Cleaned MAF Sensor & Filter, Car runs great!
 

Last week I was on my way to work and I stopped for gas. After refueling I tried to start my car and the alarm kept going off and the engine wouldn't turn over. I tried everything including calling Mazda and my aftermarket alarm place to get advice, but nothing worked. So I had it towed to the alarm company to have them check it out. They discovered that my battery was dead (which I wasn't expecting after 2 1/2 years of use). Luckily there was a battery store across the street so I had it replaced and the car started right up. I drove back home with no further problems.

After letting the car sit for 20 minutes I was ready to go again. This time the car started up fine but the rpms kept dropping below 500rpm and the car stalled. I kept trying to start the car but it kept stalling so I took a break and came to this website. I looked up the subject and found out about the MAF sensor and that it needs periodic cleaning. So I inspected mine and sure enough it was black on one side. So I cleaned it with some electronics cleaner. I also pulled my Revi air filter and that was filthy (1 year of use) so I pulled out my K&N recharger kit and cleaned the filter. Once I cleaned everthing I put the car back together and started it up. It idled just fine and when I drove the car it felt like it had more horsepower. I didn't realize how much power I had lost on the engine due to the dirty airfilter and MAF sensor because it had been so subtle over 2 1/2 years I thought it was just the car aging.

Even though I kept up with all the maintainence there are always the little things that you don't know about like the MAF sensor that make a difference. If I hadn't come to this website then I would have taken it to Mazda and spend a small fortune to have them fix it. Instead all it cost me was a can of electronic cleaner. Thanks RX8.com.

Why do you have an aftermarket alarm on an RX8?

The aftermarket security system is a chip on the starter. Just an extra detterent added on back when the car was brand new.

Actually the Rx-8 gets faster as it ages!

^^^ To a certain extent :P Not forever..

OK...MAF sensor...what is it, where is it, and how do you clean it? And I just have the stock air filter. What is the best way to go about cleaning it?

The MAF (mass air flow) Sensor is a sensor on the intake manifold that measures the mass of air entering the engine. That information is used to calculate the fuel/air mixture. When that sensor gets dirty over time (due to a dirty air filter) it can send the incorrect information causing an incorrect fuel/air mixture. In my case it caused rough idling and loss of power issues.

Here a link for cleaning the maf on a mazda 6. Same procedure for the RX8
http://www.mazda6tech.com/index.php?...id=62&Itemid=1

There's instructions in the DIY forum.

Yes! It is probably the most overlooked maintenance item on our cars. If you have a Racing Beat (or other K&N based) intake, clean that filter (& sensor) every few months. You wont regret the effort.