P0101 Mil

[bungy42]

My '00 Jetta threw a MIL the other day. It's REALLY slow now. I had the code read down at Auto Zone, and they said it's a P0101 code. According to the Bentley that's a Mass Air Flow sensor malfunction. What's interesting is that this happened just two days after I changed the timing belt. It's also worth mentioning that I run WVO in this car. So I guess the question is: is a MAF sensor malfunction common enough that it's likely the real failure? Or is this somehow related to the WVO and/or the timing belt change and the computer is throwing a false code?

 

[Terrific-In-Tahoma]

Loose connection of the MAF would get the ECU to not read the correct values and send the engine to "MAF Default mode".

[I know this is a 14 year old thread, but there were NO other replies, or they were fallen off the old upgade of the BBS Software]

While changing the Timing belt, it is possible something dislodged the MAF connector on the air intake, and now , the ECU no longer reads the proper signal.

The WVO, is a red herring, IMHO, since it really does not care what fuel is inside a '00 TDI, but it does prefer Diesel that was available from 2000 to 2010.

In 2010, the Sulfur content of diesel fuel was further reduced in the USA and other regions from 200ppm to 50ppm. This has the unintended result of giving less 'lubricity' to the fuel. But since it is WVO, the VO portion of the fuel gives enough of the lubricity. You may wish to add extra lubrication to your blend by having 'some', perhaps 2%, of your fuel being supplanted by genuine "dino oil" since this will then lubricate the fuel pump in the ALH engine.

Even two-stroke oil would help, since this is low in "ash" content, and is designed for being burnt in the fuel cycle.

YMMV.