Maintenance? Replace good, mass air flow sensor?

[Ed_Flecko]

I'm always trying to keep my truck running well, so I'm wondering if it makes sense to replace my existing Mass Air Flow sensor as a matter of good maintenance?

I have a 2004 Toyota Tacoma and the truck runs perfectly with 157,000 miles. I can buy a new, OEM MAF for about $125.

Does it make sense to replace it, because it's not terribly expensive (and perhaps the truck will run a little smoother and, perhaps, yield a little more MPG?), or would you just clean the existing sensor and call it a day, or would you take the "if it isn't broke - don't fix it" approach?

Thank you,
Ed

 

[ls1mike]

I wouldn't mess with it? Clean it? Maybe, but if you have no issues...well you already said it. If is isn't broke-don't fix it.

 

[spasm3]

I'd leave it if it is working. I don't think they are like o2 sensors that get slow. I'd leave it.

 

[ram_man]

No do not replace it. If it's good it's good. And a lot of the ones you can go out and buy won't be as good as the one your truck came with. If you really want to do something buy some mass air flow sensor cleaner and clean it . You can look and see if it's dirty. If it is clean it.

 

[sciphi]

Clean it, don't replace it.

 

[Trav]

I would leave well enough alone, many live the life of the car. New ones can and do fail also.

 

[GenesisGuy70]

I'm definitely guilty of replacing parts prematurely but I would never replace something like an MAF. That's a clean it and leave it part and replace upon failure. Google a good How-To article on cleaning, those can be sensitive.

 

[philipp10]

Call me cheap but why would you ever do that? Just your luck you spring the $125 and the next day the vehicle is totaled. Clean it at most. My experience with Toyota (at least in the past) is I have almost never have had to replace a sensor like that.

 

[philipp10]

BTW, have you checked the EGR? They can get gummed up at your mileage. Simpley take out and clean the shaft and its good as new.

 

[Chris142]

No. Leave it till it acts up.

 

[RF Overlord]

I know little of Toyotas, but in general I agree with all of the above. The MAF either works or it doesn't. Replacing it "just because" buys you nothing.

 

[Jcp123]

Clean it.

Cleaning my MAF was the single biggest improvement I made to my Echo when it was running poorly. It had 200k miles of gunk on it. But it has not needed replacement.

 

[Rolla07]

Clean and dont replace it. Remove it and spray with maf spray and let it dry. Dont touch the element. Then clean your throttle body out. 2 birds one stone, and you might notice it runs better. If you havent cleaned the TB before its a good idea. I agree with everyone else, dont replace it.

 

[mmavet]

Clean it with Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner only. If they get dust on the sensors it can affect your mileage. Change the air filter first, cheap as they are any more.

 

[Doog]

I change air filter at 20,000, clean MAF at 50,000, clean TB at 100-120,000, use techron every 20,000.

Never a problem.

 

[Vikas]

A bad MAF will NOT leave you stranded. What is the incentive on changing it proactively? If you replace with something which is not exactly like an OEM, you would have more problems.

 

[Quest]

MAF sensor, O2 sensor, thermostat, temp sensor, etc. these are the things that I would simply wait until they fail before replacing them.

I don't do pro-active work and dump money on things that don't see frequent failure. It would be an utter waste of time+money, and yeah, resource also.

Money better spent elsewhere....

Q.

 

[Ed_Flecko]

Thank you ALL for your feedback!

Ed

 

[artificialist]

O2 sensors may fail without triggering a warning light, but a MAF doesn't.

I would just leave the sensor alone except for an occasional cleaning.

 

[01rangerxl]

Just clean it, with MAF cleaner only. No need to replace if it isn't malfunctioning.

I did buy a Motorcraft reman for my truck because they were something like $66 on Rockauto. I didn't know how long they would be available at that price, so I figured why not. I have used the reman for diagnostic purposes before, but currently my truck has the factory MAF sensor installed.