MAF, MAP, knock, crank & cam sensors
Only the MAF is worth anything, and only if the plastic housing is uncracked and the part number is legible. Everything else in this group is a ten-dollar used part or two cents of shred.
How to spot it
MAF is a plastic cartridge or full tube in the intake between airbox and throttle body with a 5-pin connector, marked Bosch 0 280 218, Hitachi or Denso 22680-. MAP is a small block with a vacuum nipple on the intake. Knock is a donut or puck bolted straight to the block under the intake manifold. Crank sits at the pulley or bellhousing; cam on the valve or timing cover.
Metal content
| Metal | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum | 0.5–2 mg per hot-wire MAF | calculated from wire geometry — no assay published |
| Gold | 0.003–0.010 g per MAF board | |
| Silver | 10–40 mg thick-film paste on MAP hybrids | |
| Neodymium | magnets in Hall-type crank/cam sensors |
At 4 Aug 2026 spot prices that works out to $8.87 per pound of contained metal — Gold 0.06 g = $7.83, Platinum 0.012 g = $0.66, Silver 0.2 g = $0.38. A refiner paying $0.5 returns about 6% of that, which is normal: refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin.
Safe removal
Working temperature: Cold
MAF comes off with two T20 Torx or 8 mm screws and a hose clamp. Knock sensors on V-engines usually need the intake manifold off — a genuinely awful job for a twelve-dollar part. Crank sensors seize on a rusted O-ring; twist, don't lever.
Hazards
NEVER pour any of these down a drain or onto the ground. They are all regulated waste streams.
Don't rush a hot engine. Nothing here is worth a hand.
Don't let two magnet plates snap together across your fingers.
Before you scrap it
The common trap
Questions
How much gold is in maf, map, knock, crank & cam sensors?
Platinum: 0.5–2 mg per hot-wire MAF. Gold: 0.003–0.010 g per MAF board. Silver: 10–40 mg thick-film paste on MAP hybrids. At current spot that is about $8.87 of contained metal per pound.
How do you identify maf, map, knock, crank & cam sensors?
Only the MAF is worth anything , and only if the plastic housing is uncracked and the part number is legible. Everything else in this group is a ten-dollar used part or two cents of shred.
How do you remove maf, map, knock, crank & cam sensors safely?
MAF comes off with two T20 Torx or 8 mm screws and a hose clamp. Knock sensors on V-engines usually need the intake manifold off — a genuinely awful job for a twelve-dollar part. Crank sensors seize on a rusted O-ring; twist, don't lever.
Is maf, map, knock, crank & cam sensors worth more working than as scrap?
MAF sensors have a real reman core market — $5–25 core, $15–70 used working, against two cents as scrap. Everything else here: sell used or bin it.
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