Check engine light - Air filter or MAF Ssensor ?

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The check engine light came on in my 99 Explorer . I looked under hood and noticed a vacuum hose partially inserted just past the MAF sensor . I inserted the hose fully and decided to clean the MAF . When I opened the air filter cover the air filter was crushed and pushed down in the housing not sealed around the perimeter . I reinstalled the filter and cleaned the sensor let dry and light went off .

I had a shop replace the alternator not too long ago and imagine they took the cover and hose off to get to the alternator and just laid the alternator(or something heavy) right on the air filter while working, crushed it and put the cover back on.

I am wondering if it was the MAF cleaning or the air filter being put back in place that cleared the check engine light ?
Should I consider replacing the MAF Sensor seeing that it is the original or leave it be for now ?
 
Clear the codes . Do what it takes to bring the restore the parts back tpo proper , then drive the vehicle and see if the codes come back. Then go from there.
 
In my opinion, MAF sensors don't actually fail very often but they do need cleaning. If you suspect the MAF, clean it before spending the big money.
 
The air filter would not cause a check engine light. The MAF can't tell if the air is filtered or not. It just measures the volume of air going through it. The breather hose being loose however WILL cause a check engine light, as it lets in additional air to the intake that the MAF did not measure. Don't replace the MAF unless it's actually bad.
 
Go to any auto parts store, O'Reillys, Autozone, Advance, Pep Boys (but not NAPA, as they don't loan tools for free) and borrow a scan tool to check codes. It may be due to the disconnected hose but just to be sure and the scan tool can clear codes. MAFs are expensive and it may be something else.

In our 05 Toyota Avalon, I replaced the coil packs which required the throttle body removed (it contains the MAF sensor). When I reinstalled it and cleared the codes, the engine ran at a high idle so I disconnected the battery for 10 minutes then reconnected it and started the car. It ran fine after that reset.
 
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