MAF sensor cleaner?

[mardyn]

Somebody give me the cliffs on cleaning a MAF sensor... spray it with brake clean and dry it out? or use carb cleaner spray and run it through the engine?

(I think the screen may have been contaminated with filter oil)

What say you DFM experts?

mardyn

[dee]

I wouldn't use brake or carb cleaner it has gotten pretty caustic to plastics and other materials these days. I use a good aerosol contact cleaner since you're essentially cleaning a resistor.

[Sleeper]

They make mass air flow cleaners. available at any auto parts store

[91CoupeMike]

Denatured alcohol will work too, do not use qtips or anything like that.

Just go pick up the mass air cleaner like sleeper said. 1 can will last a lifetime.

[JC316]

Denatured alcohol will work too, do not use qtips or anything like that.

Just go pick up the mass air cleaner like sleeper said. 1 can will last a lifetime.

Qtips work fine if you have a steady enough hand to not bend the wires. I've had a couple of GM MAF's that had crud caked to the point that cleaner wouldn't take it off. Qtip worked great.

[Lone Star Performance]

Just use a Mass Air Flow Sensor cleaner. Aerosol can, spray it, put it back in, good to go

[91CoupeMike]

Qtips work fine if you have a steady enough hand to not bend the wires. I've had a couple of GM MAF's that had crud caked to the point that cleaner wouldn't take it off. Qtip worked great.

Was always told not to because it leaves the cotton fibers behind on the wire element and can throw off he readings by insulating heat.

[mardyn]

I think my MAS has a screen in it as opposed to exposed wires... I'll stop by the store and pick up some cleaner designed for the task... I'm afraid carb cleaner my eat up the coating
on the inside somehow.

Thanks for the tips.

mardyn

[91CoupeMike]

The screen is there to protect the fine wires inside and to keep large debris from getting any further, should just be on the inlet, sometimes they're removable.

[shumpertdavid]

As mike stated, the screen helps keep trash out and also helps straighten airflow through the meter. Gm's will have 3 sensors in the meter, visible from the back side.

[mardyn]

Just to keep it simple....

Sensor is in my '69 with MAF system from early 90s 5.0L on a '95 5.8/351 from a
Lightning truck...



mardyn

[91CoupeMike]

Not sure if it matters but I've always been told the sensor needs to be at the top, or are you having clearance issues ?

[mardyn]

It has run fine with it in that position for years... I'm kinda' on a fishing expedition trying to
correct an intermittent problem that has developed lately.

mardyn

[Sleeper]

Well whats the problem.

[mardyn]

Occasionally on start up, it drops two random cylinders... never the same two, and to correct the situation? All it takes is turning the key off and restarting the engine...
and it's good to go for several more cycles.

It's very strange.

As I mentioned before, I'm on a fishing expedition with this one, I've checked and rechecked everything I could think of that may be causing the condition without much luck. If the situation were continuous, I'm sure I could find it easily, but this one is like chasing a ghost in the machine.

I was reading this past week about an odd ball problem caused by contamination of the MAS by oil from the K&N style oil impregnated air filter... since mine has been on there for a few years and needs to be changed anyway, I thought I'd give it a try...

I picked up a new air filter on the cheap at the swap meet this past weekend, so it will be an inexpensive attempt at least.

Any other ideas on a fix would be appreciated.

mardyn