Jan15Written by:Dave
1/15/2008 8:23 PM 
What is the MAF and where is it situated ? The MAF is what is described as a hot wire anemometer . If this doesnt ring a bell with you then it can simply be calle an " air flow meter"
It is used to measure the rate of fresh air flowing into the motor and the ECU then uses the information to optimise the fueling of the engine.
It is situated between the air cleaner box and the turbo - it is attached to the air cleaner box with spring clips and to the air intake pipe with a screw clamp. Ther are electric wires attached to it with a typical plug.So why clean it ?
The one thing i havent enjoyed with my Disco is the hestancy and lack of power below 1500 rpm ( often called turbo lag) Sometimes the engine seems to want to gasp and die just when you most need a little power.
Once again several internet sites gave the clue - check the MAF.
Removal is easy - two thumbs and a screwdriver.
Washed the meter out with acetone -(any other solvent should work - happened to have acetone ) Used a fine camel hair artists brush to clean the two little wires in the centre .
Then checked the meter by shining a powerful torch through it - noticed a lot of dirt build up on the fine wire screen that all the air flows through . The trick here is that this dirt is not seen without the torch .Soaked this again in acetone and used the brush - a lot of dirt came of this mesh . What does the mesh do ? I would guess it has two roles - one is to smooth ( as in laminar ) the flow of air past the measuring wires . The other role is possibly to add a bit of thermal inertia into the system - in other words smooth out short term temperature fluctuations . Either way , the amount of dirt removed would not assist in its operation.
Replaced the system , cleaned the plug contacts . And took it for a run - result - a big improvement in the low speed driveability
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