R53 Map Sensor Location? Quick Answer

Hi. The description you provided should diagnose and fix your vehicle’s drivability issues. It is not advisable to drive your vehicle with the MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure) sensor disconnected. The job of the MAP sensor is to determine the load on the engine and deliver fuel to the engine accordingly. If the MAP sensor is disconnected, the fuel supply will be too high and could damage the engine and exhaust system (catalytic converters). When your vehicle accelerates on the freeway, stalls, and then accelerates again, it sounds like you’re running out of fuel. It could be a fuel pump fault or a clogged fuel filter. I recommend having your vehicle’s drivability issues checked by a certified technician, e.g. B. one from Vermin Club, to diagnose and repair.

The MAP sensor measures the air pressure in the intake manifold. But how do you tell the MAP sensor is bad? Continue reading!

The intake manifold absolute pressure sensor, also known as the MAP sensor, is an important part of the vehicle’s engine management system.

The MAP sensor is found on fuel injected vehicles and the main function of the MAP sensor is to provide the Powertrain Control Module (PCM/ECM) with information about the intake manifold pressure.

Like any sensor in your vehicle, the MAP sensor will wear out and become damaged over time, which can result in incorrect data being sent to the engine control unit. So what happens when a MAP sensor fails? Here’s a quick rundown of the signs to look out for:

The most common symptom of a bad MAP sensor is poor fuel economy along with a check engine light on your dash. You may also notice signs such as a misfire or engine stalling. Rough idling or starting problems are also common signs

Any problem with the Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) sensor will result in improper combustion, damage to the engine, and loss of performance.

Here is a more detailed list of the common symptoms of a bad MAP sensor:

Bad MAP Sensor Symptoms

1. Check engine light

The engine control unit constantly monitors all sensors in your car engine while driving. If any of these sensor readings are outside of the specified range, the check engine light will illuminate.

Therefore, when your MAP sensor sends incorrect information to the engine control unit, the check engine light appears on your dashboard.

2. Lean air/fuel mixture

The main purpose of the MAP sensor is to measure the air pressure in the intake manifold to calculate the correct air/fuel mixture for your engine. If the sensor is bad, it can cause your engine to get an air-fuel mixture that is too lean.

A lean fuel mixture can cause many strange symptoms in your engine, which you can find further down in this list.

3. Rich air/fuel mixture

The same applies vice versa. If the MAP sensor is bad, it can also send a faulty signal, causing the engine control unit to inject too much fuel into the car engine.

A rich air-fuel mixture not only increases fuel consumption, but also causes performance problems.

4. Stalling or rough idle

If your air-fuel mixture is too rich or too lean due to a faulty MAP sensor, you may experience engine idling problems. When the engine is idling it is very sensitive and therefore you may first notice a faulty air/fuel mixture at idle.

Many other faulty parts can also cause this, so it should be properly diagnosed before replacing the MAP sensor.

5. Misfires

Misfire occurs when combustion in the engine cylinder fails. This can be caused by improper air/fuel mixture or poor spark. A MAP sensor can actually cause the air/fuel mixture to get so bad that you may notice misfires.

You can often spot a misfire by listening to your engine. If you can hear small bumps or if it doesn’t sound like it normally sounds, it could be caused by misfire.

6. Elevated level of emissions

When the intake manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor is damaged, it can send an incorrect signal to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) indicating high or low engine load.

In order to have a good level of emissions in your car, the air-fuel mixture must be perfect. Even a small error with the MAP sensor can cause the fuel mixture to interfere with emission levels.

7. Poor engine performance

As already mentioned, improper fuel mixture will cause engine performance to decrease. A lean mixture usually leads to reduced engine performance, but it can also be caused by a mixture that is too rich.

Poor engine performance can also be caused by misfires caused by a bad MAP sensor, as discussed earlier in this article.

8. Misfires

Misfire occurs when the fuel flowing through your engine is not combusted properly. If the fuel is not ignited in the combustion chamber, it can end up in the exhaust pipe. As you might suspect, the exhaust pipe gets very hot, which can ignite the air/fuel mixture there.

This results in loud pops from the exhaust system which can actually cause your mufflers etc to explode. It can also cause your car to catch fire if you are unlucky.

9. Hard start condition

A faulty MAP sensor also causes problems when starting the car. The car’s on-board computer uses the MAP sensor to determine the air pressure before the engine is started.

The engine is very sensitive to the correct air/fuel mixture at the moment of starting and therefore an erroneous reading can result in the engine being under-fueled and the engine possibly not starting at all.

10. Changed fuel consumption

This is most likely the most understandable if you read everything at the top of the article. Of course, a faulty air-fuel mixture caused by a bad MAP sensor will also result in a change in fuel economy.

If you find that your car is using less or more fuel than before, it may well be due to a faulty MAP sensor.

MAP sensor location

The MAP sensor is located on the intake manifold on most car models. It can also be installed on the vehicle body on a vacuum hose coming from the intake manifold.

The location of the MAP sensor depends on the design of your car and it is recommended that you check the service manual for the exact location of the MAP sensor in your car.

MAP sensor replacement cost

The average cost of replacing the MAP sensor ranges from $60 to $170 depending on vehicle model and labor costs. Labor costs are around $30-$70, while the sensor itself costs between $30-$100.

Replacing the MAP sensor is often relatively easy and can be done at home on most car models. If you have a little car knowledge, you can certainly save some money to do it yourself.

Diagnosing a bad MAP sensor

Diagnosing a faulty or failed MAP sensor can be done by first observing the symptoms present in your vehicle and then using a physical test as a diagnostic procedure.

The easiest way to check the MAP sensor is to hook up a diagnostic scanner to check the MAP sensor reading. With the engine off but the ignition on you should get a reading of around 1 bar or 14.5psi.

Watch this video for the procedure to test a MAP sensor: Testing the MAP Sensor.

Here is a quick step-by-step guide you can follow to check, test and diagnose if the MAP sensor is faulty in your vehicle.

Locate your engine’s MAP sensor by looking it yourself or by consulting your vehicle’s service manual. Make sure the vacuum hose connected to the MAP sensor is properly connected and in excellent condition. Check that the connections and the electrical cables are in good condition. Clean the sensor with an electronic cleaner and check the values ​​again with your diagnostic scanner. Test the MAP sensor using these instructions. Measure the wiring between the engine control module and the MAP sensor. Replace the MAP sensor is defective, otherwise repair the wiring.

Frequently asked questions about the MAP sensor

Got a brain and a decent set of hand tools? If the answer is yes, then consider yourself capable of addressing most of the common ailments your Jeep is sure to experience throughout its life cycle. Jeeps are relatively simple creatures by nature. Sure, you can’t fix the more modern variants with a stone butter knife and hammer, but you probably don’t need a $100,000 Scantronicbot machine either.

Any fool can throw new parts at a mechanical problem until it goes away. But why throw good money out the window when you don’t have to? So over the next year (or maybe longer, who knows) we’ll be highlighting some problems common to Jeep models, walking you through the diagnostic tests to pinpoint the problem, and showing you the solution.

MAP disorder

All fuel injected Jeeps use a MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure) sensor to determine how much fuel the engine needs. The MAP sensor monitors engine manifold vacuum and translates this reading into an electrical signal that is sent to the ECU. Depending on the MAP sensor voltage, the ECU will fire the injector for a longer or shorter burst to deliver more or less fuel as the case may be. It’s a pretty foolproof and simple design, but they can have problems. If, after the engine has warmed up to operating temperature, your Jeep suffers from poor drivability, judder, rough idle, overly rich exhaust, or ringing even with mediocre fuel, chances are the MAP sensor has started to go out of range, or outright failed . The thing is, a bad MAP sensor doesn’t always trigger a check engine light or cause the computer to register a DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code).

diagnosis

On newer Jeeps, particularly ’96-later OBDII models, the MAP sensor is either mounted on the manifold or right next to the throttle body. On older Jeeps, particularly ’95 older OBDI models, the MAP sensor is remotely mounted, usually on a firewall-mounted bracket.

You can check for codes at first, but as we just said, a faulty MAP sensor often won’t give a code until it’s completely dead. It doesn’t work on all models, but if you don’t have a code scanner you can sometimes turn the key from off to run three times in a row and then leave the key forward in the run position after the last time. Watch the digital odometer display or check for flashing indicator lights. Either write down the displayed code or count the blinks. The OBDI code for a faulty MAP is either DTC 13 or 14 while the OBDII code is P0108. But chances are you don’t have a scan tool or are lucky enough to have your jeep flash codes.

Check the voltage at the connector as shown in the photos and captions and make sure the vacuum line to the MAP sensor is not kinked, pinched or leaking. The MAP sensor should also hold the vacuum without bleeding. Follow the photos and caption for the full rundown.

The repair

With a MAP sensor, the only solution is to replace the device if it is found to be faulty. Thankfully, Quadratec not only offers tons of really cool aftermarket gear to personalize your Jeep, they also offer a whole range of quality OE specification replacement parts. After determining ours was defective, we ordered a new MAP sensor and had it installed in minutes. The Jeep immediately regained its drivability and no longer bucked, bucked or jerked. We haven’t calculated a full tank for actual numbers yet, but mileage seems to have improved as well.

parts and special tools

Quadratec offers replacement parts for all Jeep models from the current JK back to the ’41 Willys, as well as certain specialty hand and diagnostic tools. Our tools were part of our current inventory, but if you don’t want to purchase specific diagnostic tools, your local auto parts store will sometimes rent or lend what you need.

• Multimeter with DC scale

• Manual vacuum pump

• Quadratec PN 55122.2001 MAP sensor for ’87-’95 Jeep Wrangler and Cherokee with 4.0L or 2.5L engines

Even a well-maintained engine collects deposits of dust, dirt, soot, carbon and oil – both inside and out. These deposits can cause many problems such as: B. Interrupted air flow, dirty spark plugs or injectors, engine overheating or distorted sensor readings. Cleaning the MAP sensor may be necessary if you experience poor fuel economy, a rough idle, hesitation or stalling under acceleration, or an illuminated check engine light.

On fuel injected engines, the engine control module (ECM) calculates the injector pulse based on several other sensor readings, such as: B. engine speed, engine coolant temperature (ECT), intake air temperature (IAT) and air-fuel ratio (AFR). , among other. Mass airflow is a critical measurement that the ECM uses to calculate fuel injection, and most engines are equipped with either a manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor or a mass airflow (MAF) sensor. Some turbocharged engines use both MAF and MAP sensors.

You can usually tell if you have a MAP sensor if you can’t find a MAF sensor in the intake air tube in front of the throttle body. The MAP sensor is usually mounted directly on the intake manifold, somewhere behind the throttle body, although some are firewall or elsewhere mounted in the engine compartment and are connected to the intake manifold by a vacuum line. In some vehicles – older K-cars for example – the MAP sensor is mounted by the ECM and connected to the intake manifold via a long vacuum hose. The MAP sensor continuously measures the pressure/vacuum in the intake manifold.

Checking a MAP sensor

You can easily test a MAP sensor with a vacuum pump and a multimeter. First remove the vacuum line or MAP sensor from the intake manifold. With the MAP sensor connected and the ignition ON, check the voltage output at the MAP sensor signal wire. Turbocharged engine MAP sensors are also pressure responsive and their pressure/voltage readings may be different. In any case, check your repair manual for the schematic and specific voltage ratings.

The typical MAP sensor should read about 4.7V when open to air. Using the vacuum pump you should see a voltage drop to about 1V at 20 inHg vacuum. Repeat the test, noting that when you pull and release vacuum/pressure, the voltage should respond immediately.

MAP sensors have no moving parts and do not normally wear out, but cleaning of the MAP sensor may be necessary if it is contaminated with carbon or other deposits from the engine. If the voltage is slow to respond to pressure changes, contamination could be to blame.

Cleaning the MAP sensor step by step

Cleaning the MAP sensor requires just a few more steps:

Unplug the MAP sensor and put on rubber gloves to protect your skin. Safety goggles are also a good idea. Use an electrical parts cleaner on a soft rag or paper towel to clean the outside of the MAP sensor. Spray the electrical parts cleaner into the sensor opening – a few squirts are usually enough. Shake out the excess and allow the MAP sensor to dry. Check the MAP sensor vacuum hose or intake manifold fitting for additional debris. If necessary, clean them with electronic parts cleaner and a brush. Once everything is dry, which shouldn’t take very long, the MAP sensor should be free of contamination. Reinstall the MAP sensor.

Cleaning the MAP sensor is an easy way to restore engine performance and fuel economy. To keep other parts of the air and fuel system clean, consider an intake system cleaner the next time you service your engine.

View all chemical products available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on how to clean the MAP sensor, speak to a knowledgeable professional at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Hello and thank you for contacting Vermin Club. This problem is not the MAP sensor, it is the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor. This sensor is usually overlooked unless the computer detects a malfunction. Most often, the MAF becomes dirty and ineffective, not functioning properly, but within the parameters of the computer system. Check the MAF sensor and clean it with dry air. Then put it on and disconnect and connect the battery for 12 minutes. This frees the computer to want to relearn itself. Then drive the vehicle and see what happens. If the light comes back on and power is cut again, disconnect the MAF and see if the motor still works the same. If the engine doesn’t change, the MAF isn’t working and needs to be replaced. If you need further help troubleshooting your vehicle, contact a technician, e.g. B. One from Vermin Club who can help you with the engine stuttering problem.

Hello and thank you for contacting Vermin Club. This problem is not the MAP sensor, it is the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor. This sensor is usually overlooked unless the computer detects a malfunction. Most often, the MAF becomes dirty and ineffective, not functioning properly, but within the parameters of the computer system. Check the MAF sensor and clean it with dry air. Then put it on and disconnect and connect the battery for 12 minutes. This frees the computer to want to relearn itself. Then drive the vehicle and see what happens. If the light comes back on and power is cut again, disconnect the MAF and see if the motor still works the same. If the engine doesn’t change, the MAF isn’t working and needs to be replaced. If you need further help troubleshooting your vehicle, contact a technician, e.g. B. One from Vermin Club who can help you with the engine stuttering problem.

MAP sensors

The manifold pressure sensor is used in an engine’s electronic control system. Engines using a pressure sensor are typically fuel injected. The sensor provides instant boost pressure information to the engine’s electronic control unit. The data is used to calculate air density and determine engine air mass flow, which in turn determines the fueling required for perfect combustion. A fuel-injected engine may use a MAF sensor or a pressure sensor—or sometimes both—to sense intake airflow.

The Manifold Pressure Sensor can be used for diagnostics as it measures throttle body performance, turbo performance and can be used to detect leaks in the intake manifold. Because of its location, it should always read a vacuum unless the turbo boosts the pressure. This can be seen in the attached diagram.

Abbreviations for MAP sensors

Common names for the intake manifold pressure sensor are:

Manifold absolute pressure sensor

engine load sensor

pressure sensor

boost sensor

Frequently used abbreviations are:

Even a well-maintained engine collects deposits of dust, dirt, soot, carbon and oil – both inside and out. These deposits can cause many problems such as: B. Interrupted air flow, dirty spark plugs or injectors, engine overheating or distorted sensor readings. Cleaning the MAP sensor may be necessary if you experience poor fuel economy, a rough idle, hesitation or stalling under acceleration, or an illuminated check engine light.

On fuel injected engines, the engine control module (ECM) calculates the injector pulse based on several other sensor readings, such as: B. engine speed, engine coolant temperature (ECT), intake air temperature (IAT) and air-fuel ratio (AFR). , among other. Mass airflow is a critical measurement that the ECM uses to calculate fuel injection, and most engines are equipped with either a manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor or a mass airflow (MAF) sensor. Some turbocharged engines use both MAF and MAP sensors.

You can usually tell if you have a MAP sensor if you can’t find a MAF sensor in the intake air tube in front of the throttle body. The MAP sensor is usually mounted directly on the intake manifold, somewhere behind the throttle body, although some are firewall or elsewhere mounted in the engine compartment and are connected to the intake manifold by a vacuum line. In some vehicles – older K-cars for example – the MAP sensor is mounted by the ECM and connected to the intake manifold via a long vacuum hose. The MAP sensor continuously measures the pressure/vacuum in the intake manifold.

Checking a MAP sensor

You can easily test a MAP sensor with a vacuum pump and a multimeter. First remove the vacuum line or MAP sensor from the intake manifold. With the MAP sensor connected and the ignition ON, check the voltage output at the MAP sensor signal wire. Turbocharged engine MAP sensors are also pressure responsive and their pressure/voltage readings may be different. In any case, check your repair manual for the schematic and specific voltage ratings.

The typical MAP sensor should read about 4.7V when open to air. Using the vacuum pump you should see a voltage drop to about 1V at 20 inHg vacuum. Repeat the test, noting that when you pull and release vacuum/pressure, the voltage should respond immediately.

MAP sensors have no moving parts and do not normally wear out, but cleaning of the MAP sensor may be necessary if it is contaminated with carbon or other deposits from the engine. If the voltage is slow to respond to pressure changes, contamination could be to blame.

Cleaning the MAP sensor step by step

Cleaning the MAP sensor requires just a few more steps:

Unplug the MAP sensor and put on rubber gloves to protect your skin. Safety goggles are also a good idea. Use an electrical parts cleaner on a soft rag or paper towel to clean the outside of the MAP sensor. Spray the electrical parts cleaner into the sensor opening – a few squirts are usually enough. Shake out the excess and allow the MAP sensor to dry. Check the MAP sensor vacuum hose or intake manifold fitting for additional debris. If necessary, clean them with electronic parts cleaner and a brush. Once everything is dry, which shouldn’t take very long, the MAP sensor should be free of contamination. Reinstall the MAP sensor.

Cleaning the MAP sensor is an easy way to restore engine performance and fuel economy. To keep other parts of the air and fuel system clean, consider an intake system cleaner the next time you service your engine.

View all chemical products available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on how to clean the MAP sensor, speak to a knowledgeable professional at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.