5.0 MAF sensor cleaning?

[mike dilbone]

i have seen some posts saying it is ok to clean the
mass air sensor on the 4.0 V6.what about the V8.
i have a 97 xlt with the 5.0,just traded up from a 93
EB and love it but it does have a slight hitch at idle in gear with a foot on the brake (like at a stoplight).
its not real bad,just annoying.the local dealer had it
in last week and said that it did not have a code and the only thing the tech noticed was the MAF was
"gummed" and that cleaning it would destroy it.has anyone successfully done this and if so how?
thanks,mike

 

[RytM1]

Mike, it can be done, you just have to be careful not to break/bend the filaments inside the MAF. Here are some instructions http://www.4x4central.com/tips.htm#mas

 

[sink]

That link is pretty useful- for lots of stuff here. One of the things I did when cleaning my 4.0 MAS recently was to fill a spraycan lid with a 1/2 deep pool of O2 safe carb and choke cleaner and let the MAS filaments bath in it for 15 minutes. Then I used air (mine was from an almost empty can of spray carb cleaner) and a super soft paintbrush (NOT Toothbrush) to gently wipe it. Then I soaked it again. My problem was buildup that insulated the filaments sending a signal that I was getting less air than I was. It then ran lean and I pinged. Since the cleaning, its great.