For nearly a month I've been experiencing a heavy vibration in the cockpit while the engine bounced between 1000 and what appeared to be below 750 rpms, the culprit was the Mass Airflow Sensor. This "pulsating" idle was also acompanied by a noticeable drop in fuel economy, which made the MAF primary suspect. Cleaning it took less than 5 minutes with a Phillips screwdriver and a $10 can of MAF Sensor cleaner from Canadian Tire, and after a spin around the block to recalibrate the sensor it now idles steadily at 750 with no more than the occasional twitch.

MAF specific cleaner is necessary as the oils in generic cleaners, and on your hands, will cause further buildup on the sensor and potentially do damage.



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The solution

 

My 8 does the same thing but I have low compression numbers. May still be worth looking into though, yeah?

 

, ground breaking information. Who knew,

gwailo,

if you have low compression then your engine needs to be rebuilt, cleaning the MAF is normal maintenance.

 

I've come across a few owners who, without a compression test, mistook a bad mixture for seal failure. Similar symptoms at Idle.

 

Yes, a ton of assumptions are made.

 

You can also clean it with ordinary contact cleaner or brake cleaner. I have never used actual MAF cleaner in my life.

 

Just be sure that the chemical you use is actually sure to not damage the MAF sensor. Carb cleaner, for example, definitely can. Sticking with electronic-safe cleaners is best.