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Clean your MAF Got the Best MPG ever in 8 months of owning this car

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Old 06-11-2004, 12:12 PM
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It only takes a minute to remove it and check it as per the above directions (2 screws and a wire harness). When I had the 'oil-in-the-airbox' problem (there's a whole thread on that), I had a light film coating the MAF sensor, and I cleaned it with Isopropyl alcohol and a Q-tip. However, if you're using the stock paper-element filter, there shouldn't be any thing coating your MAF sensor (unless you've got oil in your intake tract like a few of us have found.. then you've got bigger problems than just a dirty MAF sensor).

The K&N may sound great, but this is just another reason not to run with an oiled filter/intake.
Old 06-11-2004, 12:15 PM
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just pour some of your pabst blue ribbon on it and rub it clean with your shirt.... lol. thats how mom always used to get'er done!
Old 06-11-2004, 12:28 PM
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Here's a mini DIY if you want to check your MAF sensor...

Pic one: This is where you find it (under the engine cover):
Old 06-11-2004, 12:29 PM
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Remove the two screws and disconnect the wire harness, and carefully pull straight out: (sorry- didn't know this was blurry until it was too late

Last edited by G8rboy; 02-04-2006 at 10:27 AM.
Old 06-11-2004, 12:30 PM
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And lastly, a closeup of the sensor... the brown tear-drop on the right is the actual sensor and the part that would need cleaning:
Old 06-11-2004, 01:39 PM
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Excellent!~~~ Get me my Qtips Mr. Smithers...
Old 06-11-2004, 03:20 PM
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And lastly, a closeup of the sensor... the brown tear-drop on the right is the actual sensor and the part that would need cleaning
Actually that is the IAT sensor.

The MAF is up inside the plastic housing
Old 06-13-2004, 09:13 AM
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Looks like were back to square one. What the hell did he really clean?
Old 06-13-2004, 09:30 AM
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I don't know if I belive his story.

Everyone here who bought their car new got a new CLEAN car. Why would the sensor be dirty or need to be cleaned to begin with? And if it was all that needed to be done to fix the mileage problem, wouldn't Mazda be aware of it and let someone know instead of keeping it a secret?
Old 06-13-2004, 10:46 AM
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I decided to look at mine after reading this thread (and the previous reports of oil in the air box). I had no oil in airbox, but in the accordion tube between the airbox and the throttle body there was some waxy substance - could have been emulsified oil from the cold periods where the emulsion built up in the dipstick tube, but that's just a guess. So, I removed the accordion tube and found that there was a bit of a ridge built up in the throttle body where the throttle plate seats. Might have been oil carbonized, I'm not sure - but I do know it shouldn't have been there! I used throttle body cleaner and a rag to clean up the bore of the throttle body around the throttle plate.

Jason, yeah once upon a time my car was new! :D Now, it's got 19000 km on it (~12000 mi). I've noticed over the past 3 months or so that my mileage has dropped markedly. It's entirely possible that a dirty MAF could affect the fuel consumption - I noticed that my car is idling perfectly smoothly again after cleaning the throttle body, and it had been a little rough. I'll see after another 1K km or so whether the mileage seems to have improved (I certainly don't believe one tank's worth, ~200 or 300 miles, can give any statistically valid measure of an increase or decrease in fuel consumption).

Regards,
Gordon

Last edited by Gord96BRG; 06-13-2004 at 11:55 PM.
Old 06-13-2004, 11:04 AM
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MAF
Old 06-13-2004, 11:05 AM
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Originally posted by JasonHamilton
I don't know if I belive his story.

Everyone here who bought their car new got a new CLEAN car. Why would the sensor be dirty or need to be cleaned to begin with? And if it was all that needed to be done to fix the mileage problem, wouldn't Mazda be aware of it and let someone know instead of keeping it a secret?

i also just didnt clean the MAF i got the M reflash and did the brake tap 20 times.

On my new tank i have about 70 miles on a quater of a tank its a liitle below the first quater.
Old 06-13-2004, 07:07 PM
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If you clean it, should you expect to see anything on the Q-tip? I didn't so I dunno... I'm trying anything and everything to improve my mileage even after the M calibration which is still around 14 mpg...
Old 06-13-2004, 07:24 PM
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Does this work or not , inquiring minds want to know.
Old 06-13-2004, 08:05 PM
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The brown bulb is the Intake Air Temp sensor.

The Mass Air Flow sensor is in the same housing. It is the two resistors you see when you look inside the plastic housing.


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