Hi all,
Last year, I had a P0171 code pop up. Being cheap and all, I threw some engine cleaner in a tank of gas and it went away (yay!). About a month or so ago, I got another check engine light, and the same code came up. I thought I finally needed to replace the sensor (and I put another bottle of engine cleaner in the tank for good measure), but upon checking this forum, I found that most people reported it was caused by a dirty MAF sensor and the recommendation was to clean it with an electronic parts cleaner. So I did that today and I put the OBDII reader on to clear the codes to see if it would take, but first I ran a test to see if there were any other new codes. The P0171 code was now gone and replaced by P0135. Looking that up it had something to do with water and as my radiator fluid was a bit on the low side, I thought that maybe the second round of engine cleaner had cleaned it up and removed the P0171, and the CEL was being caused by low radiator fluid (I don't drive that often). So I topped off the radiator and cleared the codes.
I took it for a short drive and the CEL came back on. This time when I put the meter on it, it's reading a P1130. When I looked that code up for the RX300, it says it's related to the MAF (a short), but in the generic book I have with the meter, it's coming up HO2 sensor. First, I'm confused as to what this error code is referring to. Second, did I destroy my MAF sensor by cleaning it? It was dry as far as I can tell, but I guess there is a possibility that it could have been a little damp way inside (however far inside it goes).
Pretending it was damp, would this error fix itself once the unit completely dries, or did I destroy it? Does the MAF have a fuse attached to it that may have been tripped. If so, where is it located? How can I go about testing the MAF to see if it's good (because I don't want to replace it and 3 O2 sensors for nothing). I have an electronic multimeter for testing volts, ohms, resistance, etc, but what are the numbers that I'm looking for and how do I go about testing it exactly?
Any help in this regard would be greatly appreciated, as I don't really have a mechanic I can count on and I need to figure this out.
:)