Saturday, August 2, 2014

$17 Solution To A $148 Problem

Being extremely cheap (not frugal, cheap), replaced the Mass Air Flow sensor (MAF) in my Escort with a salvage yard part. A new MAF is $148+, a remanufactured one around $85, and the one I installed cost $17 from a pull yourself salvage yard. Came with a thirty day exchange.

The job is easy. Detach the hose from the MAS, remove four bolts, and disconnect one electrical plug.


The MAS has two small wires that can become coated with grime. When you replace the air filter, you should give them a quick shot of electrical contact cleaner. This is a terrible photo, but should give you an idea of what to look for.

Some time is required to walk around the salvage yard looking for the right year and model. The place I use doesn't have an inventory list beyond,

 "The Fords are in that row".

It is sobering to see all the wrecks, especially the windshields broken from the inside out above the steering wheels.

I was lucky to find the exact year and model I own. The part solved the driveability issue. Other than dropping two bolts under the car, and finding them in the grass, didn't even have a reason to curse.

Retail for that repair, depending on the integrity of the shop, is $230 or more.

Today, I'm a happy camper.

3 comments:

Old NFO said...

Yep the 'ability' to do it one's self is becoming a lost art...

Ami said...

Don't you love it when you can circumvent the 'pay out the ass' thing with car repairs? Awesome!!

That's something I admire endlessly about my husband... the ability to fix things. I expressed my amazement and appreciation to him one morning when my car would not go into drive (auto trans) and he came out to where I work and fixed it with the tab from a soda can.

He shrugged it off, as he often does. "Oh I just figure out what the problem is and just fix that. It's not that big a deal."

I haven't found anything he can't do yet.
That drive, that ability to 'just fix it' is a gift.

It's not just a man thing, I don't think, but it's more man than woman. And something I really admire.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

I'm not in the same league as your husband. Some of what motivates me is what my late father called, "The Belly Flapping Principal". My ex wife hated my repairing things. No, let's accumulate debt, and get something new and shinny. You know you have a problem when you list Nordstrom Stores as a dependent, and the IRS doesn't question your return.