Question for y'all.
I got a can of spray; CRC Mass Air Flow sensor cleaner (No. 05110) and read through the steps on the back... #10 DO NOT use on vehicles with Karman-Vortex air flow sensor, e.g. Toyota Supra Turbo, Mitsubishi, and most Lexus vehicles.

Will this can of spray harm my MAF sensor? Anyone else used it?

 

If its says so on the can, i'd go with the manufacturer's recommendation. MAF sensors are $1K+.

 

According to this website, they're $110

http://www.autopart.com/mafs/MAFS2005LEXUSLS430.htm

 

1. I was always told never to spray MAF with anything. but if you HAVE to, use super fine super clean cloth and whipe the sensor with out putting any pressure on it.
2. I have purchace and looked up many MAFs before and I have never found a MAF for under $400 new

p.s. $1k seems a little excessive, but www.car-parts.com is your best friend for used parts =)

 

The MAF sensor on my 2002 LS430 is part # 22204-22010, should be the exact same as Denso 197-6030. Some websites say the 2001-2005 part number is 22204-0D030, not sure what the difference is.

 

I'm always scared I'll screw the sensor up, so I just normally pony up for a new sensor. I will clean the TB anyday though.

 

I've cleaned the MAF sensor countless times on my G35. It was a regular maintenance item I would perform while I was supercharged, as the blowby really coated the MAF with oil vapor.

 

I googled around a bit and found the same part number (22204-22010) used on Prius, Corolla and Celica. I also looked for pictures of the vortex MAF and verified this is NOT a vortex sensor.
After all that, I sprayed on the temperature sensor part and it cleaned a good bit good gunk off. I then sprayed up into the wires. Didn't notice any visible difference but it is difficult to see all the way up there. On the first start it idled fast, almost 1500 rpm, so I then unplugged the battery for 30 minutes as suggested elsewhere in this forum. Car now idles smoother and the hesitation off light acceleration issue is gone. Disconnecting the battery did not cause loss of radio presets or seat memory, but I did loose MPG on the trip computer and recent destinations on the NAV.

 

Okay... I have 72000 miles. Should I be looking into cleaning or replacing this? Is it something Lexus does during the routine maintenance checks? Is there an alarm when it needs cleaning/replacing?

 

The MAF sensor is not checked during routine maintenance. You may want to clean the MAF sensor with cleaner specific to MAFs if you experience these problems:

* Rough idle.
* Lack of Power.
* Spark Knock/Detonation.
* Buck/Jerk.
* Hesitation/Surge on Acceleration.
* Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Illuminated. DTCs P0171, P0172, P0174, P0175 may be stored in memory.

Electrical contact cleaner has different ingredients on the MSDS than MAF cleaner. I would play it safe and not use electrical contact cleaner. Also, I wouldn't touch the wires inside with Q-Tips or cloth or anything at all. The wires inside are extremely thin and are very easily damaged.

Note that cleaning the MAF sensor may cause even more problems - several people on other car forums have made their cars run worse after trying to clean the MAF sensor.

Pull your battery prior to doing cleaning to reset the ECU's learned values.

 

Hey guys,

I just bought MAF cleaner, just wanted to see if any of you guys out there have done it and if theres anything I should worry about?

Thanks guys

 

I have and it's very easy as I mentioned in the other thread. Just don't touch the "hot wires" inside the MAF with the nozzle straw. Spray thoroughly, let dry for 5 min or so, and reinstall.

 

did this last week myself. Very easy to do. I was getting the check VSC and running rich engine codes for both banks. The only extra step i did was removed the front intake from the air box to look for anything that might have gotten sucked in blocking airflow, and it was okay. Also inspected the air filter box housing, all good there.

the result of cleaning the sensor was night and day, it was solid black before I had sprayed it and let it dry, I sprayed it twice to be sure. It was very dirty.

 

thanks a lot guys .

Lavrishevo I wasn't even aware they made a MAF cleaner until you told me about it , so I went out and grabbed a can today.

Im not getting any codes but I feel that im burning more gas then usual ,,,so ill give it a thorough cleaning and report back .

thank you

 

I use CRC brand MAF cleaner on every car we own about twice a year when I inspect and vacuum or replace engine air cleaner. Done this for last 3 years and have had no issues. btw - The CRC MAF cleaner also does a nice job of cleaning powder residue off of synthetic poly-resin pistol frames.