This isn’t an imaging related post, I admit. I figured Id share my experience this weekend with my readers as many of us are lucky to have a car, but tackling maintenance issues can be a scary thing, and the shop sure charges a hefty price for the knowledge they possess. Do we have other options?
The Check Engine Light
Came on at the worst possible time! Thursday night, I’m in Reno, NV (sierra mountains) leaving UNR, when my check engine light pops on. Now I need to make a decision: Do I continue operating the truck with the CEL light on? Doing so could cause damage to the engine. On the other hand, it was 7:30PM and I was in the middle of nowhere, so stopping would mean a tow+a hotel, and to top it off I’ve been sick all week! The last thing I wanted to do was to spend the night in a hotel, only to deal with the usual haggle at a service station, So I crossed my fingers and tried to go easy on the drive back.
A Third Option
The next morning I reviewed my options: I could drive to a repair station. I could buy a handheld OBD2 scanner for $65, which only reads and resets OBD codes, or, as I’ve been considering for a while, I could buy this product. What this type of product does is act as a PC-based OBD code reader, but also provides live detail from the on board computer, which can be used to more thoroughly analyze problems with the entire system, and can be used to prevent problems that may crop up in the future. I bought this from Amazon, with overnight shipping to get it to my home by saturday, for ~$80. Quite a deal compared to an hour of labor at a local shop…
Application
Saturday afternoon, this thing arrives at my door. It took about 15 minutes to have the software installed and working. With that I moved to the car and recorded this video (including a lost voice due to a sinus infection – sorry!):
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1SsWCJgyd8
Now the video doesn’t show the code I found, but it was a “Mixture Too Lean” (OBD Code P0171) Condition. I did a quick search for “Toyota Tacoma P0171”. After reading a bit it looked like a common cause for this was a dirty or malfunctioning mass airflow sensor. As inspection and cleaning is the fastest and cheapest thing to try, I opted to remove and inspect that bad boy. Here’s the process:
1. Remove Cruise control Module (makes it easier to get at MAF).
2. Remove MAF.
3. Clean MAF (just spray the heck out of it with contact cleaner)
4. Replace MAF.
5. Spray replaced MAF connection with soapy water, to inspect for air leaks.
I recorded a quick video of this operation as well. Again please excuse the nasal narration!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEhUisqtn74
Summary
I guess this post morphed into a how-to on MAF cleaning on a 2000 Toyota Tacoma, but the major point that I want to get through is that YOU can work on your car. It’s not that tough (usually) and the more things you do like this the more money you’ll save, the more you’ll enjoy it, and the more you’ll have an appreciation for the technology you rely on to get you to work. I figure this job cost two hours of time, and I invested under $100. This would have taken more time and money, just to have a shop read the OBD code! People say, especially in the US, that with computerized engine systems, the days of the shade tree mechanic are dead. I completely disagree 🙂
– Austin