What does a MAP sensor do?
MAP sensor, or the abbreviation of Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor, is commonly used in cars with injection system engines. The MAP sensor is installed in the engine just before the intake manifold, a channel where air enters the engine.
A MAP sensor is directly mounted right on the intake manifold wall. There is also a map sensor installed using an intermediary connection such as a vacuum hose. It depends on the type of engine and the type of car used. But in essence, this MAP sensor must be connected to the airflow in the intake manifold channel.
What does a MAP sensor do?
The MAP sensor connects directly to the engine's Engine Control Unit (ECU). The ECU will continuously provide a constant voltage to the MAP sensor.
When the MAP sensor works, there will be a voltage fluctuation that the previous ECU has given. The ECU then reads the value of this voltage change (called output voltage) as actual data from the intake manifold air pressure.
So, we can conclude that the function of the MAP sensor on the injection engine is to determine the air vacuum in the intake manifold. The engine ECU can calculate the air density and mass flow rate of air entering the engine.
The air vacuum in the intake manifold is measured by the MAP sensor using a silicon chip. The silicon chip has an electrical resistance value that can vary according to the existing vacuum level.
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The changes in this silicon chip will change the value of the MAP sensor output voltage. The ECU uses the output voltage value as a reference to calculate the air density and determine the air mass flow rate from the engine.
After the ECU gets data on air density and the engine's air mass flow rate, this data is used to determine the amount of fuel injected into the combustion chamber and determine the ignition timing to obtain optimal combustion results.