to heat the hot film or hot wire component in order to measure the airflow.

The cooling process of this element is thus assisted by the airflow in lowering its electrical resistance.

The amount of air that has entered the vehicle engine is calculated by multiplying the current demand by the amount of air that has entered the engine.

The Speed Density System modules are used in place of MAF sensors in some vehicles, though.

In order to measure the fuel given by the air input from various sensors, such as the manifold absolute pressure type, the powertrain control is used.

How To Trick A Mass Air Flow Sensor?

It is required to fix the problem since your new or old mass air flow sensor is not functioning. The sensor’s malfunction will have an impact on the engine’s ability to operate in balance.

Obtain a Special Tube

This tube needs to be at least 3 feet long and 1 inch in diameter. It needs to be near an ignition source. 

The tube’s one end needs to be sealed with a rubber stopper or plug that has had a hole drilled out of it so that an electrical current can run through it and heat the rubber stopper or plug. 

This will warm your tube and produce a reading that is equivalent to the fuel-air mixture coming from the tailpipe of your car.

Position the Tube In Front Of a Spark Source

Place the tube in front of the ignition source. It would be too cold and perform poorly if you set it to the side. 

Make sure the system receives a sufficient amount of heat.

Use an alternative, such as a lighter or matchbook cover, if your car lacks an electrical ignition system.

Connect a Tube to the Exhaust

The simplest way to fool a mass air flow sensor is to use this technique. Simply insert a tube into your tailpipe and allow it to rise to your engine compartment so that you can link it to the mass airflow sensor there. 

It doesn’t matter what kind of copper tubing you use—just make sure it’s robust and long enough to reach the ceiling.

How To Tell If Your Mass Air Flow Sensor Is Bad?

Your car may experience a variety of issues if your mass air flow sensor isn’t functioning properly. Here are a few common examples.

A Sensor That Has Been Oxidized Will Read Lower Than Normal

The engine will run lean as a result of an oxidized sensor’s lower-than-expected reading. 

This poses a risk since an engine that burns too much fuel while lacking sufficient air is more likely to stall or experience other issues.

On the other hand, your automobile will run rich if you deceive a mass air flow sensor into believing that there is more oxygen in the exhaust than there actually is. 

A mass air flow sensor may also malfunction even when it hasn’t been tampered with, becoming stuck on its own best value.

The Catalytic Converter Has Been Damaged

Your catalytic converter may accumulate too much carbon as a result of a malfunctioning mass air flow sensor. 

As a result, it is unable to adequately perform its function and transform toxic emissions into less dangerous ones before they are discharged into the atmosphere. This issue causes the car to run poorly.

The Engine Will Run Lean if the Mass Air Flow Sensor is Broken

This indicates that the engine is not receiving enough gasoline to function at its best. As a result, you might use more fuel or need to add more fuel than usual when refilling.

If you want to fool a mass air flow sensor, the procedure is fairly straightforward. When the MAF reaches a specific temperature, it is expected to generate a signal that represents the volume of air entering your engine. 

This value will be off if the sensor is malfunctioning, which will make your automobile run rich or lean.

You require more fuel than usual if your vehicle runs rich. To put it another way, excessive fuel is being injected to each combustion cycle, resulting in unburned hydrocarbons. 

In addition, carbon monoxide is produced during burning as opposed to carbon dioxide and water vapor.

Many internal engine components, including pistons, rings, valves, and cylinder heads, suffer from earlier wear as a result of the increased chemical content and resulting increased hardness. 

Over time, if the damage is not stopped, it will get bad enough that replacement parts are required.

A Defective Mass Air Flow Sensor Will Result In the Vehicle Running Rich

The car will run lean if the mass airflow sensor is malfunctioning. When this occurs, your engine is employing a gasoline-air mixture that is excessively rich, which uses up too much fuel.

Other issues that impact the effectiveness and performance of your vehicle may result from this.

It might be time to get a replacement mass air flow sensor installed in your car’s MAF housing by a skilled repair if you experience engine stutters or poor performance while driving.

When Should You Bypass The Mass Air Flow Sensor?

There are several reasons why you would want to bypass the mass air flow sensor, but I’ll focus on two of them in this article.

The optimum air/fuel ratio for your engine is the first thing you need to know.

It is possible for the mass air flow sensor to be deceived into believing that it is receiving more airflow than it actually is, causing it to alter the fuel mixture erroneously.

Bypassing this sensor enables you to accurately measure the amount of oxygen flowing through your intake manifold so that you may make the necessary adjustments.

Additionally, presuming that your car has been resting all winter long with only occasional monthly starts. 

The MAF sensor in that vehicle has malfunctioned as a result of infrequent use and the passage of time. This frequently occurs when cars are left alone outside in the chilly months.

Final Thoughts

Before sending their car to a mechanic, drivers must know how to deceive a mass air flow sensor in order to have a quick repair in addition to resetting the MAF sensor. I hope the information above will be helpful. Please leave a remark if you have any questions, and we’ll do our best to respond as quickly as we can.

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