Have you cleaned your MAF? Did it fail or throw a code AFTER?

[BrianSD_42]

Hi,

I am dissassembling my throttle body, cleaning the IAC, throttle-body, and replacing the O2 sensors.

I was going to clean the MAF by spraying MAF cleaner into it once its apart BUT my neighbor who is a mechanic instructor told me that I should leave the MAF alone.

"Dont touch it unless it is malfunctioning, if you spray it then it will 75% fail within a year"

He mentioned this apllies to the Toyota MAF as well as others.

Thoughts?

-Brian

 

[OU4x4]

sprayed mine 3 years ago and no failure yet...knock on wood.
i think a lot of people here have cleaned them with no problems.

 

[tbst]

Sprayed mine. No problems for about 2 months.

 

[Maxil]

Cleaned mine thoroughly almost 2 years ago with no issues. What I have heard though is that the IAC can be damaged easily if cleaned. I was told that you could really only clean it 1 times without issues, who knows how true that is? About a year ago I had problem with a warm start, cleaned the TB and IAC and it cleared right up. I haven't had a problem yet so who knows.

 

[badattitude]

cleaned mine three years ago and again two weeks ago. no problems.

 

[the great him]

with having K&N filters in my trucks and cars, i have cleaned all my MAFs several times and never once experienced a failure. i clean my MAF(s) every time i clean and recharge the filter(about a week or so after), i do this at least 3x year, more if i feel needed. i like to keep my air filters clean. i generally will also clean the TB and IAC at least once a year. of all the years i have worked on vehicles from high end sports cars(tuned and stock) to fleet vehicles, to dealer service, and independent shop, i have never heard of this, nor have i ever been to a class that put out this info. now im not trying to say your neighbor is full of it or dosent know what hes talking about but i personally think he is wrong or misunderstood something somewhere.

 

[quicksilvr]

How does cleaning the dirt and oil off the MAF sensor wires possibly make it fail? It doesn't even make practical sense. Unless you're spraying it with brake cleaner or engine degreaser or something aggressive that could harm the coating on the wires. The MAF is designed to be exposed to the "elements"....cleaning it off certainly should never make it fail.

Oh yes, I clean my MAF all the time. Never had a failure.

 

[flatboy]

On my 2000 Tacoma I'm still running the stock origional maf and use a k&n filter. I've probably cleaned that thing 10 times.


shayne

 

[theizzardking]

How does cleaning the dirt and oil off the MAF sensor wires possibly make it fail? It doesn't even make practical sense. Unless you're spraying it with brake cleaner or engine degreaser or something aggressive that could harm the coating on the wires. The MAF is designed to be exposed to the "elements"....cleaning it off certainly should never make it fail.

Oh yes, I clean my MAF all the time. Never had a failure.

it's the residue sometimes left on the surface from the cleaners , people bath them in that stuff when your really just meant to hit it, let it dry and hit it again, rinse and repeat until clean, the problem comes from people soaking the maf and letting it dry which essential creates it's own coating on it and since the way these types of MAFS work causes it to over heat (in a way) and fail.

taken from here:
How Do Mass Airflow Sensors Work? | eHow.com
How Does a Hot Wire Sensor Work?

A hot wire sensor works by passing an electrical current through a wire suspended in the engine's air stream, heating it. As the temperature increases, the wire's electrical resistance increases, limiting the amount of electrical current which can flow through the circuit attached to the wire. As air intake increases, the passing air cools the wire, decreasing its resistance and increasing the amount of electricity passing through the circuit. The wire's temperature is set to maintain equilibrium with the passing air, so the current increases only when the air intake increases. Likewise, the current decreases when the air intake decreases from the norm. These changes in current flow are registered by the engine control unit and translated into the relevant information for the ECU to make the necessary changes to account for the new intake level. These types of sensors are very accurate, however they are fragile. Any dirt or oil can contaminate the wire and cause an inaccurate reading, if not causing the wire to catch fire.



i cleaned mine very very carefully and have had no ill effects either, 1 year and counting, no problems.

 

[ChildrenOfBodom]

Been cleaning mine for years with CRC Electrical Contact Cleaner.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

I'm probably going to do it when I do the TB.

I plan to spray the MAF cleaner in, let it sit for a min then lightly spray some air from an air can, repeat.

 

[the great him]

Been cleaning mine for years with CRC Electrical Contact Cleaner.

CRC also makes a MAF specific cleaner, thats what i use and thats basically what BMW uses(its just labeled in a BMW can)...

 

[Maritimer]

I use dish soap and a wire brush. :rtfm:

 

[LittleCaesar]

I have been cleaning MAFs since before you were in Charleston Brian and never have had one fail on me, using either electrical cleaner or designated MAF cleaner in later years.

I do know of some folks who have attempted to clean their O2 sensors, and watch it die soon after.

 

[Dezert4Runner]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

I'm probably going to do it when I do the TB.

I plan to spray the MAF cleaner in, let it sit for a min then lightly spray some air from an air can, repeat.

MAF sensor cleaner is made to evaporate quickly. No canned air necessary...

 

[A.Wilson013]

If yours fails I'll send you one. Don't sweat it.

 

[02-Sport]

Cleaned mine with no issues. My sons 01 had a hesitation when reving engine. Cleaned his and problem went away.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I have been cleaning MAFs since before you were in Charleston Brian and never have had one fail on me, using either electrical cleaner or designated MAF cleaner in later years.

I do know of some folks who have attempted to clean their O2 sensors, and watch it die soon after.

Nice!

I ordered new O2 sensors, they arrive on Friday.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Well this happened (on another thread!)

Ok so today I installed a new TPS and a new ECT hoping to get rid of this high idle problem. I also cleaned my MAF sensor while I had it apart. Still have a high idle problem and now my check engine light is on. Got it checked at autozone and there are 2 codes, forget them but they are MAF and ECT. Awesome!!! It's so freaking lame, if the engine is warm and I cold start it, perfect idle. The second I give it any gas or start driving, 1200-1500 idle. I rev it to 4-5k, drops down to perfect idle again. Pulled negative battery terminal and efi fuse and efi relay while I was working on her. I don't know where to go next. Used throttle body from a junkyard?

:bat:

 

[A.Wilson013]

Did you put a new gasket on the throttle body?