[Ozone865]

I have 63K miles on my base 987. Yesterday my check engine light came on. Went directly to my favorite Porsche garage and after hooking up the diagnostic tool indicated my MAF had thrown an alert but the code was no longer active. They indicated this wasn't uncommon, turned off the alert and suggested I just drive it until or if it returns. The car was running very well when the light came on and has been running well since the code was deleted. They were very busy at the time and graciously fit me in so I didn't spend a lot of time on whys and wherefores. Is getting false of erratic MAF errors something that is a precursor to the sensor failing or is this just something that happens occasionally? Is this likely to get me stranded on a back road or do serious damage or is it ok to drive it for a while after it comes on again. I live in New England and was preparing to store the car for the winter but we have had some unusually good weather so I was getting a little more driving enjoyment before putting it away. Would rather fix it if it is broken before I store it for the winter but unsure if it is really safe to drive any distance at this point. Input on MAF errors would be appreciated.

 

[RickH]

Like your garage said, it is probably not a problem. Todays engines are so intwined with the on board computer that they are inseparable and just like you PC they sometimes lock up for no apparent reason. You turn the PC off and reboot. All is well. They have reset the code and I agree if it does not come back then it was just a fluke. If it pops up again then yes it very well may be a precursor to a problem. Good Luck.

 

[RSchwerer]

I got a MAF code a 3 years ago. I've got a 2010 2.9L Cayman (with the Bosch DME). The code (B1610) description was:

• Air Mass (HFM) ahead of throttle valve - implausible
• No signal

I just cleared it with my Durametric and all was good for about a year and 15,000 miles. It came back about a year later and this time I removed the MAF and hit it with MAF cleaner. It has been good now for a couple yearsand many K miles. So you might have a little grime on your sensor. BTW, do you have a re-usable performance air filter (like BMC) that needs to be oiled after cleaning? Some times the oil from the filter can get to the MAF.

 

[CO987S]

I got a MAF code a 3 years ago. I've got a 2010 2.9L Cayman (with the Bosch DME). The code (B1610) description was:

• Air Mass (HFM) ahead of throttle valve - implausible
• No signal

I just cleared it with my Durametric and all was good for about a year and 15,000 miles. It came back about a year later and this time I removed the MAF and hit it with MAF cleaner. It has been good now for a couple yearsand many K miles. So you might have a little grime on your sensor. BTW, do you have a re-usable performance air filter (like BMC) that needs to be oiled after cleaning? Some times the oil from the filter can get to the MAF.

Not Porsche related, but I've had multiple vehicles over the years (Ford mainly) that had MAF issues concerning K&N filter oil. The solution was to clean them and put in a decent paper element. That solved those issues.

 

[Ozone865]

Thanks guys... Two days after having my garage clear the MAF error code and CE light, it returned. So I moved to the next phase of diagnostics. Yesterday I ordered an Innova OBD II diagnostic tool (arrives tomorrow) to avoid paying my garage each time these codes need to be reset in the future. Given that it has occurred twice within three days, it appears to me that more than likely the MAF is either fouled (needs to be cleaned) or is failing. I do not have an aftermarket K&N or other aftermarket air filter that may introduce oil into the intake to foul the MAF so I'm thinking the MAF may have failed. The car is 12 years olds and has 63K miles on it so I elected to order a new MAF sensor. Found a Bosch replacement on-line for around $200 and the process for installing it seems simple enough I can do it in a couple of hours. It arrives Friday so I'll schedule that for the coming weekend if the OBD II reader confirms I'm am still getting MAF errors.

 

[PCA1983]

Dirt or even some dust on the MAF wire causes it. My Cayenne GTS with 70k+ miles had that. So I just bought a Durametric and cleared it. The wire can be cleaned with a spray. Brake cleaner was suggested, if I wanted to clean it. Not worth the effort IMO, unless it happens frequently. Some dust will get into the downstream side of the air filter housing on older cars. It's inevitable.

 

[Ozone865]

Thanks guys. Lots of great input. I saw a number of articles about cleaning MAFs. As I stated earlier, my car is 12 years old with a little north of 63K miles. This is earlier than MAFs usually fail on the base 987 model (~110K miles) but I'm planning to take a 2k mile trip in the car in the spring so decided to replace the MAF with a new Bosch unit to reduce the risks of issues on my trip. I will also reset the CEL with my new OBD tool. The new Bosch MAF on the 2006 comes embedded in a section of intake plenum so when that is removed, I should be able to inspect the throttle body. Will likely remove and clean the throttle body if it appears dirty so I get get more return for the time I will spend accessing the engine.