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Howto: Clean Your Air Sensor


pawn256

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How to: Clean Your Air Sensor

Why Did I Write This Howto?

Many people seem to replace their air sensors (as suggested in the "stage 0" sticky) without trying a quick clean first. Air sensors costs upwards of $150, whereas the cleaning process takes 10 minutes, and costs maybe $2.

What is an Air Sensor

+ An air sensor may also be known as a mass airflow sensor (MAS), oxygen sensor (02 sensor).

+ An air sensor measures amount of, and temperature of, coming into or exiting your engine. This tutorial tells how to clean the sensor that measures the air coming into the engine. Air passes by the sensor after exiting the air filter.

+ It accomplishes the above task by measuring the amount of current required to maintain a certain temperature through a thin wire. The wire is exposed to the airflow.

Why Clean Your Air Sensor?

+ It's easy!

+ Dirt from the air and oil from a freshly oiled (new) performance air filter may contaminate the sensor.

+ A dirty sensor may cause a loss of power.

+ A dirty sensor may also cause an unsteady idle.

+ An unclean sensor can cause an unfavorable air/fuel ratio.

+ Cleaning the sensor is much cheaper than replacing it.

WARNING: This is an expensive part ($150+). This thin wire exposed on the outside of it is very fragile. Do not touch it, not even with a cloth. If the wire breaks, the sensor is ruined. Do not use carburator or brake cleaner in place of electrical contact cleaner. Do not dry the sensor with compressed air. Be compulsively careful not to drop it.

What tools do you need?

+A T-20 Security Torx driver (at least thats the size I needed, your's may vary) It must be a SAFETY Torx (with a hole in the center of the bit). A standard TORX T-20 will not fit the screw.

+Electronic Cleaner (also known as: Electrical Contact Cleaner. NOT compressed air)

How do you Clean the Sensor?

+First locate the air sensor. It is directly behind the air filter box. It is held in place with two T-20 Safety Torx screws.

here.jpg

+Remove the plastic wires and clip from the air sensor by squeezing the clip.

removeclip.jpg

+Remove both of the screws and pull out the sensor being careful not to drop it, and not to touch the thin exposed wire.

removescrews.jpg

removesensor.jpg

+Liberally apply the Electrical Contact Cleaner (NOT Carburator or brake cleaner, they are too strong, and may leave a residue) to all exposed metal parts. Carefully spray the thin exposed wire. A little extra will not hurt, so if you're not sure where to spray, just remember the phrase, "Do her in every hole!"

electroniccleaner.jpg

wheretospray.jpg

+Allow the sensor to air dry (again, don't use compressed air). With my 'quick drying' cleaner, I allowed approx. 5-10 minutes to dry. It may appear dry before that time, but cleaner could have pooled up in an area you can't see, so wait the extra few minutes.

+Now, carefully replace the sensor by the same process you used to take it out. Make sure the screws are tight enough that they won't rattle loose (but don't overtighten, its only plastic). Remember to reattach the plastic clip with the wires.

+Optional: Start you car and burn an entire tank of gas while enjoying your new steady idle. Tip: Do so in a very well-ventilated area :wacko:.

Congrat's. Your done. :):):)

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sorry... just delete this thread please. I'll post the whole thing later tonight. Thanks.

Expensive part I recomend you dont try to clean it. Specailly with compressed air or any other fun stuff. :unsure:

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Expensive part I recomend you dont try to clean it. Specailly with compressed air or any other fun stuff. :unsure:

Thanks for the input. The reason I wrote this tutorial is because I was having problems with loss of power (0-60 time was 14 seconds lol), and this cleaning process saved me a trip to the nearest volvo tech (1.5 hours each way) and $180. I had to google to figure out how to do it (lots of not-so-good info.)<_<.

Because of your warning, I tried to include as much caution as I could into the howto. Hopefully this howto can serve as a guide so that people CAN do the cleaning themselves without a high risk of doing something wrong.

If anyone has any corrections or anything else I need to include, let me know.

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Don't use Q-tips and/or rubbing alcohol. Don't ask me how I know... :unsure:

Ouch. I am amazed my newbie self managed to do it without melting the plastic, breaking the wire, covering it in drain cleaner, partially drying it with a blow-dryer and reinstalling it directly up my anus :blink:.

But after all, that's part of why I wrote a 'how-to'

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Ouch. I am amazed my newbie self managed to do it without melting the plastic, breaking the wire, covering it in drain cleaner, partially drying it with a blow-dryer and reinstalling it directly up my anus :blink:.

But after all, that's part of why I wrote a 'how-to'

LOL Drain cleaner... sadly enough I can almost see someone dumber than me actually trying that! I think the best part of your W/U is using the safety TorX to actually REMOVE the sensor... I got lazy and got burned!

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I just cleaned mine a week ago with this stuff.

05110_3X.jpg

Seems to be working fine. I never got around to my O2 sensors but I plan on replacing those over the summer. The car has 106K miles on it now. I would definately recommend this stuff too. You should be able to pick it up at any car parts store in town. My buddy has a can around so we cleaned our MAFs at the same time.

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is it still 14 seconds ?

Nope. After I cleaned it my 0-60 time was 20 seconds... *JK*

Yeah, the dirty MAF was the problem. Once I cleaned it, I was back to about whatever a stock s70-GLT runs... 7-8 maybe. I knew my problem was the MAF because even if I just unclipped the cords and disconnected it completely, I had more power than with it connected lol (that was before I cleaned it).

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OK, rather than removing the MAF sensor via the 2 security torx screws, why not just remove the fresh air hose from airbox to turbo and spray the cleaner through the mesh/grille via the opening? Less risky than removing the fragile sensor directly.

best part of your W/U is using the safety TorX to actually REMOVE the sensor... I got lazy and got burned!

Hmm, care to explain exactly what you did?

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OK, rather than removing the MAF sensor via the 2 security torx screws, why not just remove the fresh air hose from airbox to turbo and spray the cleaner through the mesh/grille via the opening? Less risky than removing the fragile sensor directly.

Hmm, care to explain exactly what you did?

I don't have security torx bits, didn't want to buy a set for $30: just grabbed the outside of each screw with a pliers, turned carefully, was no problem to remove the screws that way.

On my car the MAF (original equipment so 140k on it) looked clean, but I gave it a few careful sprays anyway, put some fresh dielectric grease on the contacts, the car does run more smoothly. :)

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  • 2 months later...

I have pulled my MAF from my 94 850. looks like I broke the fine wire or it was already broken prior to removal, but not sure I am looking at the right thing. the wire to which I am referring is the diameter of a piece of hair and runs over the ridges along the broad flat side (top or bottom, not sure which) of the MAF housing. Does anyone have a pic of where this wire is loscated before I order a new MAF?

PS - I was very careful! I honestly believe the wire may have already been broken.

Thanks

How to: Clean Your Air Sensor

Why Did I Write This Howto?

Many people seem to replace their air sensors (as suggested in the "stage 0" sticky) without trying a quick clean first. Air sensors costs upwards of $150, whereas the cleaning process takes 10 minutes, and costs maybe $2.

What is an Air Sensor

+ An air sensor may also be known as a mass airflow sensor (MAS), oxygen sensor (02 sensor).

+ An air sensor measures amount of, and temperature of, coming into or exiting your engine. This tutorial tells how to clean the sensor that measures the air coming into the engine. Air passes by the sensor after exiting the air filter.

+ It accomplishes the above task by measuring the amount of current required to maintain a certain temperature through a thin wire. The wire is exposed to the airflow.

Why Clean Your Air Sensor?

+ It's easy!

+ Dirt from the air and oil from a freshly oiled (new) performance air filter may contaminate the sensor.

+ A dirty sensor may cause a loss of power.

+ A dirty sensor may also cause an unsteady idle.

+ An unclean sensor can cause an unfavorable air/fuel ratio.

+ Cleaning the sensor is much cheaper than replacing it.

WARNING: This is an expensive part ($150+). This thin wire exposed on the outside of it is very fragile. Do not touch it, not even with a cloth. If the wire breaks, the sensor is ruined. Do not use carburator or brake cleaner in place of electrical contact cleaner. Do not dry the sensor with compressed air. Be compulsively careful not to drop it.

What tools do you need?

+A T-20 Security Torx driver (at least thats the size I needed, your's may vary) It must be a SAFETY Torx (with a hole in the center of the bit). A standard TORX T-20 will not fit the screw.

+Electronic Cleaner (also known as: Electrical Contact Cleaner. NOT compressed air)

How do you Clean the Sensor?

+First locate the air sensor. It is directly behind the air filter box. It is held in place with two T-20 Safety Torx screws.

here.jpg

+Remove the plastic wires and clip from the air sensor by squeezing the clip.

removeclip.jpg

+Remove both of the screws and pull out the sensor being careful not to drop it, and not to touch the thin exposed wire.

removescrews.jpg

removesensor.jpg

+Liberally apply the Electrical Contact Cleaner (NOT Carburator or brake cleaner, they are too strong, and may leave a residue) to all exposed metal parts. Carefully spray the thin exposed wire. A little extra will not hurt, so if you're not sure where to spray, just remember the phrase, "Do her in every hole!"

electroniccleaner.jpg

wheretospray.jpg

+Allow the sensor to air dry (again, don't use compressed air). With my 'quick drying' cleaner, I allowed approx. 5-10 minutes to dry. It may appear dry before that time, but cleaner could have pooled up in an area you can't see, so wait the extra few minutes.

+Now, carefully replace the sensor by the same process you used to take it out. Make sure the screws are tight enough that they won't rattle loose (but don't overtighten, its only plastic). Remember to reattach the plastic clip with the wires.

+Optional: Start you car and burn an entire tank of gas while enjoying your new steady idle. Tip: Do so in a very well-ventilated area :wacko:.

Congrat's. Your done. :):):)

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