Hi all,
My younger brother has an issue with his 2000 3.0L ranger. Being the genious that he is, he let a friend of his install a universal cold air kit on his truck. The same friend told him that he did not need his MAF, so they removed it. Long story short, they cut the inlet hose and rigged it in place of the factory air filter box. He drove the truck like that for a few days and then began experiencing issues...black smoke, lack of acceleration, hesitation, etc. He tried swapped the factory air box and MAF in place of the cold air kit and bandaged the previously cut inlet pipe by adding a short piece of pipe as a coupler.
He's currently stationed in CA and I'm in MI so this is what he's told me. I haven't seen it myself. The problem is that even with the MAF in place he has the same drivability issue. I told him to scan for codes and he found P1132 and P1152...both pertaining to O2's not switching or out of range indicating a rich condition. I've asked him to tripple check every vacuum connection and wiring connector that he may have missed, etc. No luck there. He's had people tell him to replace the O2's because he must have killed them without the MAF. I don't buy it. O2's work in closed loop and acceleration is open loop, so I don't see the connection to a lack of power during acceleration. I've asked him to swap in another MAF which he did (from a 98 ranger) and same problem. I've asked him to check for something caught in the inlet pipe and no luck. To me, it sounds like he is either not getting enough air or PCM is not getting the proper signal from the MAF. Plugs have carbon deposits, but are not soaked with fuel so he says. I'm stumped. I don't believe O2's would cause this condition...yes, I agree that they would trip the codes because they are sensing a rich condition, etc. Please help. Thanks!

Andy

 

I also had him check for vacuum leaks between the MAF and T Body with no luck.

 

did he reset the comp after reinstalling the MAF?? no offense but removing the maf was a real thing to do. its possible that he could have damaged the O2 sensors, without the maf, the engine has no idea how much air its getting and doesnt know how much fuel to mix in. this can cause a rich condition which will coat EVERYTHING with soot, which could have plugged up the O2 sensors and even damaged the catalytic converters. if he resets the PCM and is still having problems, scan the codes again and let us know, if its the same codes on the O2 sensors then have him change them out. without seeing this bandaged job, i couldnt tell you if its effective or not, you cant let ANY air leak in after the MAF or it wont read the amount correctly. i would get a new inlet tube from a JY if he can

ps: dont let that friend of his work on his truck again!!!

 

...well first off i would tell him to go kick whoever told him he didnt need his MAF in the ***...tell him to unhook the battery cable for a hour or so and let the memory reset, then reconect it and let it idle for about 15-20 min, if he just dissconets it and slaps it back on then it wont do crap, he has to wait. ??Maybe the computer on the truck just needs to be reset and doesnt realize the MAF is hooked up??? I"m probably totally wrong but thats what i would do. I'm sure someone will chime in here soon with a good answer....

 

Dang bob beat me to it...i'm a slow typer i guess

 

He already tried the computer resetting a few times with no luck. Yeah, I already told him to tell his friend he's a retard for telling him to yank the MAF!! I completely understand that the PCM will be confused without the MAF, but I don't believe bad 02's would cause the issue he has. If the 02's were the culpret, why would full throttle acceleration be hampered? O2's work in closed loop (i.e., idle and light load part throttle conditions) and his problem exists under any loading condition.

 

I think it's a problem between the MAF and the T Body or with the MAF itself, but everything he is telling me makes me second guess that. If there is no vacuum leak, nothing blocking the flow path and the sensor is actually connected then what else?? I wish I could look at it myself because it's driving me nuts.