Air mass meter/air flow meter/dishonest mechanic

[Claire1973]

I have a '99 Honda Passport with about 54,000 miles. My car has been having trouble with it's timming(?) idle(?). The RPMs seem to have a mind of their own, sometimes going really high, more often though,going low & the car shuts off. The problem is intermitent, can happen when I first start the car or after I've been driving for hours. I had it checked out,the mechanic said there were probably carbon deposits that needed cleaning. He did this, but it didn't help. Then, the Check engine light came on and I took it back, he said that the Air Flow Meter needs to be replaced. Anyone had this problem? The thing is, I no longer trust the mechanic because he said a new Meter would be ~$500, but they were looking for a used one for me that would be ~$200-$300. I looked online and NapaAuto sells air mass meters NEW for under $300. Is an air mass meter & an air flow meter the same part? The car is scarry to drive because I never know when it will shut off. Any thoughts on either the car problem or the mechanic?

[Cat Fuzz]

I'm not sure about your problem, but if you suspect this mechanic get a second opinion from another shop. Repair shops will always charge you more for parts than you would pay if you bought them yourself. This is normal.

[Dober89]

Has anyone mentioned the intake manifold gasket? My rodeo did the same thing at around the same mileage and it was the gasket.

[marcre]

Originally Posted by Dober89

Has anyone mentioned the intake manifold gasket? My rodeo did the same thing at around the same mileage and it was the gasket.

Agreed, IMG is my guess. Same symptoms I had, took a while for my mechanic to diagnos it.