MAF Trouble...Help Please!!
 

ok so i was doin some headlight work a few days ago. i was putting the postive battery cable back on and managed to hit my wrench (as i was turning it) on the piping for my Injen CAI. it sparked when it hit the pipe, so i know my MAF sensor is toasted cause it got short circuited. the car's now in limp-home mode, not goin above 3000 rpms. my main concern though is that it takes 2-3 times to start it up now. could this mean that there's something else wrong or will this be corrected with a new MAF sensor? the only CEL i'm throwing right now is P0103, which is high airflow through the MAF. it says i'm throwing TWO of these...i don't understand how that's possible. should i take it back to get the codes read at autozone one more time? below is some info on the codes, and 1 that i think should be coming up but isnt. i need some massive help and i gotta get it up and running by tues. morning...

P0103 OBD-II Trouble Code

Technical Description
Mass Air Flow (MAF) Circuit High Input

What does that mean?
Basically this means that there is a problem with the Mass Air Flow High (MAF) sensor or circuit. A more technical description would be that the MAF circuit had higher than expected voltage (air flow).

Symptoms
You will likely not notice any serious drivability problems, although there may be symptoms such as a general decrease in power or sluggishness.

Causes
A code P0103 may mean that one or more of the following has happened:

The MAF may be disconnected, or a wiring connection may be bad
The MAF sensor may be damaged
The vehicle computer may be faulty (very rare)

Possible Solutions
The simplest thing to do is to reset the code and see if it comes back. Then start with the cheapest, easiest repair procedures:

Verify that the Mass Air Flow Sensor wiring is connected properly and that there are no broken / frayed wires.
Inspect for any air leaks near the MAF sensor.
Take the MAF out and clean it using a spray cleaner such as brake cleaner or electrical contact cleaner. Be gentle with the sensor.
Check the voltage of the MAF sensor (refer to a repair manual for vehicle specific information)
Replace the MAF sensor

http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_cod...high-input.php

Here's what i think should be showing up also....

P0100 OBD-II Trouble Code
Technical Description
Mass Air Flow (MAF) Circuit Malfunction

What does that mean?
Basically this means that there is a problem with the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor or circuit.

Symptoms
You will likely not notice any serious drivability problems, although there may be symptoms such as a general decrease in power or sluggishness.

Causes
A code P0100 may mean that one or more of the following has happened:

The MAF may be disconnected, or a wiring connection may be bad
The MAF sensor may be faulty

Possible Solutions
The simplest thing to do is to reset the code and see if it comes back. Then start with the cheapest, easiest repair procedures:

Verify that the Mass Air Flow Sensor wiring is connected properly and that there are no broken / frayed wires.
Unplug and reconnect the MAF wiring harness
Check the voltage of the MAF sensor (refer to a repair manual for vehicle specific information)
Replace the MAF sensor

http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_cod...alfunction.php

i'm gonna have to keep bumping this until i get some answers....

dude you could of fried part of your ecu. the maf connects directly to the ecu and if you shorted the power to the ecu, you might be in a world of trouble.

Yo,

that happened to me also, i was doing some headlight work on my tc also and i toasted my MAF sensor also. Yea, it was limping the whole tym but just get a new MAF sensor in and you should be just fine because i changed it with my frenz and it was all cool!!

also...

NEVER disconnect the battery using the (+)... :no:
not unless the negative (-) is already disconnected.

rule of thumb:
putting on: red first, black last
taking off: black first, red last.

but you can just disconnect the battery using the neg (-).

no no i disconnected the negative first....the battery was half drained so i had to charge it up and when i was putting the positive cable back on thats when the wrench hit it....

i know the new sensor is supposed to fix it but what concerns me is that it takes 2-3 tries to start it...(actually today it went on the first one but it struggled real bad to do it)....could that mean the ecu is screwd up like pollup said? frisk how long did it take you to start yours up when you fried it? god if need be i'll put the stock air box back in and take it to the dealer if the ecu is f'ed too....i just dont have the money for that...i can pay for a sensor but not the ecu too....

either way, you need a new maf. get a new maf and if your still having problems then go the ecu route. i know there are junkyards you can pull an ecu out of, we have a local one..

http://www.metrousedautoparts.com/
they are local to me and i know they have an ecu.

Chances are it is just because of the fried MAF. There is the potential for damage to the ecu, however if your maf is not working correctly your car will have a hard time starting. An example of this would be if you had a good maf and disconnected the pipe at the point where it connects to the throttlebody, then tried to start the car it would not start or may not run for very long because the sensor is not reading the airflow correctly. Just replace the sensor disconnect your negative terminal for 10 minutes and then put it back on and let your car idle learn. If you still have trouble then you may want to start looking at other problems. Good luck keep us posted.

thanks guys! i have to admit that when i took it to autozone and they tested the battery and alternator and said they were both in working condition, i started freaking out. then they told me that my MAF was f'ed and i started losing my head....came home, read some of the posts from guys with xA's that had already had this happen to them and started laughing realizing it was just the MAF.....i thought i had some massive problems on my hands....hopefully this it. i'll post back up here on tuesday when i get the new MAF. if it still doesnt start well i'll get a new thread up and update it until everything's fixed.

just got my new MAF today....took care of everything, thank god. thanks for all the help

Having the same problem but this is the second time. Any cheaper places to get MAFs than the dealer?

Yeah man you need a new MAF just hope it didnt fry any of the wireing, but as for the code 2 times it was just a pending code meaning the car has docked the code from a previous OBD2 scan of the system.

You need a new MAF, it will solve all of your problems.

Cars that use a MAF start really poorly or simply do not start at all with a faulty MAF.

MAF circuit high means the sensor shorted, now the sensor reads the max value it can read, that reading does not coincide with the other sensor reading like engine temp, A/F ratio sensor, 02 sensor, rpm. The ECM throws it is limp mode on a default safety program , to prevent damage to the engine.