Hi all.

Similar to https://www.mazdaforum.com/forum/mazda-protege-23/2001-mazda-protege-check-engine-light-7517/, I'm getting a check engine light problem.

The car's getting a "lean exhaust" code that occasionally goes out for a few days but inevitably comes back. My mechanic says what he's read indicates the likely culprits are the air intake and the mass air flow sensor. He poked around the intake while watching some measures and everything seems OK there and he cleaned the MAF sensor. It took less than 24 hours for the light to come back on.

My mechanic wants to replace the MAF sensor (expensive part, at least for him to order from a dealership). Are there any other cost-effective avenues I should encourage him to pursue first, or cheap sources for Mazda MAF sensors?

Thanks all.

 

You can take your car to an AutoZone and they will run a FREE scan on your car and give you some tips..They can test that sensor in the store once you take it off for them...

Hope This Helps !

 

I suspect my mechanic can scan engine codes and conditions just as effectively as AutoZone, but thanks anyway for the advice. He doesn't have a dealer-level interface, but he does have a nice one.

 

was the CEL code P0170?

 

I don't remember what the actual numeric code was, but he fixed it. He first tried cleaning the MAF, and when that didn't hold he discovered the air intake gasket was leaking and he replaced that.

Thanks all.