MAF advice

[blueka]

Been advised by local mechanic to change my MAF as it splutters under acceleration but doesn't have any codes.

My MAF is pictured below but none of the ones listed on rock auto look the same

97 explorer 4x4 sohc

Si

 

[lobo411]

Looks good...replace your mechanic instead.

Others (who know the SOHC) will probably chime in with suggestions, but your MAF looks good and clean (I see you have a can of cleaner in the background) and you have no codes. Your problem is almost certainly not the MAF.

 

[German Engineer]

On the photo your MAF sensor appears to be perfectly clean, so if you have or can borrow an OBD2 scanner that reads out live data, then you can look at the values it reports (or rather the calculated results for the MAF of those values). If those make perfect sense and change reasonably according to the throttle when you play with the gas pedal. If those make perfect sense, then it's highly unlikely (to nearly impossible) for the MAF sensor to really be bad, unless there's something wrong with the electronics inside that makes it only fail sporadically.
But that should then throw some code I would suspect.

So yes, sounds like lobo411 is probably right and you might want to change the mechanic rather than the MAF sensor.

Did that mechanic check the fuel pressure?
The first thing I would suspect first by your description is low or fluctuating fuel pressure. Possibly due to a bad fuel pump or if you're lucky just a clogged up fuel filter, possibly bad wiring to the fuel pump.
You could also possibly have a bad pressure dampener (if the SOHC engine has one like the OHV does) or a bad fuel pressure regulator (which is should be part of the fuel pump assembly inside the tank).
And you could possibly have one or more failing fuel injectors as well.
That's what I'd check for - or what I'd have and expect a good mechanic to diagnose in case you can't do it yourself.

If not fuel pressure related it could potentially also be an electric problem as well, but I would suspect fuel pressure being the issue first.

 

[96eb96]

Yes, you need a good scan tool that can read the BARO parameter. There are internal checks that use the MAF to compute current barometric pressure. At sea level, it should read 159Hz give or take. If you see 149 for example, either you live very high up or you can suspect the MAF. There are some other tests too.

It is hard to tell if the MAF has a problem. Yes, it looks clean, but someone can look great and be very ill. I've been playing with Fords since 1996, usually they don't go bad electronics wise. They are usually replaced for a bad diagnosis, being dirty or damaged, but who knows.

Forscan is a FREE tool that can read this parameter, along with others. You need an inexpensive OBD adapter. Many cheap apps WILL NOT read these extended codes.

 

[J_C]

I agree with the other posts that it might be premature to assume the mechanic is correct about the MAF sensor needing changed, but what puzzles me is what you are stating about the MAF sold by Rock Auto looking different. Can you link a picture of what you feel looks different?

Some of them on RA do include the housing instead of just the sensor, for example the first pic below, but the 2nd pic looks the same as yours to me, or am I missing something ??

^ This 2nd pic is this: More Information for SPECTRA PREMIUM MA197
It is showing up under the MAF listings for a '97 with the SOHC engine.

 

[96eb96]

I agree with the other posts that it might be premature to assume the mechanic is correct about the MAF sensor needing changed, but what puzzles me is what you are stating about the MAF sold by Rock Auto looking different. Can you link a picture of what you feel looks different?

Some of them on RA do include the housing instead of just the sensor, for example the first pic below, but the 2nd pic looks the same as yours to me, or am I missing something ??

^ This 2nd pic is this: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6284454&cc=1119675&jsn=635
It is showing up under the MAF listings for a '97 with the SOHC engine.

Some include the housing. Theoretically they are married and not supposed to be separated. It is very easy to damage if you are not experienced. Even a busy tech could drop and destroy it.

 

[blueka]

I've got forscan but I'm having trouble locating the adapter to plug into my laptop

Si

 

[fastpakr]

Having trouble finding yours, or finding one online to buy that you can use?

 

[blueka]

Finding one online

Si

 

[J_C]

If your laptop has bluetooth then I'd get the BAFX on Amazon. If it doesn't then I'd get a cheap USB bluetooth adapter for the BAFX because it's handy to have a bluetooth OBD2 dongle like the BAFX for when you want to use an android phone or tablet for a portable display.

https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-Bluetooth-Diagnostic-Scanner/dp/B005NLQAHS

 

[fastpakr]

Here's another option (nothing wrong with JC's, just an alternative that I've had experience with and works well):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MUALTSX

 

[blueka]

Changed the fuel filter yesterday. Seems to have helped loads.

Just did a 300 mile round trip on half a tank

Si

 

[German Engineer]

Changed the fuel filter yesterday. Seems to have helped loads.

Just did a 300 mile round trip on half a tank

Si

I'm glad it helped.
But in this case I would still recommend to get a fuel pressure gauge, they're cheap to get. You might even be able to rent one at one of the common auto part stores.

If the fuel filter was all clogged up, depending on how old it is, I would also take a good look at the gas tank.
You could have a rusty gas tank.
I would drop the tank, open it, and take a look inside. (There's an excellent thread with great information and instructions how to replace fuel pump here in this forum you can look at.)
It's sadly not uncommon for the metal tanks on the Explorers to rust.

And since the fuel filter is behind the pump, anything that ends up in there clogging it up also had to pass through the fuel pump first.
So I definitely recommend to check the pressure to see if the pump still works right. And it could probably at least use a new strainer even if the pump itself might still be good.

 

[blueka]

Thanks. I will. It's hard getting parts over here in the UK though. 21 years old and just rolled over 102k miles. Sat up for 6 years while I lived abroad.

Si