Appears my baby [1993 Volvo 240 wagon] now needs sensors replaced ... including MAF.
I've done quick scan re: parts .... was surprised to see aftermarket available.
Some only around $100. Not sure if those fall under 'you get what you pay for' or if they're really a viable option.
Knowing that there are many experienced Volvo enthusiasts here --- would you replace with OE? Or is an aftermarket reliable / acceptable? [Yep, and then which aftermarket brand which you recommend??]
Does anyone clean and rebuild the old ones? Thinking if I DID go with AFT that I should explore having old (assuming it's original) reconditioned/rebuilt for the future.
Briefly - car died, threw belts when alternator went out. ALL dash lights came on. When I picked car up from mechanic he didn't say one word about check engine light being on. Another mechanic checked it, said it's 'running lean' but couldn't find specific reason, and reset the light. We did discuss MAF -- I toyed w/having him clean, but since I'm paying for labor, sometimes it's more cost efficient just to replace part.
Well, check engine light came on briefly yesterday as I was parking. When I got back in car to drive home it wasn't on.
As usual - thanks for your feedback!

 

Don't have any experience with aftermarket/rebuilt maf's but never read any good reviews. I buy oe from the junkyard... ($35) run them for 2 weeks to see if they are good. Then put them on the shelf.

Is the car actually run like the maf is bad? If it's just a lean check engine light and car runs fine it's possibly something else. Cracked vacuum line... cracked air intake hose?

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+1 on Dytha. I also buy them at the junkyard and keep them as a spare. The price he mentioned is about what I pay as well. From what I have read, the aftermarket ones are as much of a crap shoot as getting them from the JY.

For your car, some '93 models had the LH 3.1 fuel injection rather than the more common LH 2.4 which has a different AMM. You need to determine which one you have. You can look at the part number on it and compare on the internet.

Also, like Dytha said, what makes you think it needs replacement? Engine codes? Poor running?

 

I've had my fair share of junkyard parts, as well as aftermarket. This is what I've concluded:

Junkyard parts/ebay "used" parts can be great, or not. It depends on the luck of the draw. It may take a few tries to get a good one. You also have no idea how soon it will die on you. It could be days, or it could be years. If you're troubleshooting issues, you may want to think twice.

I bought a "New" part (Delphi branded) on amazon, which seemed to work fine. I replaced it with another part only because I had a gut feeling something wasn't right. I have no idea whether my gut feeling was right or wrong as it didn't seem to change the operation of the car much.

I ended up with a MAF from FCP Euro, specifically one refurbished by Injection Labs. I have no issues with this, and the quality seemed to be very good. To top it all off, you get a lifetime warranty with any part you buy from FCP. Read the fine print though...you have to buy an airbox thermostat with the MAF. Oddly though, the fine print also says this has a 2-year warranty. Best to confirm with FCP with what it actually is.

Good luck!

 

One more thing...

I would make sure that you have taken care of all your vacuum leaks before you even consider buying a new MAF.

The biggest culprit on my car was all the O-rings related to the PCV, as well as the oil dipstick tube O-rings. When I took them off, they crumbled apart with zero elasticity or sealing ability left.

 

I paid close to $350 for a Bosch "Remanufacted" OEM MAF. Solved a number of other "undrelate" error codes for which replacing the related sensor/part did not solve.

Volvo MAFs of this vintage use a "Hot Wire" sensor, that is, a platinum filament in the air stream. This is usually the part that fails in an MAF. The wire is heated up by an electrical current and the resistance of the wire is measured by the ECU. The resistance of the wire is changed by the temperature of the air passing over the wire. This is also (generally) modified by a barometric pressure sensor and an O2 sensor to deliver the proper fuel/air mixture. Essentially, the oxygen in the air passing over the wire causes the wire to heat up (a catalytic reaction called "occlusion of oxygen") which increases the resistance of the wire which tells the ECU how much air is being sucked into the engine. The method works very well, most of the time. :P

When you shut off the engine, the ECU causes a voltage to be delivered to the platinum filament to burn off any contaminants that may have settled on the filament to prevent contamination of the platinum. Eventually, sooner or layers the platinum wire fails.

As a side note - I've replaced the platinum filaments in MAFs in the past with great success, but never tried to do a Volvo MAF because you practically have to destroy it to get into it.


I too was surprised that re-manufactured parts like this were available.

 

Would this be the same as the company that sells these? https://www.ebay.com/itm/30349335915...8AAOSw8gleUEnL I'm having problems with an '86 and leaning toward the MAF sensor. A reman Bosch is now over $800, so no way.

 

I just had a very expensive lesson in buying a new MAF (a red flag I missed said made in China) and my car ran like crap after installing it. So we bought a refurbished Bosch MAF and I looked inside and the entire design was totally different within despite Eeuroparts claiming it would work on my ‘93 Volvo 240. Runs much better now. No codes. The remanufactured Bosch one was half the price of the crap I bought at eEuroparts and they won’t accept the return and I don’t feel comfortable selling it to someone else knowing this information about the platinum wires being absent in the new made MAFs that say genuine Volvo. Whoops.

wish I read this before rushing to fix my car but I was in a tight spot. Lesson learned.