He decided to replace this with a modern mass air flow (MAF) sensor instead, and documented the process online.

A device in the throttle body, the mass airflow, or MAF, sensor helps the engine computer determine the proper air-fuel mixture by measuring the mass of the air flowing past it. Because a precise ...

This sensor type is based on the principle that if a mass is maintained at a constant temperature (above ambient air temp), the thermal loss is proportional to the flow of air over that mass.