The Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor’s job is to measure the amount of air entering the engine. The PCM module uses this data to adjust the fuel thats entering the engine in order to provide the optimum air/ fuel ration, meaning power and efficiency. If the sensor is dirty, it will send the wrong information to the computer, robbing you of power and economy.
My Southwind is 19 years old with a little over 73,000 miles on it. I suspect the sensor has never been cleaned, so I bought a can of MAF sensor cleaner and put this on my project list. These photos are from my 2001 Mirada, but my 1999 Southwind is exactly the same.
Getting at the sensor is fairly easy, and its a good time to install a new air filter.
Remove the rubber intake hose from the top of the plenum, then remove the top of the plenum like your do when changing the air filter.
You can probably clean the sensor without removing the inside of the chamber or disconnecting the plug, but I decided to remove it so I could have a better look.
Use a can of MAF sensor cleaner and squirt the two wires shown in the photo. Squirt them from both directions to make sure they are good and clean and no residue or dirt remains. Thats it. Put the top of the plenum back together.
NEW AIR FILTER – PLEASE READ – Before installing a new air filter, consider this:
WATER INGESTION – Even after performing the TSB, I’d still get some water inside the air filter plenum. This water would accumulate inside the cone of the air filter, then when driving down the road when its raining, every now and then I’d fell like a momentary miss like a cylinder didn’t fire. When I removed the air filter, it was damp and the cone was full of water. Although the TSB stopped most of the water, I’d still get a little accumulation over time. I needed a way to drain the water out of the filter.
To allow the water to drain, whenever I install a new air filter (every year) I first drill a small 1/8 inch hole in the very tip of the air filter cone. Now if any water gets into the filter, instead of collecting inside the cone, it can drain out when the engine is producing low power or shut off.
Ford water ingestion TSB, READ HERE.
do you happen to have anything on the marker or clearance lights. mine do not work and i cannot find the wires nor fuses for such.
ICC switch is disconected and wires cut.
Thanks Ed