How difficult is replacing a mass airflow sensor & where can I find specific information on the how to? Same question for a fuel pressure regulator.
Vehicle is a 1995 Toyota Pickup 2WD 4 cyl., 2.4L
Neither of these is difficult at all. The difficult part with the MAF is actually being sure that the MAF itself is the problem. If you’re just going by a computer code that points to the MAF, make sure that you first figure out what the diagnostic procedure is. MAFs generally aren’t cheap. The MAF will be somewhere right in your air inlet tube after the air filter and before the throttle body - look for an electrical connector.
The fuel pressure regulator is easier to diagnose since it has a vacuum hose that gets full of fuel if the regulator fails - pull off the hose and if you find gas, that’s all you need to know. You’d also have symptoms of running really rich. For this, just find your fuel rail - metal line with fuel injectors attached at the top of the head. scan the fuel rail for a little cylinder attached to it with a vacuum hose out of it.
A quick & easy place to look is Autozone’s website. They have online repair manuals along with component location diagrams. You need to register with them to plug in your vehicle. These online things are very bare bones through - you can also go to an auto parts store & pick up a Chilton’s or Haynes manual for about $20. Also a bit bare bones, but much better than Autozone’s online stuff. You’ll make the $20 back easily in information & self-repairs.
The MAF sensor is the big silver looking boxy thing attached to the air filter housing. And, these units are not cheap. Test before replacing.
The fuell pressure regulator is attached to the fuel rail. It is much cheaper than the MAF sensor, but just as easy to replace. It is generally easy to spot a bad regulator, either by leaking around the regulator mount, wet gas inside the vacuum line, or unusually high fuel pressure.
A mass airflow sensor (MAF) is only $300. Why would you want to check it out, to see if it’s faulty, rather than just replace it? The instructions require the use of a digital multimeter, like this: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/repairinfo/repairguide/repairGuideContent.jsp?fromSearchPage=true&pageId=0900c15280060dc8&partName=Volume+Air+Flow++VAF++Meter&partId=0900c15280060dc8 It’s much easier to just replace the MAF, yes?
The fuel pressure regulator is even cheaper, at $100. For such a low cost item, you wouldn’t want to follow these types of instructions, taking up your time, would you? http://www.autozone.com/autozone/repairinfo/repairguide/repairGuideContent.jsp?fromSearchPage=true&pageId=0900c15280060ee6&partName=Fuel+Pressure+Regulator&partId=0900c15280060ee6