Cleaning the MAF (MASS) Sensor

[DocBassett]

Cheers guys for the input. You'd think people wouldn't be stupid enough, but there's always one who comes along to prove you wrong. I wasn't aware that K&N did a paper filter anyway. It's a pod filter that he has in an aftermarket stainless air box. He has a mechanic friend who is positive it's only a paper filter, but I have no clue on the matter. I do know the red part of the filter is covered in a fine black mesh casing though. I attempted to pry open the MAF and all I did was distort plastic. Looks like snapping if I pry harder, but as I have learnt with most parts, tough love is essential for removal.

[Tall Man]

I have a can of electronic circuit card cleaner spray at home, reckon that could be used to clean sensor ?

[AnOldFart]

I have a can of electronic circuit card cleaner spray at home, reckon that could be used to clean sensor ?

Providing it's a non-residual electronics spray cleaner 'Tall' it -should- do the job but, my question is just why, you would want to 'risk' a few hundred $$$ worth of MAF Sensor, for the sake of buyin a lousy $25 can of the CRC MAF Spray Cleaner 'real stuff' from Soupycheep... It's not like you're gonna use it all up in one go. Providing you store it in a -cool- place, the rest of the can's contents will probably outlast the length of time you eventually own the vehicle....

[Tall Man]

yeah I agree old fart

I pulled into the local SCheap yesterday , I couldn't find it in anybrand , and the 15 year old kid /staff had no idear.

I did see a the CRC carby/intake cleaer which stated to be non residual general cleaner, non harmful for oxygen sensors etc - decided not to take the risk.

I did have some automotive electronic circuit board cleaner spray at home already, which I use on the sensors and plugs on my EFI 2 stroke boat motor.

I gave the MAF senor I hit with it anyway, will post if it shagged it... Got me to work today anyway with no ill effects

I've done 167,000ks now (2010 MN ) and it didn't seem to be to dirty at all compared to some photos on here, looking back through my service notes and can't see if/when the dealer had ever replaced it either ?

[AnOldFart]

If you got to work OK 'Tall' then it sounds like your auto cct board cleaner might be MAF safe anyway...
Another thing worth doing is to give the actual 'pins' of the MAF electrical connector positioned on top of the airbox a clean as well as there have also been reports here on the forum of a Mitsui Tech Notice having been sent to their stealers to 'ensure' that those 'pins are making good electrical connection' ... Their suggested way of doing this is to 'twist' the actual connector pins about 8 degrees off horizontal... I would certainly NOT recommend doing this yourself though ie, if you happen to break a pin, guess who's gonna pay, for a whole replacement MAF assembly...? Hint... not your local stealer...! A far safer bet is to use something like LanoTec GP spray, available for a few $$ from Soupycheep, and just pull the connector out and give each of the five small male pins and their opposite female counterparts a little squirt of it.... Not only does it clean the electrical contacts and lube them but it also provides a fairly long lived waterproof effect as well, for the internals of the connector when it's re-assembled.... Don't use the also available HD (Heavy Duty) version of the LanoTec spray though, for this job. It's designed for serious water proofing and anti-sieze type applications....

[Gleno]

Hi Guys
Am getting really bad fuel economy out of my 3.2 ml diesel ATM and also at exactly 2200 revs at standstill the car runs rough and blows smoke. Also when off-road on the weekend going up the dunes the old girl just seemed to lose power up in the revs so had a bit of a look over before I send it in and checked the small things and when I pulled out the maf sensor on one side it looks good on the other it looks rough. I know this won't be the entire problem but by looking at it is it due for replacement. The bulb at the end looks good on one side but it looks like it's been sand blasted on the other. Any ideas would be great. Have searched the forum but can't find anything specific to this the closest I have found is I also might have a prob with the SCV

[Cowboy Dave]

Okay so the bit you can actually see is actually the air temp sensor. The MAF bit if down deep and hard to see without a torch. When the bulb bit gets a build up of dirt it looks kind of dry and coarse but when it cleans up it looks like a bit of shiny amber or set tree sap if you know what I mean? Hit it with the MAF cleaner and it's just as likely to come up all shiny and new. But also spray some down the guts of it to the real MAF sensor.

If it's the SCV take it off and give it a clean and check the rubbers on it. Some have good results from rotating it although I've never tried that. It's a fairly cheap buy to grab a new one off ebay but for best results you should take it to a dealer for a quick MUT3 session if replacing it.

[mrtuaniiex]

Howdy all,

Read a few threads about maf sensor cleaning. some say to spray it at point blank to dislodge contaminents, is this ok? Don't want to damage anything

Cheers

[ag9111]

They are pretty tuff. Give it about 50mm spacing. The bulb is the temp sensor. MAF is down the tube

[mrtuaniiex]

So spray the whole thing, temp and sensor with 50mm clearance?

[mrtuaniiex]

Wow you merged me into another thread. Just realised

Thanks

[AnOldFart]

So spray the whole thing, temp and sensor with 50mm clearance?

Be sure to use the MAF Spray outside in the open air ie, with plenty of fresh air around you, and don't smoke while you're using it. Also don't spray it onto your fingers or you could get industrial dermatitis. After spraying the MAF Sensor wire and the AT1 Thermistor (bulb) clean, put the assembly aside for a few minutes to allow it to come back to room temperature and to also evaporate off any tiny water condensation droplets that may have formed on it, due to the rapid cooling effect of the MAF Cleaner Spray, before screwing it back onto your air box. Finish the job off by giving the small electrical pins inside the (external) MAF 'connector' a squirt with a waterproofer and electrical cleaner like LanoTec-GP before finally reassembling the connector .....

[mrtuaniiex]

Thanks. I've got 26000km, do you think its worth a clean? Didn't really think about cleaning it until I took or at the lights the other day and smoked a car behind me.

[mrtuaniiex]

I think ill just do it. Feels like I'm making a big deal out of something as simple as cleaning MAF sensor

[GLRkenny]

I clean mine every 5,000 or so, the can isn't that expensive and it lasts quite a few cleans

[AussieAnth]

So to drag up the topic of the MAP sensor again from the last page, has anyone found the MAP, and anyone cleaned it?

I use to have an 08 BT-50, and it was really important to clean the MAP, much more so than the MAF, as it got waaaay more gunked up. See the photos & guide on this page:
http://www.4wdaction.com.au/forum/viewt ... 8&t=106212

Using the CRC MAF cleaner made a huge difference. My BT-50 MAF was slightly dirty, but the MAP was like it had been dipped in tar.

So...back to Triton's, ....anyone done it yet? Im struggling to find the MAP.

[Cowboy Dave]

It's on a bracket off your firewall on the passenger side. It's a kind of blue colour with a plug attached and a small black rubber hose leading into the bottom of it. Pretty hard to miss. Some have cleaned the hose leading to it which can become gunked up.

[AussieAnth]

Thanks Dave, I'll check it out tonight when I do the MAF & report back, although at 15,000kms, mostly with an EGR blank, I should be OK.

[Cowboy Dave]

Yes at 15,000 it will be lucky to have dust on the outside of it let alone be overly dirty anywhere else.

[edsalguero]

Hi,
Today I bought a can of CRC MAF Sensor cleaner, but reading the instructions got worried because it states:

"DO NOT use on vehicles with a Karman-Vortex air flow sensor, e.g. Toyota Supra Turbos, Mitsubishi’s and most Lexus vehicles."

How do we know we don't have that Karman-Vortex air flow sensor in the MN?
Is it safe to use it anyway?

[hvac guy]

Its a hot wire type on the tri

[AnOldFart]

Hi,
Today I bought a can of CRC MAF Sensor cleaner, but reading the instructions got worried because it states:
"DO NOT use on vehicles with a Karman-Vortex air flow sensor, e.g. Toyota Supra Turbos, Mitsubishi’s and most Lexus vehicles."
How do we know we don't have that Karman-Vortex air flow sensor in the MN?
Is it safe to use it anyway?

Don't know if there have been any physical changes made to the MAF Sensors installed on the latest MY builds of the Tritons but my own 2010 MN uses the "Platinum Hot Wire" type MAF Sensor, on which, it is safe to use the CRC MAF Spray Cleaner product.
The Karman-Vortex type MAF sensors use a different principle ie, they rely upon 'vortices' forming in the disturbed air flow over them which are then sensed by something like an opto-coupler circuit or a physical diaphragm. Sorry I can't throw any light upon which Mitsui vehicle they might be used in...?
The only proviso with using the CRC spray on the "Hot Wire" MAF sensors is that you should only use it to --gently-- spray the very fine and hence --delicate- (and very expensive) Platinum wire sensor located at the very bottom of the black plastic MAF air sensor tube. Keep in mind that you are only trying to -gently- wash off and dust or oil film contamination that -might- be on it, --NOT-- trying to 'Gerni-pressure-wash' it....
The other thing to keep in mind is that inhaling the CRC product whilst you're using it wont do much for improving your own health either, so it'd be a good idea to do the job outdoors ie, in plenty of fresh air, ie, not in the confines of your shed.
Accidentally spraying it onto your skin will cause it to quickly leach all of the natural oils out as well, so you might also risk a dose of industrial dermatitis if you're too careless in aiming it ....
Also the CRC cleaner is highly volatile and hence it will rapidly cool anything you spray it on and this typically causes moisture to condense out of the air and wet whatever's been sprayed, so when you're finished cleaning it, set the MAF sensor aside on your bench for a few minutes, to allow it to come back to room temp and for the condensed moisture to dry off before re-installing it into your air-box.
Last thing to do is give the small metal fingers inside both halves of the MAF electrical connector itself a squirt with a waterproofer and degreaser before reassembling the connector and wiring harness. Personally speaking, I like to use a spray can product called LanoTec-GP for this job. It does a far better job than WD-40 or RP-7. You can buy it from SoupyCheep for just a couple of bucks.....

[edsalguero]

Its a hot wire type on the tri

Thanks hvac

AnOldFart, that's a very good explanation for me, thanks for throwing some light on this, hope I won't brake anything with your advice.

Cheers

[edsalguero]

Finally cleaned de MAF Sensor, it was more dirty on the side where air flows. and ended like this



But what do you guys think about the connectors? How it would be safe to clean them?

[Cowboy Dave]

That doesn't look good. Use the same spray but by the look of it you'll need something more. Maybe a toothbrush? Or a small wire brush of similar size? Make sure you use some grease or something when it's clean to preserve the contacts in future.