Holden Jackeroo MAF problem
Submitted: Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 14:55
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Brendan 1967
Can anyone help? I own a 2000 model 3.5L SE petrol Holden Jackaroo. On a recent trip from Townsville to
Melbourne the "
Check Engine " light came on.The symptoms included rough idle and stalling when depressing the clutch at traffic lights. I took the car to a Holden dealer who checked it out, found a code for the Mass Air Flow sensor and reset the computer.
100km later the light came back on with the same symptoms. I trook the car back to the same dealer who again checked it out and found a different fault code with the Mass Air Sensor circuit. After several hours of trying they concluded the cause was the dipstick not being fully seated, reset the computer and again sent me on my way.
A further 160km of travel has seen the same symptoms and light come back. I am loathe to throw good money after bad and take it back to the dealer without having some idea of what the fault may be.
Has anyone else had a similar problem?
Reply By: ColinD - Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 15:25
Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 15:25
Cant comment specifically on Jackaroo. However, ECUs generally do not look at a sensor after it has sensed a failure. For example, an intermittant fault on first occurance will log a fault with the ECU, ECU triggers the "
check engine" light and substitues a preset value for the sensor to enable to engine to continue to run (ie limp
home). If the sensor were to start to function normally, the ECU will not look at its values until the ECU has been reset. This fits with your symptoms. I would suggest the only dipstick problem you have is with the guys who are looking at your Jack....... Hope your problem is found.......
AnswerID:
109844
Follow Up By: ColinD - Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 15:35
Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 15:35
Check for loose or damaged wiring on the MAF, I dont think this applies to you, but they are often is left unplugged post air filter change...
Have a great day....................
FollowupID:
366401
Reply By: Member - Banjo (SA) - Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 16:28
Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 16:28
Makes me shudder - our cars are very sophisticated these days (My TD Jack included) - we obviously need the same sophisitication in the service staff - when the two factors don't match up, what the hell can we do ? Simply pay for someone to "have a look" - "poke around" - "run a couple of tests" - "try this n that " ? - at some rediculous $ per hour figure ? " Help" as the Wizard of ID once said " I'm being maligned and abused" !
AnswerID:
109852
Reply By: Member - Geoff M (NSW) - Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 16:54
Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 16:54
"the cause was the dipstick not being fully seated" one very smart Engine Management Computer you have there.
I'd be offering it back to Isuzu/Holden fo an enormous sum of money if it can diagnose faults on purely mechanical devices. Especially mechanical devices that have absolutely no sensor connection to the ECU.
As someone else said, your biggest dipstick problem is the dealer.
AnswerID:
109859
Reply By: Exploder - Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 19:44
Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 19:44
Gday Brendan
Just a recommendation as the Mass airflow sensor can be pretty fragile.
Get some Go electrical contact cleaner or carbie clean and spry the shi* out of the senor it self inside the intake tube also the plug connecting to it.
They do not like having Oil or dirt on them so this may be your problem.
Stuffing dealership’s plug it into a machine, are yeah it’s got a code for the MAF but we reset it. Did they even investigate why this code came up or attempted some form of repair.
Half the time unless u tell them what you want done (outside of a standard service) It is all to hard for them.
AnswerID:
109897
Follow Up By: ColinD - Friday, May 06, 2005 at 09:45
Friday, May 06, 2005 at 09:45
Be aware that some air flow sensors are the 'hot wire' type. The wire is heated and the ECU tries to maintain its temperature (which changes with the amount of airflow), the changes in current flow to maintain temperature are taken as a signal relative to airflow. Yes the wires do cake up and some ECUs are capable of being told to initiate a 'clean' which heats the wire to glowing thus burning off contaminates.
So with that in mind, take some precautions if spraying the sensor with carby clean. Not saying its not a good idea, just be carefull not to barbeque yer wheels........
FollowupID:
366561
Reply By: Member - Bradley- Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 22:51
Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 22:51
OK yes the afm must be unplugged to change the air filter element, so possibly the connection is not properly seated and loose, if left off the
check engine light stays on and it goes into a safe mode. Sounds more like a bad contact or moisture in the plug, grab some contact cleaner spray and give the plug and socket a good go over. Its pretty common to get moisture in the main connectors - ie- afm, tps , temp etc.
And the tip about cleaning the afm is spot on, they are a resistance wire and hence any build up on the element affects its performance, go the carby cleaner..
Give the throttle body and air bypass valve a good clean while its all apart.
Cheers Brad
AnswerID:
109936
Reply By: WDR - Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 22:52
Thursday, May 05, 2005 at 22:52
Holden Dealers would not know one end of an Isuzu from the other - it is too sophisticated for their little minds
AnswerID:
109937
Follow Up By: Graham- Friday, May 06, 2005 at 00:08
Friday, May 06, 2005 at 00:08
Amen to that!
Regards
Graham
FollowupID:
366529
Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Friday, May 06, 2005 at 08:01
Friday, May 06, 2005 at 08:01
Brendan,
I had a very similar problem with my Jack whilst touring in the Outback.
In my case the problem turned out to be a faulty connection on a sensor underneath the winscreen washer reservoir. (Caked with mud)
Unfortunately there are several sensors that can bring up the fault. It's just a matter of trial and error and the
test equipment used by the Dealer should be able to "narrow the search". A faulty fuel filler cap can also cause a similar problem.
Unlike others, I wouldn't be too harsh on the Dealer unless I have had a bad personal experience with one and even then any concerns can be escalated to the National Holden Customer Service Department.
AnswerID:
109969