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Cleaned my MAF sensor with the wrong stuff and saw immediate results (bad ones)
Used brake cleaner on my 2002 Civic's MAF sensor last week because I was out of proper electronics cleaner. The idle smoothed out for about 20 minutes, then the check engine light came on with a lean code. Any chance I fried the sensor for good or can it bounce back after a proper cleaning?
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emeryn8313d ago
Man that brake cleaner is harsh stuff, it strips the coating off the sensor element. I did the exact same thing to my 03 Accord and thought I was cooked. You probably didn't totally fry it but you need to hit it with proper MAF cleaner now, like CRC or the blue can from Autozone. Spray it real good, let it dry completely for like 30 minutes, then clear the codes and see what happens. Mine bounced back after that but I had to do it twice because the first time left some residue. If the lean code comes back after that you're looking at a replacement, those sensors are touchy once they get a chemical bath.
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keithyoung13d ago
That 'residue left behind' part you mentioned - did you have to do anything special to get the rest off the second time, or just soaked it longer with the CRC spray?
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