[LTunedX]

Hi all,

So I noticed recently that my car would jerk and hesitate when I gas it from a standstill at a stop sign or traffic light...and then even moving from a rolling stop, when I try to floor it, it'll move a little bit, but it was still VERY sluggish...At this point, I think even a Corolla could beat me in a race starting from standstill!!

On top of that, every once in awhile, I'd get a check engine light, but it'll go away after a day or two.

So, after doing some research, I figured it was my MAF sensor. So, after work today, I bought and installed a NEW air filter (about time to change my old one out anyways), and I also bought a can of electronics cleaner from Radio Shack.

I unscrewed my MAF sensor, took it out and checked out the needle and filament sensors. There is a temperature needle sensor on the outside and 2 MAF filament sensors inside the MAF cyclinder. One of my MAF filaments sensors was COMPLETELY engulfed in some nasty brown cake/dirt!! I proceeded to spray both the temperature needle sensor and the 2 MAF filament sensors VERY generously and then let it air dry.

After that, I unplugged the positive side of my battery and pumped the brakes a couple times to reset the ECU. Then I hooked my battery back up and started my car and took it for a spin around the block.

and...

OMG!! my car was like 100x more responsive AND 100x faster!! At this point, I felt like I could beat my friend's GTR in a race!! hahahahha!!

So, if your car is feeling a bit sluggish, which I suspect is a large number of you guys, clean your MAF sensor! it did wonders for me, and I'm sure it'll do the same for you.

Another member, VP500 had previously posted a DIY on how to clean your MAF sensor, so here are his pics w/ annotations in addition to my own annotations:

1) buy an electronics cleaner spray can that doesn't leave any residue; you can buy this at any Radio Shack and/or auto store like Advance Auto Parts...I just happened to buy it from Radio Shack ($10):

2) open up your hood and find your MAF sensor on your intake and unclip the plug

3) unscrew the 2 screws that hold the MAF sensor to the intake

4) slowly pull the MAF sensor piece out and you'll notice immediately that there is a needle that is alongside the outer part of the cylinder; this is the temperature needle sensor, just spray it clean with the electronics cleaner and let air dry

5) now if you turn your MAF sensor piece around so that you're looking directly INTO the cyclinder, you'll notice that there are 2 tiny filament sensors that are parallel to each other (if you can't see them, try shining a light down the cylinder and you'll see them)

spray both of these filaments generously with the electronics cleaner and let it air dry...these 2 filaments are the MAF sensors and when clean, will do wonders for your car

6) after letting your MAF piece air dry, screw it back on to the intake and plug the plug back in

7) disconnect your battery from the positive terminal, pump your brakes 10 times, wait 10 minutes, and then re-connect your battery to reset your ECU

8) take your car for a spin around the block, I guarantee that your car's sluggish-ness will be GONE! its like driving a brand new IS300 again!

Hope this helps!

 

[Is300_4life]

Nice write up! I do this everytime I change my filter and it works really well. Makes my car feel new again. Good job man! +rep

 

[chado]

i may need to use the whole can next time. first time i sprayed it nothing came off

 

[Johnnysks]

Brake cleaner works even better, especially for a oiled air filter. Just watch your O rings and have spare MAF O rings incase your O rings wear out.

 

[4drsupra]

do you really need to disconnect your battery??? I'm guessing this re-sets the system???...still dnt get why this would make more impact than just cleaning your sensor and calling it a day....just thinking out loud here...

 

[LTunedX]

do you really need to disconnect your battery??? I'm guessing this re-sets the system???...still dnt get why this would make more impact than just cleaning your sensor and calling it a day....just thinking out loud here...

oh, its just for re-setting your ECU...you can choose to do it if you want

optional =)

 

[spaustin889]

meant to do this today, but ran out of time. hopefully ill pick up a little more response when i do it

 

[Inspar8r]

Brake cleaner works even better, especially for a oiled air filter. Just watch your O rings and have spare MAF O rings incase your O rings wear out.

Don't do this. Electronic parts cleaner is for electronics. Brake parts cleaner is for brakes. Brake parts cleaner will degrade the sensor. Doing so would be like eating food intended for dogs... It might work, but is it healthy?

 

[sway162]

Nice thread! I just did this not too long ago and it makes a huge difference along with cleaning the throttle body.

BTW....where did you get that IS300 model car? I want one!

 

[LTunedX]

Nice thread! I just did this not too long ago and it makes a huge difference along with cleaning the throttle body.

BTW....where did you get that IS300 model car? I want one!

the model is an AutoArt 1:18 IS300 model...they're discontinued

I was lucky and managed to find a guy selling one on a collectibles forum

 

[Johnnysks]

Don't do this. Electronic parts cleaner is for electronics. Brake parts cleaner is for brakes. Brake parts cleaner will degrade the sensor. Doing so would be like eating food intended for dogs... It might work, but is it healthy?

Maybe, but electronic cleaner is not strong enough sometimes, especially if you are using an oiled air filter.

It is also advisable to disconnect the battery to avoid electrical shock when disconnecting the sensor.

 

[spaustin889]

would anti-static record cleaner work for this?

 

[walterb]

Just did this today and it was quick and easy. Made a huge difference too.

On my needle, I had a brown thing surrounding the end of it. I tried to spray it off, but it wouldnt budge. Is it suppose to be there? There was some black stuff that came off, but this brown stuff would not come budge! Advice is appreciated.

 

[SrRaV1981]

yeah that little glob of amber stuff is supposed to be there. when it's clean you should be able to see light through it.

 

[IS300Enthusiast103]

I forget who said it but a q-tip and rubbing alcohol works well too.

I recently cleaned mine when I cleaned and re-oiled my K&N filter.

 

[bluealteza]

I need to do this on mine.

 

[jon4862]

i just did this today and all i can say is WOW! :approve: no problems at all and no hesitation. i just disconnected the negative terminal for about 15mins and left the MAF sensor to dry over night. i also used the same radioshack electronics cleaner and used the whole bottle to clean the two filaments inside and the temperature thingy on the outside to an amber "see-through" color. that blob is meant to be there i guess

 

[LX4U2NV]

I went to Murray's/O'Reileys and asked for an electronics parts cleaner. They had 2 available. One was for parts like the alternator/starter/and such while the other one was intended for wiring and connectors. I was about to buy that one when I saw one that specifically stated Mass Airflow Cleaner.

I bought the "CRC Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner" for 6.99. The other two electronics parts cleaners were both 4.99 each.

I also purchased an in-cabin air filter from Bosch for 14.99 (which of topic I would not recommend since its fitment is not 100% like stock but does the job. I also have a PLP reusable air filter that was recently cleaned and reoiled so I was good there.

I followed the DIY and was a little skeptical as to if this would work. I disconnected my battery to reset the ECU. Let my car warm up for a min and took off...

At first it was running a little sluggish and not smooth at all!!!I was kinda freaking out as if I did something wrong (didn't allow MAF to dry completely or should have let car warm up more) but after 3 miles the car smoothed out and it EAGERLY RACED TO REDLINE like it did when it was brand new!!!

I AM SOOO HAPPY!!!! Thi is one quick DIY I should've done a long time ago!!! and now I will continue to do it when I notice any future lag.

The whole time I thougthn it was my CEL that stated my O2 sensors were not working causing my lag but now I know what to do. I will eventually get my CEL back for my O2 sensors since I have replaced the headers and downpipe. That is ONE THING I HAVE NOT HAD A SOLUTION TO if anyone knows what else I can do. I did buy the O2 sim from o2simulators.com and installed it properly. The green light flashes on it properly but after driving about 10 miles or less the CEL comes on for bank 2 I think. I did some research and someone stated they placed a resistor on one side of the O2 sim but I was not able to corroborate that with any other post.

Am I the only one having this problem???? I have learned to live with the O2 CEL for the past 30K but I want to put that to rest if anyone has any ideas. Again I installed it properly so I don't know if I should but a different O2 sim or if the one I have is defective but I am sure this is causing some of my lag issues of the past as well as messing with my fuel economy.

I thank everyone for their help on this forum and love my.is community!!!

 

[robbie211]

I will definitely try this out. Thanks for the DIY!

 

[Bgadidas10]

Just another person saying this really does help. It's been a while since I did it last, so I figured it was time.

Last night I cleaned my maf, put in a throttle damper spacer, and put fuel injector cleaner in my gas tank.

I have a g-meter in my car, and yes it was a cool 48 degrees last night, but I shaved like .3 seconds off my 0-50 time. Take it for what you will (let's be honest idk how accurate that really is) but I promise your car will feel much more responsive and shift on a dime.

Well worth the 8 bucks you'll spend on the can of cleaner and then hour of your time waiting for your maf to dry.