MAF replacement; 2002 Qx4

[TTKK]

Hi all, I have a 2002 3.5 4X4 QX4 that has about 190,000 kms (110K miles approx). The car has been uber reliable with a couple coils going bad. The last 3 months I feel my gas mileage has degraded by about 20-30%. I had it in to Infiniti and they found no codes, but said it was most likely the MAF. I ordered a new one online (non-OEM) for around $50 vs the $300 they wanted here (in Asia) and am wanting to install it to see if it makes a diff.

My question; I've read around but haven't found a clear answer. Do I just disconnect the battery, pop it in, then reconnect and drive? Or does my model require the idle, accel etc to be reset by the dealer?

Thinking about it, my car started drinking more gas after a coil had failed and was changed out by Infiniti....

Thanks in advance.

[04pathse]

I would suggest cleaning your MAFS and seeing if it helps before buying a new one.

It is easy to do, don't know if you have CRC brand MAFS cleaner in ASIA but if not, some people say you can use dechlorinated brake cleaner as a substitute.

There are several youtube video on how to clean the MAFS properly.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... aning+mafs

[TTKK]

Hmmm, but I have already purchased the new one. I just want to know if I can simply plug n play or if I need to do all the idle relearn stuff. Appreciate feedback on that side.

[QX4ME]

I have cleaned the MAF not only on my 02 QX4 but on other cars. I just took it out and cleaned then put it back in. Didn't disconnect battery didn't do relearn. I am not sure if relearn is required but my way works just fine.

[TTKK]

Thanks for the response. For future googlers and searchers I disconnected the negative terminal, swapped out the MAF unit in about 20 minutes, then reconnected and started. Worked perfectly. The engine sounds quieter down low, and feels a bit more powerful. I haven't taken it on the highway yet but from my in town driving seems about 10% more responsive and happy down low under 3K. I'll only know if it really solves the high gas consumption problem after a tank or two I imagine.

[TTKK]

Bear in mind I had no error codes or real issues. Just felt a deterioration in power and increase in fuel consumption. So maybe with codes or idle issues you'd need to relearn, but for my situation seems uneccessary.