Cleaning MAF sensor

[Curtis]

Cleaning MAF sensor with brake cleaner?

After searaching this site I have come to think my rough idle may be due to a dirty MAF. How can I clean this. Some threads say take it off the truck, some dont. Some say use gum out some dont. Can I use brake cleaner? I cant find the same instructions twice.
Finally, Where is the MAF sensor and is it the same as MAP sensor?

Newbie

 

[TPLYNCH]

Dead Link Removed

Check above, about halfway down - instructions w/pictures!

 

[Curtis]

Fantastic!.. thanks for the info.!

 

[Curtis]

Can anyone tell me where the MAF is on a 96 4.0?

Im assuming somewhere close to the airfilter?

 

[TPLYNCH]

Its the thing with the wires coming out of it right after the airbox.....

 

[SGF]

Ping

One thing I've learned in the short time (less than 2 months) that I've had my 94 Eddie Bauer is that Explorer owners are not strangers to pinging.

I have read everything I could find on the MAF sensor and pinging. I tried resetting the computer, which didn't change anything. I then followed the advice on “Cleaning the MAF” from Brian J. at the link TPLynch offered in this thread. Cleaning it with break cleaner as suggested made a big difference even though mine looked pretty clean.

I still have some pinging. Does anyone have a suggestion on what to do next? I've tried different gas and all the other obvious things I could think of.

SGF

 

[MrShorty]

The pinging is often caused by the engine running lean. This lean condition is a result of more air actually going into the engine than the computer sees. A dirty MAF tells the computer that less air went in than actually went in. If there is a leak in the air intake after the MAF or a vacuum leak, that can cause the same condition; more air in the engine than the computer sees.
The next thing I'd do, is check the air intake and vacuum connections and tubing and make sure there are no leaks.

 

[AgExplorer]

It could also be due to carbon build-up. The carbon will cause pre-ignition of the fuel and the pinging. A can of AMSOIL Power Foam will eliminate the carbon build up and restore lost performance also. Easy and quick to use, just follow the instructions on the can. Several member of this board have used it with wonderful results.

 

[MikeTEC]

My pinging was caused by carbon build-up. Since the truck was new, I had used plus or 89 octance gas. Wrong decision. Should have used regular or 87 octane. Cleaned MAF senor, used additives, nothing helped!
Finally took it to a good Ford technician who pulled all the plugs, injected a carbon cleaning solution in each cylinder/combustion chamber and after an hour removed it, along with a lot of carbon. Afterwards, he cleaned the fuel injectors with a cleaning solution, removed old oil, filter, and replace with new oil and filter.
Now no pinging, even with regular gas. And I believe it runs just about as good as when new! While this worked for me it may not work for you as each case is different. Mike

 

[Blake D]

resteeing the computer?

Why is it necessary to reset the computer? Do you need to do this after cleaning the MAF to see the best results? Cleaning the MAF helps with pinging but any other reason to do it? What actually happens when the computer is reset? And once you disconnect the battery and hook it up about 30 min later, do you need to do anything aditionaly to reset the computer?

Thanks for answering any and all of these questions to those of you who know these answers!

Blake D

 

[TPLYNCH]

When you clean or change any sensor on the Ex, the signals sent to the computer change and the truck will probably run differently. That being said, the computer "learns" how the truck is performing and adjusts it's processes to correct for changing variables sent by the sensors. New/cleaned sensors send different signals to the computer. The computer takes a while to "relearn" based on the new input. By clearing/reseting the computer, it defaults back to the initial factory settings and will then relearn based on your driving habits. Clear the computer, then take the truck out for a 30+ minute ride, driving like you do on a normal day so the computer resets based on the "clean" sensor info and your driving style for maximum performance. That's the basic gist of it. Sorry for the longwinded explanation........

 

[mgv366]

ok...I CLEANED MAF SENSOR...REALLY NEEDED IT...HAD BATTERY DISCONNECTED FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS WHILE I DID THIS AND REPLACED ALL SIX PLUGS...ALSO REPLACED STOCK AIR FILTER WITH A K&N FILTERCHARGER...TRUCK STARTED GREAT...RUNS AT IDLE PERFECT...WHILE IN PARK THE REVS ARE GOOD ..HERE'S THE PROBLEM...
WHEN IN DRIVE AND STARTING TO ACCELERATE THE ENGINE HESITATES AND SEEMS TO MISS...
DO I NEED TO RUN THE CAR LONGER TO "RESET" THE COMPUTER OR IS THERE A DIFFERENT PROBLEM?
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT I DIDN'T PUT THE FILTER IN RIGHT?
HEEEELLLLLPPPPPPPPPP!!!!

 

[MikeTEC]

Believe it needs to idle for about 5-10 minutes to learn the correct/smoothest idle after the battery has been reconnected. Not sure about the acceleration part, unless the plugs are incorrectly gapped? Mike