MAF stands for Mass Air flow sensor. A car’s engine needs an air intake system to suck in air and combine with the fuel inside the engine to make power. However the volume of air that gets inside the intake needs to be accurate in order to have the accurate mixture of air and fuel. Too much and too little will cause problems so the volume of air has to be the right amount for to be the optimum combustion.
The maf sensor sits in between the air intake filter and the throttle body. It has a thin tube that is inserted inside the air intake pipe or air intake hose of the intake set up. The sensor reads the volume of air brushing against the sensor and sends signals to the ECU which then takes corrective measures as to how much fuel to add in addition to that volume of air. Also the ecu controls the throttle position (if it’s a drive by wire throttle valve and not a usual cable throttle system).
Today we are going to show you the simple way to clean the MAF sensor. For a city like Dhaka, the air is very dusty and polluted and the maf sensor of our cars can easily get clogged or dusty. If you clean the maf sensor every 5 or 4 months then the car will run perfectly and perform at its optimum efficicency.
Step1 Make sure the car is cool enough to work on. Park in a shade but make sure its not too dark .
Tools you need.
- Phillips head screw driver (magnetic tip preferred)
- A rag
- Tissue paper
- Kelly’s electronic spray
- WD40 spray
Step 2
Locate your air intake setup’s MAF sensor position. This engine is a 1nzfe, Toyota corolla axio engine.
The nzt260s also have the same setup. The drive by wire electronic throttle bodied 1nzfes have this type of maf sensor setup.
Step 3
Use a Phillips head screw driver and losen the maf sensor screws, Then put them aside and make sure they don’t get lost. I have used a magnetic tipped Phillips head so its easy for me to not to loose these tiny screws.
Step 4
Once you have opened up the screws gently lift up the sensor upwards. It might be a little tight due to vaccum that exists in the intake setup but shouldn’t be too hard.
Step 5
You will notice there is a push in plug behind the sensor. To disconnect the sensor from the plug gently press on the tab as shown below and pull out the sensor.
Step 6
You can see a thin wire tube in the picture and that is the air flow sensor. There is another tube that can’t be seen clearly but its positioned inside the sensor housing towards the top. Use a tissue paper to make it into a thin corner and rub the wire tube (sensor) gently. You can also use a blower or blow air into the sensor housing to remove the dust or grease. If it’s too dirty you can use a wd40 spray or electronic cleaner spray ( Kelly’s electronic cleaner) to clean the sensor. These electronic cleaner sprays are available in computer hardware stores or any supermarket store. But make sure it dries properly before you put the sensor back in.
Step 7
Put everything back inside like you opened and make sure you leave no loose ends. You can also disconnect the battery for 10mins to reset the ecu so that it compensates for the cleaned air flow sensor and adjusts accordingly.
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage to the engine or any component or personal injury. DIY is always done at your own risk.
Co-founder, Editor, photographer and an absolute automaniac!