cleaning MAF

[chaonis]

Lots of ppl think the mass air flow sensor is very delicate and should not mess with it. Well, if you think your maf is bad and want to replace it. You should at least try to clean it anyway.

My G20 had some idle issue and the prime suspect was the MAF. I took it out and noticed the intake side of the two sensors were covered with dirt. After dumped two cans of CNC MAF cleaner ($16), the sensors looked better but nowhere close to the shiny side. Then I took out a magnifying glass and saw the sensor was nothing but a very thin wire wrapped around a core, more or less like an old school resistor. Decided to clean it with Q tip and 99.97% alcohol. And since I was at it, I took out the QX4 MAF and cleaned it too. Once done, I did a final blast of CNC cleaner onto the sensor. Put them back and all the joy driving came back immediately.

I think it is pretty easy to q-tip the maf and I most likely will do it during each tune up in the future. A few precaution, if you want to do it yourself:

1) Do not use 70% alcohol - it contains too much water. Anything 90% up should be fine.2) Do not put pressure onto the sensor. Try to pull the cotton out a little bit and create a fluffy edge, use it to rub against the sensor. 3) the q-tip MUST only go one direction, look at the picture. going the other direction, you most likely will damage the sensor. 4) optional: after the cleaning, use a digital ohm meter to confirm you did not break the wire.

The wire on the sensor is very thin. I cannot see it without a magnifying glass even I know it is there. I will not recommend you perform the job if you don't have a steady hand or you drink too much coffee that day. Otherwise, it is a pretty simple job.

The silicone gel is for the o-ring.


Modified by chaonis at 11:53 AM 12/28/2009