Changed Air Filter now it wont run properly

[bahamasvitz]

Its a 2000 Vitz, 2 Dr Auto, AWD.
I changed the Air Filter, removing all the air filter tubes etc to clean the same time, made sure they were all dry before putting it back together. The sensor was removed as well and put back on good. It all seems like it is back together as it was.

Problem I have is right after all of that, i turn it on and when you throttle it, there is no response for a few seconds then there is a sort of hanging bogging response, do it again, same thing. I checked the battery and cleaned the negative terminals, all good, voltages check out okay on load also. I had the dealer change an O2 sensor a couple days ago which check engine light still keeps coming on, but at least I wasnt having this problem Im having now.

Is there anything noticeable that I might have knocked loose down in there, or not put back on properly, to be causing this kind of delayed throttle? It started to get dark which made things worse and Ill have to check it in the morning, but since I cant find a manual for this vehicle, im looking for some ideas even if they are only general mechanic stuff. Ive had this delayed response on it before, but thats just when it is cold.

Thanks,
Rory

[marcus]

did you connect all the hose..specially on the intake tube. other wise it may the the air sensor.theyre very sensitive u might have damaged it..

[bahamasvitz]

Yeah, least I think I did. I even took it apart then reconnected them again. Ill check in the morning and see if I didnt knock any other cables loose. I dont know the engine so Im a little lost without a manual. Im no mechanic but after working with the air intake on my Jeep Cherokee this car has an awfully restrictive air filter setup :( I found a 2007 manual though and it mentions Hesitation/ Poor acceleration and a whole list of possibilities, one being the Mass air flow meter which I guess is the sensor on the air filter?

Thanks.
Rory

[YarisSedan]

Check the hose from the pcv to intake. Same thing happend to me i found out i accidentally left it disconected when i went to clean my air filter. Causing air past the MAF sensor to be unmetered cuasing the vehicle to bog. If everything is connected properly i would reccomend purchasing a can of MAF sensor cleaner. And spraying some liberally on the maf sensor. Could be not everythign was 100 percent dry and something contaminated the sensative sensor wire.

[bahamasvitz]

I double checked that cable. Also, this is the MAF right?
Whats the inner plastic tube and grill inside the filter box?

http://lastgreatroadtrip.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/filiment.jpg

also, will it run without anything connected to the throttle body?
was wondering about testing it that way but then there is that sensor to deal with.

[YarisSedan]

Yeah thats the MAF sensor. U have to have a leak somewhere where air is bypassing the MAF sensor. The way you describe it is exactly what it sounds like. Plus not to mention you have dissasembled everything. And this didnt hapen till after you did that. If you have no check engine light on all your sensors are detecting everything is probally okay. You might try signing up on iatn.com for more help.

[marcus]

if not the maf then u cracked one of the hoses..

[bahamasvitz]

Ok so I took it to the toyota dealer this morning, they had it all day and by 4pm they still hadnt looked at it :mad:

So I took the key back and drove it back home. It has little to no throttle response, lots of hessitation and when you rev it, it bogs out or breaks up.

I tried something, I disconnected the MAF sensor and started it, okay check engine light came on ofcourse, and was hard to start but when started it had lots more throttle response - but it still broke up when reving it high, but had that normal throttle response. Cant leave it disconnected though as it almost feels like it wants to stall when you slow down.

Anyway, so does this sound like that is bad and how can I test it to be sure, seems they have to order these sensors straight from Japan for this vehicle and it takes a couple weeks. Plus it cant be cheap .. the O2 sensor just cost around $350 installed.

[Black Yaris]

vacuum leak

and when I was in the Bahamas I did not see one Vitz/Yaris :(

[YarisSedan]

What you did is a trick us mechanics use sometimes. If you suspect a faulty MAF if you disconect it the computer uses the last known good reading and adds and subtracts to it based on the other good remaining sensors to determine the fuel control.

So if you disconect it and the vehicle runs better. Then you can know for sure if the sensor is faulty or not.

[bahamasvitz]

vacuum leak

and when I was in the Bahamas I did not see one Vitz/Yaris :(

How do I check for that?

actually there are a few here in Nassau, government have alot of newer yaris sedans. theres only maybe 5 like mine here, the smaller model with a hatchback/liftgate. lots of small kias and suzukis. mine was a 2nd hand Japanese direct import from a local auto dealer.

[bahamasvitz]

What you did is a trick us mechanics use sometimes. If you suspect a faulty MAF if you disconect it the computer uses the last known good reading and adds and subtracts to it based on the other good remaining sensors to determine the fuel control.

So if you disconect it and the vehicle runs better. Then you can know for sure if the sensor is faulty or not.

i tried it again tonight but it kept trying to cut off when I slowed down. Throttle response was better though on average. It was really hard to start. :( Hooked it back up and reset the CPU (pulled battery negative for a few minutes) so the dealer doesnt see that code. Also, with it connected again etc, bad throttle response, litterally I had to pull off the road and let traffic past at one point, then it kicked in and finally I was able to move. Anyway, I noticed in 1st gear (its an Auto AWD) i didnt notice any throttle issues.

[mikenacarato]

what filter did you put in it?

[bahamasvitz]

what filter did you put in it?

one from the Toyota dealer, though it actually looked identical to the cheaper aftermarket one that I already had in there from 3 months ago. I also tried it without the filter just incase but no difference.

[bahamasvitz]

I think I fixed it.
I took out the MAF sensor and it had a bit of dark stuff on it, also cleaned out the 2 smaller wires way down inside it, used some q-tips and rubbing alchohol and then a little bit of paper towel to get around that temp sensor bulb looking thing - that had a blob of dirt right on the end of it, i originally thought that was the design, like the end of a plastic bulb, but it came right off.

Now while I was there, I was pushing on other sensors to make sure nothing else was loose, one did seem to clip down just a tiny bit but didnt seem like that should have made a diff as the light for that should have come on if that was too loose.

Put the MAF back on, reset the battery, and it works normal now, regular throttle response as should be. Maybe it will get better also as it has to relearn the Air fuel thing (so I read) and its also a new O2 sensor. Have some smoke from the exhaust still.

Does this sound like a normal issue and fix? :redface:
Thanks.

[marcus]

dirt on the maf???...damn dirts..

[YarisSedan]

If you read my earlier post i mentioned to purchase a can of MAF cleaner to spray on the element to clean it. Most of the time this works safely and saves you money on replacing a new one.

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/rodi_2044_753094898

[bahamasvitz]

If you read my earlier post i mentioned to purchase a can of MAF cleaner to spray on the element to clean it. Most of the time this works safely and saves you money on replacing a new one.


thanks yeah I think it was your post that stuck in my head, but I only had rubbing alchohol at the time, did the job though, runs great now :)

[marcus]

would a brake cleaner work too.. it gets rid of oil and grease..

[anexrx7]

That has cleaner agents that are more harmful to sensors and plastics, just as the ones in a MAF.

[YarisSedan]

would a brake cleaner work too.. it gets rid of oil and grease..

You would never want to use brake cleaner. Would possibly damage the sensor to the point your vehicle would barely run. And im sure a new one cost several hundred.

I dont know if you read my post few days ago. My friends MAF in his lexus was damaged. It costed $1080.00 for a new one. No joke.

[marcus]

yikes.. good thing i dont drive a lexus..

[bahamasvitz]

You would never want to use brake cleaner. Would possibly damage the sensor to the point your vehicle would barely run. And im sure a new one cost several hundred.

I dont know if you read my post few days ago. My friends MAF in his lexus was damaged. It costed $1080.00 for a new one. No joke.

they want $250 for a MAF for my vitz, special order from Japan.
Thank fully I didnt need one :D