What's the cleaner that all you kids use for the MAF?

Non-residue electronic parts cleaner spray from
anywhere really... I picked mine up from RadioShack,
works like a charm. Did you check all your vacuum
hoses recently? DV? :wink:

I used a big spray can of STP Carb / Fuel System cleaner. Spray and Scrub the Carbon away. Probably time to do it again, its been a year.......

JETninja said:

I used a big spray can of STP Carb / Fuel System cleaner. Spray and Scrub the Carbon away. Probably time to do it again, its been a year.......

Click to expand...

Not a good idea Jet, you can fry your MAF. Carb cleaner is fine
on your throttle body though, just not on electronic parts.

I dont use it on the Electronics. I take it apart...hold it and work on it. Only the Metal stuff..Inlet with a toothbrush. Still purrs after 101K!

Believe me, I know electronics...been everything from a Mainframe Tech at WD to a Star Wars hush hush lab tech at Rockwell for Reagen. Fun years.

And I always have a can of Eletronics cleaner around too!

Why would there be carbon buildup on the MAF :???:

Take yours apart and ask the same question....

Theres always some back flow in engines at times. Seen it in every car, bike, and lawnmower!

At least it looks and acts like carbon, hard as hell to remove IIRC!

99% isopropyl alcohol bought at local grocery store.

JETninja said:

I dont use it on the Electronics... Only the Metal stuff..Inlet with a toothbrush. Still purrs after 101K!

Click to expand...

Oh OK, you had me worried there! :lol:

Yeah that MAF gets dirty, stuff gets on it even with the
air filter catching most of the crap, really fine particles
adhere to the MAF... so cleaning it once every summer
is a good idea. I have a K&N filter so I know more is
passing through, and I clean it at least once every year.
No probs. 8)

Another vote for generic electronic parts store resudue-less cleaner. :thumbup:

Do not touch the MAF sensor itself with anything other than the sprayed-on cleaner.

I tried cleaning my faulty MAF sensor with the electronics cleaner sold at Radio shack and it made the MAF completely die and my care would no longer run at idle. So be prepared to just buy a new MAF. Mine was covered by an extra warranty that VW threw in because so many are goint bad, so I got refunded the $400+ for the new MAF and diagnosis.

My MAF is 1 year old and I have some of the Radio Shack cleaner. I have the stock air intake. Would you clean it each year starting now or just watch the numbers on the VAG-com and clean it when they come down? My reading gets up to the low 130s.

ShrinerMonkey said:

I tried cleaning my faulty MAF sensor with the electronics cleaner sold at Radio shack and it made the MAF completely die ...

Click to expand...

They sell two kinds of cleaner: one kind has a lubricant in it = very bad mojo. It is improbable that residue-free cleaner wacked your sensor...

Rusty said:

ShrinerMonkey said:

I tried cleaning my faulty MAF sensor with the electronics cleaner sold at Radio shack and it made the MAF completely die ...

Click to expand...

They sell two kinds of cleaner: one kind has a lubricant in it = very bad mojo. It is improbable that residue-free cleaner wacked your sensor...

Click to expand...

Well I did use the residue free kind, as I was very careful to pick the correct one. I didn't claim the cleaner ruined my sensor, only that the cleaning process hassened its demise. The point I was making was that if he is having problems with his MAF, cleaning may not fix it.

ShrinerMonkey said:

...The point I was making was that if he is having problems with his MAF, cleaning may not fix it.

Click to expand...

That is a very good and true point. :thumbup: