Have a 2004 Monte Carlo SS. About a week ago my car started acting weird, mainly having idling problems. Once the engine got warm for like 5minutes, the engine would have trouble saying running. It would come so close to stalling, ten right when I think it will stall the engine races a bit and doesn't end up stalling. It will do this like every 15 seconds. So I scanned it and came up with the code P0102 (MAF). I took it off and cleaned it with mass air flow sensor cleaner. The car ran fine for about 2 days. Then this morning when I was driving as I pulled I into a parking spot it started to do it again. Does it sound like I need a new mass air flow sensor? Should I clean it again? All I did when I cleaned it was spray it and let it dry. Is there any way to tell if the mass air flow sensor is bad by looking at it after taking it off? Please help

 

There's no way to tell by looking. You can try using a multimeter, or having someone with a scanner make sure it is pulling enough data.

They are expensive sensors, buy a quality replacement if you decide to replace it.

 

All the signs point to it being your MAF sensor. If it's the original one, it's going on ten years old. I'd say just change it.

 

Where is the best place to buy a quality replacement? Am I better off though an auto parts store or through GM? And how much should I expect do a good replacement?

 

And where can I buy one of these Mass Air Flow sensor scanners?

 

I think rockauto might carry some of the OEM replacements. I think they usually go for about $150 new. I just got a used one for $45 because I didnt have the $150 to throw at one right now. Just needed to get by for now. Generic Ebay ones are junk so dont even consider one.

 

Since the MAF is an expensive part I would double check the wiring harness before purchasing a replacement. It's possible that you have a bad connection or wiring. When you cleaned the MAF you moved the wiring and reseated the connector which may have corrected a bad connection. After driving for a couple days vibration moved the wiring harness and the bad connection returned along with the code. It would be a shame to see you drop all that coin on a new MAF only to have the problem return again after a couple days. If you do need to replace the MAF then I would also recommend a quality replacement like AC Delco or Delphi. There have been quite a few reports about other, less expensive replacements not correcting the problem because they do not operate within the same parameters as the OE sensors.

Part 1 -MAF Sensor Test (P0101, P0102, P0103): GM 3.8L (1996-2005).

 

Thank you I'm going to do this later tonight.

 

Just a Little FYI...

To dbl check to be sure its the MAF...

Unplug the MAF ...start it up and drive it...
If the problem disappears, Then its definately the MAF...(For testing purposes only) Not recommended to continue to drive with it unplugged...
If the problem persists...Then it has a whole other issue.

 

Ok i did the steps on the link below. Power was at 12V, ground was at 12V, then when i tested the MAF signal, there was hardly no signal at all (it read switching between 0.01V and 0.02V). Then when i accelerated the engine slightly, the reading didnt change when it was supposed to increase supposibly. So does it sound like my MAF is bad? Im starting to think it is. The link for the instructions i followed are posted above. Please let me know what you think is wrong