Is a air flow meter and a MAF sensor the same thing.

Yup... Air Flow Meter & Mass Air Flow meter are just different terminologies for the same thing.

ED

Im betting ecu. Take it out and smell it. It is hard to describe how my burned out ones smelled, kinda like fish and burnt plastic mixed.

It cant hurt to test the air flow sensor, if you can do it for free.

That reminds of a date I was on many years ago. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

An Airflow meter used a rotating plate with a potentometer and only measured air flow based on movement of that plate. A MAF sensor calulates air mass using a different technology . They are not the same.
Conner

My bad.... I guess that I meant they do basically the same thing terminology wise

Ed

The old Bosch type flapper valve type is also a mass air flow sensor, just like a hot wire type. They just measure the mass differently, and the flapper type causes more restriction in intake flow. As conner said, the flapper uses a variable resistance coil and a wiper contact, like a dash light dimmer in reverse, and the hot wire type uses and electrically heated wire, and measures the current needed to maintain a given temp in the wire. The heat loss in the wire, and thus the current required, varies directly with the mass of the passing air per unit time. Note that BOTH measure air mass, not volume, as air mass is the critical factor in calculating required fuel.

AFM's are used in (Surprise!!!) mass air FI systems. The other main type is a speed-density system, which uses rpm and air density from a MAP sensor and IAT sensor instead of an AFM or MAS for air quantity in the fuel calc.

Most factory systems are mass air. Most aftermarket ecu's are speed density.

yeah, but Mitsu uses an ultrasonic vortex detection system-
no kidding! They drag the air though a funky aluminum matrix to make it turbulent, then shoot sound waves through that to see how much of it there is.
And if that only makes a little sense, well, it's 'cause it only makes a limited amount to me! But Mitsu used it for quite a few years, on lotsa cars...

fwiw,
t