Alternatives to a Bosch MAF on L series diesel

Hi all,

MAF advice please.. I have a suspect faulty MAF.. Running the original Bosch one now, and have been advised to shell out for a new replacement Bosch, so its “like for like”

Wanted to know if any of you guys have replaced your original BOSCH MAF with a different one?

I see lots of Td4 peeps are running the Peirburg MAF.. Is there an alternative like this for my L series diesel?

I do a fair bit of towing, so was wondering if there is an alternative, can i get something to increase torque and power?

The L series Freelanders only use the Maf signal for EGR operation so changing it won't have an effect on fuelling or engine torque.

Check out RoverRons, website as he does a 'digimafam' which is designed for the L series.

He does it as a kit along with a Pierburg MAF especially for the L series.

Link here: Tuning-diesels for synergy tuning modules.

Get in touch with Ron direct, and ask him for what spec is best as regards towing.

He is very approachable and helpful, something quite rare these days, and provides a personal service.

Singvogel.

Singvogel said:

Check out RoverRons, website as he does a 'digimafam' which is designed for the L series.

He does it as a kit along with a Pierburg MAF especially for the L series.

Link here: Tuning-diesels for synergy tuning modules.

Get in touch with Ron direct, and ask him for what spec is best as regards towing.

He is very approachable and helpful, something quite rare these days, and provides a personal service.

Singvogel.

Click to expand...

This is not for L series freelanders

If your looking for more power/torque Ron has Synergy VP's (for L series freelander) on offer at a bargain price.

thanks guys..

So, i guess id best just buy an identical Bosch MAF then? Been quoted £183 inc vat..

Ill def be giving roveron a call first though.. maybe he has another suggestion??

Dont bother with the MAF mate, as chaser says it only sends a signal to the egr. The best thing to do with the egr is to remove and bung up the vacumn actuator pipe!
I fitted the synergy vp-l from roveron to my old L-series, it made a great deal of difference, much more poke, just needed a little bit of experimenting to find the sweet spot between power and smoke!
Two other worthwhile jobs, I replaced my paper panel filter with a K+N panel, and got hold of a set of reconditioned injectors. Very easy to replace, made throttle response much more crisp and breathed life back into the engine.

newcyboots said:

thanks guys..

So, i guess id best just buy an identical Bosch MAF then? Been quoted £183 inc vat..

Ill def be giving roveron a call first though.. maybe he has another suggestion??

Click to expand...

i'm sure he'll suggest a synergy VP, you won't be disappointed especially at that price.

The turbo can be tweaked for more boost too!

Chaser said:

This is not for L series freelanders

Click to expand...

:doh: You're right - should have checked more closely. Should have said Synergy VP.

Sorry, Singvogel.

Oh yes i forgot about the turbo!, the wastegate actuator can be shortened too for a bit of extra boost. Roverron has it all on his site.

Cheers Den, ill def be going for a K&N filter, but my injectors were recently overhauled, so i think they are fine..

This whole saga started last week.. My engine light blinked on for a few seconds, then my revs started going all over the shop, from 1000 - 4000 and anywhere in between!! Its like it had a mind of its own..

Anyway, i took it to an indy 4x4 specialist who have testbook software, and he said my MAF was giving out false readings, therefore telling the ECU to inject more fuel, which in turn was causing the hippo to rev itself whn idiling!!

He charged me £50 for diagnostic, then said he'd ring me back with a price for a MAF..

But ever since ive had the hippo back, the problems gone!!! I asked him on the phone why i need a new MAF as its not doing it anymore, to which he replied "the faults still there, the ECU just hasnt logged it yet??""

Smells like bull**** to me..

I towed my daughters horse trailer 130 mileSaturday, and the hippo didnt miss a beat...

I did notice however on sunday, going up a really stee hill (no trailer tho) that at high revs, it seemed only VERY slightly hesitant??

I dunno what to do now.. I know the land rover fairies havent fixed the fault, but since it went on testbook it seems normal?

So do i wait for it to go again, order a bosch maf to fit myself, or get something off Ron?

Definitely bull****, like I say the maf does nothing for fuelling on the L series freelanders unlike on the later L series Rover cars that use a different pump.

Most faults like you describe are a result of bad connections in the pump harness.

Personally I would disconnect the egr, if that had decided to momentarily stick open it would play havoc with your rev range.
Other than that could of been a hiccup with your fuel pump, Ive worked with a few of these engines and the timing deviation solenoid on the fuel pump is a weak point, put some good injector cleaner through (Forte diesel system cleaner is immense) keep it sweet.
How has it been starting in the cold?
I would steer clear of that specialist, the L-Series isnt that sophisticated, simple, solid engine and when the MIL light comes on is usually fuel pump/timing.
As chaser says the large plakky connector for the pump gets corroded.

Thanks for all this info guys..

How do i go about an EGR bypass? Is it something i can do myself?? If not, how much will it set me back if i take it to a garage to get it done??

Funny you should say that about the timimg Den... The indy garage said fault code 1 was MAF, and it also logged a secondary fault of "timing retarded" but he reckons the ECU is causing that cos the MAF is faulty?? He reckoned it was a couple of degrees out from TDC??

She starts on the button - hot of cold..When warm, the glow light flicks on for not longer that quarter of a second.. even on the coldest mornings,one heat (which lasts about 4 seconds) and she fires.. no missing, no smoke.. she starts perfect, and alsways has done for the last 12 months ive owned her!

Id appreciate any other comments and advice.. especially on the EGR bypass and turbo tweeks and how to do them...

Ta.

Thats good that it starts 'on the button' thats points out your static 'physical' timing of the cam and FIP (fuel injection pump) etc is setup spot on. L-series is notoriously finnicky about this!
This points more towards the fuel pump dynamic timing.
The fuel pump connector is a large plastic connector that has multiple terminals and can become corroded over time. Try and clean it out carefully checking the wiring of that loom and indeed the single wire connection of the fuel stop solenoid.
The internals of the pump can play havoc too, as previously mentioned the timing deviation solenoid, hydraulically controlled to make fine adjustments as needed while running, is a known weak spot. It has been known that a really good fuel system cleaner has improved the charachteristics of operation of the FIP.
As for adjusting the turbo wastegate etc tuning-diesels.com is roverrons website and has all the neccesary information on there.
EGR wise, as for as I know there is no dedicated kit avaialble like on the Td4.
I looked into it and someone was making them on the mg-rover forums but most people, like me, disconnected the vacumn pipe to the actuator and bunged it up. It is not a restriction issue as it is on the Td4.

Hello,
on the EGR issue, it is a mod I've been thinking about doing myself but still have doubts about it, here is a link to the topic I've posted some time ago,
http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/egr-freelander-di-173750.html
blinding kits are awailable on ebay, see answer 5 for link.

when you do it please post it for me to get some pointers.

best regards
Miguel Baptista

Den,

did you see much of a difference when you disconnected your actuator pipe??And where abouts can i find the large plastic fuelpump connector?

Miguel,

Thanks for the link.. If i find a kit aand fit it,ill let you know -obrigado amigo..


Chaser,

Thanks pal - im glad im not the only one who thinks it smells of bull****.. im just uncertain of where to go from here now... I use the hippo a lot, and am worried incase the probem comes back and leaves me or worse my wife and daughters stranded... Im going o give ron a ring now, but i dont even expect him to give me a positive ID of the fault over the phone.. So should i be buying the synergy box BEFORE i find this fault (IF it ever comes back!))

If you know the injection pump then follow it's harness and you'll see where it connects to the rest of the loom via a black plug. Often if you fiddle with this plug and wires with the engine running you can get a fault to occur which will obviously indicate a connection issue. At the very least take the connector apart and spray with contact cleaner. In more advanced cases it has been necessary to peel back some insulation to reveal breakages and corrosion.

It's always better to fix any underlying issues before fitting any performance device. Any doubts speak to Ron, he'll confirm what it's likely to be (particularly if your buying a synergy) he's a mine of information and experience when it comes to this engine.