Check engine:P0171 system lean

[jmnral]

Hello guys. I went to Las Vegas with my family this weekend and i had the check engine light came on when we were halfway to Vegas. I found a local pepboys and had the code pulled out. It is P0171 system lean. The car still drives ok except for a little hesitation.
Question is: Can i drive back to Los Angeles safely with that code? We are going to check out today and wanted to make sure if it is driveable? Any help will greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[SkidPalace]

First of all, check for leaks in your intake system. Then make sure your MAF sensor is clean. If those things don't help, I am going to point my finger at your A/F sensor.
I had P1130, P0171, P0172 codes a while back which gave me similar symptoms which got quickly progressively worse until I stalled out on the road.
Most people gave me advice to check for leaks and replace the MAF, but after a replacement, I had the same symptoms. Every time I made a change I would pull the battery to clear the computer and the truck would fire up nice and strong only to throw codes and crap out on me on the second startup.
I eventually rid my self of the codes by replacing my A/F sensor (the one before the cats).
Check - Underdog Racing Development to cross reference the proper Denso part number, then either buy it or check on Amazon.com. I have always found the best prices on Amazon.
Be warned, the truck is supposed to have a "limp mode" which will allow it to drive with a bad a/f sensor, but mine would not go at all. If you wind up in that predicament on the road, try unplugging the a/f sensor completely.

 

[jmnral]

Thanks. I checked for leaks before we left Vegas and i did not hear/feel any. I am suspecting it is the MAF sensor. i will clean and reset it tomorrow and see what happens. BTW we got home safe:lookout:

 

[Igot1too]

I have had the same code for probably 30,000 miles. Although it runs great, it's time for me to fix it. What did you end up finding?

 

[DenverKid24]

I have had the same code for probably 30,000 miles. Although it runs great, it's time for me to fix it. What did you end up finding?

I just got that code as well. I didn't see any leaks or anything, so I assumed it was my MAF Sensor.

I took out the MAF Sensor and cleaned it with some cleaner specifically for the MAF sensor that I bought at Advanced Auto Parts. The code hasn't come back on, and I have started it probably 10 times or so since I cleaned it. The MAF sensor was pretty dirty, so I think that was the problem. So hopefully it fixed it.