agreed, sounds like the
Mass
Airflow
Flow Sensor
its the small box like section that you plugged the end of your induction hose into
A mass airflow sensor is used to determine the mass of air entering an electronically fuel-injected engine. The air mass information is necessary for the engine control unit to calculate and deliver the correct fuel mass to the engine. Air changes its density as it expands and contracts with temperature and pressure. Air density varies with the vehicle's operating environment, and this is an ideal application for a mass sensor.
There are two common types of mass airflow sensors in usage on petrol engines. They are the vane meter and the hot wire. Neither design employs technology that measures air mass directly. However, with an additional sensor or two, the engine's air mass flow rate can be accurately determined.
Both approaches are used almost exclusively on EFI (electronic fuel injection) engines. Both sensor designs output a 0 - 5.0 volt signal that is proportional to the air mass flow rate, and both sensors have an IAT sensor (intake air temperature) incorporated into their housings.
When a MAF is used in conjunction with an oxygen sensor (O2)sensor, the engine's air/fuel ratio can be controlled very accurately. The MAF sensor provides the open-loop predicted air flow information (the measured air flow) to the engine's Engine control unit (ECU), and the O2S provides closed-loop feedback in order to make minor corrections to the predicted air mass.