New Mass Airflow Sensor = Best upgrade yet!!

JettaTDI

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 21, 2008
Location
North East
TDI
02
I just wanted to share my discovery with you guys. I have an '02 Jetta TDI with 215,000 miles on it. Over the last year or so, I kept getting overboost faults if I drove a little too aggressively. I had the intake cleaned about 6 months ago, but I only noticed a mild increase in power. It would still overboost though.

On a whim, I ordered a new MAF sensor online. Keep in mind there were no MAF fault codes or any other codes, unless it overboosted (PO234)

What a difference. The car is much quicker now, & does not overboost. It's also louder on the intake side. You can hear the power increase. I'm also getting about 40 more miles per tank.

The new sensor looked a lot different too on the inside compared to the original one.

BTW - the one I got from ID Parts was way less than the dealer part.

Great upgrade :cool:
 

jettawreck

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Location
Northern Minnesota-55744
TDI
2001 Jetta and 2003 Jetta
I just wanted to share my discovery with you guys. I have an '02 Jetta TDI with 215,000 miles on it. Over the last year or so, I kept getting overboost faults if I drove a little too aggressively. I had the intake cleaned about 6 months ago, but I only noticed a mild increase in power. It would still overboost though.

On a whim, I ordered a new MAF sensor online. Keep in mind there were no MAF fault codes or any other codes, unless it overboosted (PO234)

What a difference. The car is much quicker now, & does not overboost. It's also louder on the intake side. You can hear the power increase. I'm also getting about 40 more miles per tank.

The new sensor looked a lot different too on the inside compared to the original one.

BTW - the one I got from ID Parts was way less than the dealer part.

Great upgrade :cool:
Bad MAF will usually never throw a fault code.
A new MAF will make quite an difference in performance from a failed one and solve some boost issues.
The new version do look a bit different inside with the extra venturi thing in there.
I think metalman has them for a bit less than IDparts, either way lots less than the stealership retail list.
Its fun driving again, I'll bet.
 

scooperhsd

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Location
Kansas City KS
TDI
NB, 2000, RED(5 Speed conversion) 2015 Golf SE
The first time I did an MAF replacement - it was like a new motor had been dropped in place. i just recently did my 2nd MAF replacement - results weren't as dramatic since I caught the issue sooner.
 

Curious Chris

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 11, 2001
Location
Pineview GA
TDI
Jetta Wagon 2003 RIP Rockford IL
When I bought my first TDI (1999.5)I though it had a rev limiter around 3000 rpm. Logged the MAF in VCDS (It was VagCom back then) and sure enough the MAF would hit 850 and then drop in a few seconds to 500. Yes no CEL as it was not a hard failure. New MAF and off we go.

Now on my 2002 I am on only my second MAF as I recognize the symptoms now.
 

chrisfiat

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2006
Location
farmington nh
TDI
97 jetta
if you are hearing " a lot more intake noise" re check your installation and be sure your air box cover is installed properly
 

Midwesthick

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Location
Denver
TDI
A3, GSW, 02-Golf
I fell my car is completely running amazing, how would I know if the MAF was bad? Is it just one of those things you change after you hit 200K miles or something?
 

jettawreck

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Location
Northern Minnesota-55744
TDI
2001 Jetta and 2003 Jetta
I fell my car is completely running amazing, how would I know if the MAF was bad? Is it just one of those things you change after you hit 200K miles or something?
No, not a scheduled replacement item. They fail sometimes at unknown intervals, but the replacements have been much better than the originals in the early TDIs. I've had at least one fail in each of the three ALH cars and all have been a bit different syptoms. You can log MAF data w/VCDS, but usually you get some gradual performance loss that it kind of hard to notice because it happens very slowly. One day you realize the car is much "doggier" than it should be/once was. Sometimes you get an almost limp mode effect above 3K. This is what the last bad MAF did in my '01.
Never had a CEL from a bad MAF.
 

Midwesthick

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Location
Denver
TDI
A3, GSW, 02-Golf
word ok. I noticed today when I was in 5th gear and floored it around 60-65mph the RPM's climbed a little but the car took a second to get itself going, turbo lag or perhaps a failing MAF maybe???? sucks those things cost 200 bux
 

craig01b

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 17, 2004
Location
Guelph, Ontario.
TDI
None
Not to my knowledge, unplug it,and drive if it gets better (although won't be as good as a healthy maf) its pooched.

Cleaning will help temporarily, but not for long....200 is cheap, the first one I almost got from a dealer, but balked was over 500!!!!! I ended up using a pierberg out of a mercedes, until the prices came down from vdub...

C
 

craig01b

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 17, 2004
Location
Guelph, Ontario.
TDI
None
200???

038 906 461C
Bosch 0 281 002 757
Mass Air Flow Sensor Assembly
Updated Version, different design than older MAF, beware of some suppliers selling
the original version as an updated version, always check the Bosch part number to be sure.
( for all ALH Engines, new, not rebuilt )
$90.00
 

Bickford

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2010
Location
Nictaux Nova Scotia Canada
TDI
2000 1.9 Jetta 2001 golf 1.9
i head the same problem with my TDI 2000 jetta mass air flow sensor went i got one for 120 bones but i head a grage in calgary alberta work on my car clamed i head a torn blater in my waste gate well the fixed that but never set my my car back up for boost so it was always over boosting i think it was around 28psi we head to back it to 24psi now shes like a new car till spring happy hunting people and ya there is a big differents be tween the old maf and the new one
 

Midwesthick

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Location
Denver
TDI
A3, GSW, 02-Golf
that's clutch slippage
This is my 1st VW that I ever had clutch slippage with! also my other vw's were 1.8T's and 2.0T's and not a 1998 with 204000 miles with me being the first one to ever mod it. word, im so not worried now, easy fix. thanks man
 

hgsmith

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2008
Location
TAFT, TN
TDI
2003 Jetta
I had the same problem, over boost and no codes for a bad maf. I changed all the vac lines (thanks paramedic). That did not help, but the lines need changed anyway. It is a 03 auto with 300k on it. Ordered an maf from metalman and the car runs great once again !!
 

2000BlueJ

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2011
Location
Hebron Maine
TDI
2000 Jetta
My maf is smoked and it actually threw a code yesterday, p0101. Swapped in my friends from his golf and holy balls what a difference! Had to switch it back so now i have to leave it unplugged and wait til I get some extra coin :(
 

tvandermeuse

Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2015
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
98 Beetle
Bad MAF will usually never throw a fault code.
A new MAF will make quite an difference in performance from a failed one and solve some boost issues.
The new version do look a bit different inside with the extra venturi thing in there.
I think metalman has them for a bit less than IDparts, either way lots less than the stealership retail list.
Its fun driving again, I'll bet.
Just put in Bosch # 0281002757 at Rock Auto $70 (038906461C)
 

Seatman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Location
Scotland
TDI
2014 Skoda rapid elegance 1.6 cr tdi
I had the opposite but only once, unplugged the maf and the car went like a pocket rocket lol.

That was a first and only for me and not my car, I think the guy still has it unplugged though :D
 
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