MAF blank on dash

I have a 89 cabrio and all the dash works reasonably well except for the maf lcd screen which is blank any suggestions on how to fix and where to start?

If I had a pound for every post on this forum about malfunctioning MFAs….

If the MFA is completely blank but all the following work fine;

• Rev counter
• Oil pressure sensor (do you get an occasional buzz on start-up?)
• Dash lights

then the following will need checking;

• Is the MFA getting power?
• Is the LCD screen correctly seated?
• are the circuit boards for the MFA intact?

To do this you'll need to get your dash out - which is covered in the Haynes manual - and then dismantle it - which isn't.

I would suspect;

• The dash in your car does not match the electrical connectors - so the MFA is not getting power (can happen)
• The earth lead for the dash has become disconnected - so no power (I believe it's the brown wire to the cylinder head - check it is connected and well earthed)
• The LCD screen has shifted (unlikely but worth checking)
• The circuit boards have given up the ghost (can happen but… your car isn't that ancient - my 1985 golf MFA is still OK)

All of this is not difficult to check, but you will need good, clean electrical screwdrivers, a light touch, and time to dis-assemble and re-assemble the dash.

You may find that having taken it apart and put it together again - apparently without having fixed/changed/adjusted anything - the MFA works perfectly, or at least partly.

This is entirely in keeping with the "character" of the car - enjoy your MFA while it's working  

Just don't get too downhearted when it stops again - it's old, it's grouchy, it needs time to itself sometimes.

Ali Cabrio
PS - If none of the things in the first list work properly - then your problems may be more serious - as in loom issues, or dodgy wiring in the engine bay.