Hey guys, its been a while since i posted but i have a question for everyone.

I have an 04 xb with an AEM CAI. Recently i was driving home in the rain and close to my home the xb started to stutter and kept trying to stall. I made it home just fine but it would not start the next day with lots of stuttering/sputtering. I had it towed into the shop and it took a few days for the to look at. The said it was showing a code for the Mass Air Flow sensor. They cleaned it and reset the code and afterwards it ran just fine. Well the very next day we had a snow storm, which is rare where i live, and it ran great for about 25 miles and then started to do the same thing. I took it back to the shop and they are saying i need a new MAF sensor. They also want to take off the AEM and install a stock air box/cleaner/whatever its called. They are saying that the snorkel is hanging down too low and the MAF is getting shorted out by water and all that.

This may be the case but i would rather now spend 300 dollars to have the stock piece installed. Another thing i should mentioned. My fender well/splash guard/underpinning was damaged in something totally different and was removed. This is the reason water has a chance to get at the sensor.

Is it right for me to think that i could replace the MAF and then replace the splash guard? Would that be a sensible solution to this?

Also, is what they are saying at the garage right? I think it proably is but i want to approach this in the proper way.

Thanks for your help and i look forward to hearing from you!

OH yeah, do you know of any good places to get a MAF at a reasonable price?

It sounds right to me. If that piece of fender lining is missing, a lot of extra junk and moisture has that much of an easier time getting to and into your filter to the MAF sensor.

I wonder if the sensor itself is actually bad, or it just keeps getting dirty/fouled up from the moisture/debris getting to it. The first thing I'd say to do is to replace the plastic lining. Then clean the MAF, reset your ECU and see how it does next time it rains. If you're lucky, you might not need a new sensor.

I would definitely suggest putting back the fender liner just to keep unwanted debri from entering the engine bay area (i.e. rain, snow, stuff). As the Air Flow Meter, the OUTSDIE of the sensor is sealed & the connector is sealed as well. Splashing water on the outside of the connector/sensor will do nothing. They are probably concerned with water getting inside the CAI & on the sensor "head", which would screw up the reading, possibly sensor itself.
My suggested repair order, (1)replace fender liner (2)clean inside of CAI of any water/moisture, as well as filter (3)remove Air Flow Meter & clena of any moisture (with compressed air or carefully with a hair dryer).
If the car acts up again, check the filter & make sure its dry. If it is replace the Air Flow Meter. If its wet, try to figure out how its getting wet (I personally don't think it will get wet with a new liner in).

should i have the shop go in and reset the code again and clean the MAF? Or should i just do the cleaning/drying myself and not worry about the code?

Simplest way to reset code, remove negative terminal for a few minutes.
Sensor has 2 screws holding it in & the the harness connected to it.
If your comfortable tackling it yourself I say go for it. The CAI you can just uninstall, dry, then reinstall, if you done it originally.

i had a problem with my MAF and just swapped it out for a rebuilt one. Everything I read pointed to an over oiled CAI filter. I ran a CAI with plenty of snow and rain with out my MAF getting messed up from water. You can buy from any autoparts store a MAF cleaner spray, but if it is already nuffed up then that will not do any good. I had the same problem where it would jerk and sputter and stall out on me, even tripping into limp home mode (wont go above 3000rpm). And this was happening on nice 70 degree days.

okay guys thanks for all the help so far. Here is where i am: i got some MAF sensor cleaner and cleaned it up and everything is running great. Except on a cold start. Upon a cold start it will still act the same with jumpy rpm and all that until it warms up and then it runs beautifully. Does this mean i need a new MAF sensor?

Something else i forgot to mention before. I am running a full set of Grillecraft Grills. I didnt install the shield that goes behind the upper grill and i suspect this may be the problem. I am installing that tonight probably and then the splash shield when it comes in tommorow.

Does this seem like a possibility to anybody? I also thought i would pick one of these up: http://www.autoanything.com/air-filters/65A2582A0A0.aspx?kc=YM1427. What do you think? What size would i need for the aem filter?

Anyways, let me know what you guys think!

ouch... no one?