I go to Advance Auto to have the service engine soon light checked and it coded P0174, bank 2 too lean I believe. Let it go a day or two and on the way to work I stopped at the store. When I came out, nothing! Wouldn't turn over or even attempt to crank. All the gages pegged out and then dropped back to zero.

I waited for a friend to bring jumper cables and decided to pop the hood and look around. What I found was a loose battery cable on the post with minor corrosion. Moved it around and tried again and it started right up. Got to my shop, cleaned and tightened the terminal clamp and lo & behold the service engine light disappeared.

It appears to me that it was giving a false reading due to the battery problem I was having.

I don't know if this will help anyone, and I will closely monitor the engine light to see if it returns.

 

Maybe with the cable not making connection, it cleared the code....that would be my guess. If the CEL trips again and reads that same lean code, clean the MAF sensor...post up if you need advice on how to do that....simple though...you never even need to touch it. Next would be the ductwork downstream from the MAF to the throtlle body...maybe cracked or not tight. Next would be listen for a vacum leak...Good luck!

 

yea, battery cable off will clear the code. I would start looking at all the small vacuum lines on the motor and sensors, especially around the drivers valve cover, back half. Hard brittle old hoses crack and cause vacuum problems.

 

Spotty:

My truck is a 2006 Ford F250 XLT 5.4L. I just got this same code on my truck today (P0174) "System too lean - Bank 2". It's riding rough and I feel like I don't have enough power. How do you clean the MAF sensor. Which hoses should I check for? What side should I start checking on?

LAikens:

Did the engine light and code come back?

 

Guys use different stuff to spray on the MAF...I guess the safest I can say is to buy a can of MAF cleaner.....you will have it for years to come. I have had my can for 5 years and still not empty. Basically you just pull the ductwork apart like you are changing the air filter. Pull out the filter.....clean or replace while at it. Look inside the ductwork towards the throttle body...you will see it sitting in the air stream. Basically it is 2 very small wires that heat up and monitor the airflow coming in and send that info. to the PCM. Just spray it down good with the MAF cleaner....let dry....don't touch with anything!!!!! I do mine every fall and spring and the truck even shifts a little better. Then I guess make sure the ductwork is correct and all clamps tight from start to the throttle body. Any air leak between the MAF and throttle body will screw up the PCM. If this doesn't help....start looking for a vacum leak...Good Luck!

 

I have a 2000 F-150 and I am getting a CEL (p0174) I cleaned the MAF. The CEL stayed off for about 3 days and came back on. All the clamps are tight on the air intake up to and including on the throttle body. I and am now looking at the PDFE sensor. Any suggestions about the vacuum hoses to check would be appreciated.

 

I have checked the vacuum hoses and cleaned the MAF sensor. From there I have no idea where to start looking.

 

Start looking by plugging your fault code into the SEARCH feature....

 

I had the p0174 p0171 codes, replaced just about every part on the truck to fix...Nothing changed, finally one day i was hearing a rattling sound from under my truck, come to find out both cats on the driver side were completely clogged and the stuff in the inside was rattling around like a jar of change shaked around

 

Your cats failed BECAUSE the underlying cause of the "lean" codes went unrepaired too long and you dumped excessive fuel into the cats for too long. The fault codes were not the result of the failure of the cats.