[Watsonpa]

My Impreza was having some serious problems and stalling out so I took it to the dealership to have it looked at. I have an oil leak also so I just figured it would be best to take it in and have the pro's look at it.

Well it turns out the stalling problem was my MAF sensor and they want $470 bucks to replace it, WHAT THE FUCK?! It's only an hour of labor which is practically a ripoff since they just replace the sensor and reset the ECU. So what I want to know is how much is a MAF sensor by itself? Has anyone bought one before?

I'm gonna check with Autozone later today to see if they have them, this is just insane. The shop wants around $450 to fix the oil leak which I think is reasonable since the average person can't tear apart their block, but I just can't fathom paying $470 for some tech to replace a sensor and disconnect my battery for 10 minutes.

*sigh*

Maybe I'm overeacting but this is why I started learning about fixing cars in the first place, dealerships are like drivethrough's.. they always get you where it hurts.

 

[Peaty]

Look here, you don't have to get the whole part just the sensor for a lot less:

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=414

edit, crap I just noticed you have a 98 I'm not sure what that PN is maybe someone else can supply it. The 99 sensor I have the PN for will not work in the 98. You should be able to get just the sensor though like the 99 can.

 

[Watsonpa]

Thanks Peaty, that is very helpfull. I've calmed down now, sorry for the angry outburst.

I called Advanced Auto Parts and they have the MAF for $300 so that must be the whole housing. I'll check and see if I can get just the sensor only. Spending less than $100 to fix something they want $470 for would make me feel very good.

 

[Watsonpa]

Well here's an update and a big FYI for any other MY98 owners out there:

It turns out that the early model 98's have a different MAF sensor assembly than the rest. It was told to me that any Impreza manufactured before June 1998 will have the old sensor assembly. On these older models they do not sell the sensor separately.

I've looked over mine and it appears to be true. From what I can see it is impossible to replace just the sensor because it's permanently attached to the housing. Basically it's a square box with the sensor mounted on the inside ceiling. From there it's wired to a connector which screws into the side of the box. This is the same spot where the later models mount the entire sensor.

As for my car, I had the dealership fix the oil leak which was caused by a seal on the front of the crankcase. They also replaced my timing belt while they were in there (74k miles so it was due). That ran me $100 in parts and $400 in labor (4 hours, ouch!) but was well worth it since I couldn't do that work myself.

As for the MAF sensor I authorized them to do it even though I didn't want to. I wanted it done fast since I was driving a rental car all week and it would have taken Advanced Auto Parts and Autozone two days to get the part in. When they were all done I went to pick it up and pay for it and it was suprisingly less than I expected it to be. It turns out they didn't replace the MAF sensor, they said it was something else wrong in the intake and they didn't even charge me for whatever it is they did.

Well unfortunately that's not the end of it. The car ran great on Friday when I picked it up and the same on Saturday when I drove it quite a bit. Then on Monday it started to act up again and finally in the evening it started stalling out again.

I'm going to talk to the dealership to have them re-diagnose the problem for free since I already paid the $82 charge for them to diagnose it the first time. This time though I will do the MAF sensor myself if they say that's what it is. I can get it from the dealership for $370 which is $70 more expensive than an auto parts store but at least I can get it right away.

From there I'll just install it myself, reset my ECU and hope for the best. Wish me luck.

 

[Albert]

update??

Also, do you recall if you or anyone did anything under the hood within a few days of when the problem originally started? My guess..sounds like a cracked or loose vacuum hose.

 

[Watsonpa]

Ok, here's the final outcome. It did end up being the MAF sensor, it was failing intermittently which is why it was so hard to track down. Here is how it all went down:

At the end of the last post I was still having problems so I took it back to the dealership and they looked at it for free. Both their service manager and their head mechanic drove it over the course of a day and a half and it didn't fail once for them. Reluctantly I took the car back knowing it was only a matter of time before it would fail again.. and it did.

I got the car back from them on a Friday and it started acting up again the following Tuesday. Luckily this time it actually threw a CEL and stayed on (it wasn't always doing that, just stalling here and there). Since I was on the way to lunch with my fiance we headed to the nearest Autozone and had the code checked.

P0102 Low voltage input on the Mass AirFlow Sensor

At that point I called the dealership and they didn't have any in stock so I ordered it from Autozone and they were able to get it overnight. $330 plus tax PLUS the $75 core charge, ouch! It came in the next day so I ran over there at lunch and installed it in their parking lot. After a quick ECU reset I took it out for a hard drive in town and on the freeway. Everything has ran smoothly since then, not a single problem.

Just for some additional info, the first time when I told the dealership to go ahead and do the MAF and they didn't do it, they did something to the EGR system but I don't know what. Whatever it was they didn't charge me parts or labor for it so maybe there was a loose hose or wire or something. Whatever it was I doubt it had anything to do with my stalling problems.

Finally, if I ever get a chance I will try to take a picture of this unique MY98 MAF sensor assembly. I don't have a digital camera but I have access to a few of them. Maybe I'll find a day where I have a camera and feel like taking apart my intake at the same time. The install itself only requires you to remove/reinstall 4 bolts, 2 backing plates and 1 hose clamp. Well there is the wiring harness too but you can file that under "duh".

I'm glad it's finally over, hopefully my next troubleshooting session won't be anytime soon

 

[Albert]

Glad to hear she's back on the road