P0102 Code

[jsm555]

I'm getting a P0102 code on my 2009 Cobalt LT - It seems to have started when I removed the plastic shrouding on the engine to take a peek at what's under there - I had had a problem with the car when it was in warranty and the dealer said it was showing 'very lean mixture' on his computer (my obdII scanner didn't show anything) - they supposedly fixed a vacuum hose that wasn't seated, and it was fine for about a month. Now I'm actually getting an engine light and a P0102 error, which is a MAF Sensor error. Where is this MAF thing? I took a photo (attached) of the engine, if someone could point me to the part I need to be removing/replacing - Thanks!

 

[BlackCobalt707]

you MAF is on your intake. if you look at where your filter is and follow the plastic up a little bit to those wires coming out the intake, that is it. you will need a small allen key to take it out tho

 

[jsm555]

OK, I found it - I'm thinking that something happened when I took off the plastic shrouding, because that's when it began to show errors. Today I removed the MAF sensor from the air intake, blew it out (probably didn't do anything, but what the heck) and plugged it back in - removed the electrical tape from the wires and checked them for breaks but nothing there. I really thought that it was a mechanical problem (bad plug, broken wire, etc) but don't see anything that could cause a problem. I guess if the code comes back when I drive car tomorrow, I'll just have to buy a new MAF sensor and see if that's the problem, although I really don't feel too good about that - I still think it's something to do with the harness, but don't know any way to check that.

 

[YelloEye]

WARRANTY!!!!! You just bought it new, why the hell would you go out and buy something that the dealer will replace under warranty for free?

 

[jsm555]

No, I didn't buy it new - I bought it from Hertz, has about 38,000 miles on it. It's beyond the 36k 'emissions' warranty as well. I just hope that the $60 part will fix it, and that the problem's not somewhere buried in the wiring harness or whatever. (BTW, buying this car through Hertz was the most stressful thing I've done in some time - those people have no business trying to sell their own cars, they just don't know what they're doing!) :-(

WARRANTY!!!!! You just bought it new, why the hell would you go out and buy something that the dealer will replace under warranty for free?

 

[YelloEye]

No, I didn't buy it new - I bought it from Hertz, has about 38,000 miles on it. It's beyond the 36k 'emissions' warranty as well. I just hope that the $60 part will fix it, and that the problem's not somewhere buried in the wiring harness or whatever. (BTW, buying this car through Hertz was the most stressful thing I've done in some time - those people have no business trying to sell their own cars, they just don't know what they're doing!) :-(

Oh.....I'm sorry. That car is going to need a ton of work in the future, you know people beat the shit out of it since its only a rental.

 

[jsm555]

Well, I replaced the sensor, and so far so good - we'll see

BTW, I considered that the rental might have been abused, but I did some research and found that Hertz (and maybe others) take very good care of their cars - service is done on schedule, etc - because they don't want unhappy renters. Makes sense. And the other consideration is that this isn't a hot rod, so no one's likely to "see what she can do" - I've rented probably a thousand cars in my career, and I've never abused one - on the contrary, because I'm often driving in a strange location, I tend to drive like a little old lady - Not everyone does that, of course, but I can't imagine anyone other than a high school or college kid abusing a car just because it's a rental - and this car isn't one that would appeal to that sort of a person. Now if it were a Ferrari...

 

[jsm555]

Just a follow-up - it's been several days since I replaced the MAF sensor and it seems to have solved my problem. I have a hunch that there was something mechanically wrong with the sensor (bad plug) but I just couldn't see anything. I guess it doesn't matter, as long as a new sensor fixed it!

 

[Intmd83r]

ya . when ever i have had a sensor problems its allways the sensor never the wires . did you buy a new one or just blow it out like you said ?

 

[UncleDave]

Come from Boston. I had several Code problems. Developed a habit of putting a trace of Dialectric Paste on the computer connections to try and reduce oxidation, poor connections. For the most part is must have helped. Did not have connector problem after that. Stuff you would put on a spark plug.