Old vs New MAF; To upgrade DME or no?

[TheSkilletHead]

I'm 95% certain that I've narrowed my check engine light down to a faulty MAF.

My car calls for the early part number: 996.606.124.00 . Is there any reason I would want to upgrade the the current part number 996.606.125.01 and get the DME firmware upgrade at the same time?

Is there any difference in the reliability or performance of the MAF sensors?
Is there anything else included in the DME update that improves performance?

Any advice is appreciated.

[Lyle.woodard]

Check your 101 projects book, Wayne gave a good write up on Maf sensors and replacement. The tech info center will give you access to the base article for the 101projects book and has the same info.

[TheSkilletHead]

I've been reading the article in the Tech Center and have the 101 projects book. However, the article just refers to the new MAF as "New and Improved", but does not state how that is so. Likewise, it refers to the DME Upgrade with a similar ambiguity.

Is the new MAF sensor "new and improved" just because it is new, and therefore must be improved, or is there a real difference in performance or reliability? Porsche could have easily switched to a "new and improved" design because it was cheaper to buy or easier to source, not because it improves engine management.

I also can't find any information on what the DME upgrade does. If all it does is upgrade the MAF mapping to make the car play nice with the new sensor, then that's not such a big deal, depending on whether the new sensor really is an improvement or not. If Porsche released DME upgrades to how the software manages the engine, that that is a real benefit (albeit a small one).

Sounds like a call to the dealer is in order.... We'll see what they say.

[TheSkilletHead]

Called Hennessey Porsche in Atlanta and the service manager I talked to on the phone was more clueless than I on the issue. He didn't know how to upgrade the DME (or that there was an upgrade available) nor did he know how much it would cost.

I told him they should just have to hook up a PST2 or a PIWIS to the Boxster and there should be an option in either tool to upgrade the DME and he let me know it would probably cost $135 for an hour of labor.

A lack of response from the forums thus far probably means that there is not a significant difference between the MAF sensors -- This is a knowledgeable group of people, and if you all don't know the difference between the 2 MAFs, there can't be a big one. I'll probably just go ahead and get the early MAF (which matches the part number I removed from my car), and not worry about upgrading the DME.

I do want to track down and buy a PST2 in the future (for the few things that Durametric can't do). If I ever do get one, I'll play with the DME upgrade then and will report the results.

[mikefocke]

My understanding was the DME "upgrade" was designed to adapt what the DME was expecting from the MAF since the signal levels of the tow hardware parts were different. The old flash was fine for the older MAF signals but you needed to synch the two if you used the newer hardware.

I did read something somewhere (and it could be many years ago) on the improvements within the MAF itself. Maybe TSB 2445 (Air Flow Sensor) dated Apr 6, 2001

Would I pay the extra for the flash given that the MAFs are pretty close to the same price? The car is 10 years old...what is it worth spending on it beyond the minimum? Only you can determine that.

Sorry I have no more info.