CRC MAF Cleaner, Anyone used it?

[araine901]

Has anyone used the new CRC MAF cleaner?

http://www.crcindustries.com/auto/content/prod_detail.aspx?PN=05110&S=Y

[araine901]

Any thoughts on this???

[SRR2]

You're probably not getting any reply because 1) half the denizens here have AFMs not MAFs in their cars, and 2) it's unlikely that anyone who has a MAF has tried it because apparently no one sells the damn stuff.

[ryan roopnarine]

i use CRC Contact Cleaner on MAFs. its safe for use on plastic data tapes, so i'm not concerned about using it on something sensitive like a MAF. if the CRC MAF stuff is available, i'd be interested in trying it, especially if it can clean MAFs faster/with less solvent than the contact cleaner.

[Kalevera]

I've probably inhaled a few cases of CRC Brakleen in the past year (including one or two cans today), but have never used their MAF cleaner. Not really sure why you'd want to subject a hotwire maf to any more stress than it already faces.

best, whit

[araine901]

The ad in Racer mag said they used it on a 2002 M3 and becuase it brought the A/F mixture to 14.7:1 it gained 10 HP and 3 ftLB TQ. Just by cleaning the MAF. It mentioned esspicialy helpful on cars with "over oiled Air filters"

[SRR2]

Thin film sensors are probably the most prone to contamination since they run warm but don't have a cleaning cycle like the hot wire sensors do. I think there's something to the notion of MAF cleaning since air filters aren't perfect and there are other components of intake air that can deposit on the film given enough air and enough time.

I've seen some anecdotal reports that the thin film MAFs are having trouble with oil mist from some (ESS in the two cases I read about) turbos.

I'm still looking for a retailer that has this stuff in stock. I want to try it on the 540's MAF. 50,000 miles on it and it's probably never been touched.

[Bill R.]

change the a/f ratio. And as SRR noted, it primarily will make a difference on thick film and thin film mafs, not on hot wire mafs although sometimes you'll get a residue on hot wire mafs that it will clean also. Any maf with a k&n will most likely have crap built up on the sensor that this will help including the hot wire.. I see a lot of corvette hotwire mafs with K&N's that it seems to help after carefully cleaning. I have uses crc's throttle body and intake cleaner on tb and intake as well as mafs but i mainly use BG air intake cleaner , some contact cleaner also works well on maf's as Ryan stated. As long as it doesn't attack the plastics of the housings. The only cars that i see this as a problem frequently is ford with their little sensors used on the 4.0 rangers and others. Also as a side note , the cars that do have this problem, its clearly visible looking at the sensor from the front of the sensor. There will be a dark buildup of dirt and gunk , just a thin layer but enough to act as an insulator affecting the function of the maf. Then it you turn the maf around and look in through the back of it you'll see its all clean and shiny which tells you you need to clean the dirty side. I posted pictures a while back of a e46 3 series with an oiled filter that showed this problem





The ad in Racer mag said they used it on a 2002 M3 and becuase it brought the A/F mixture to 14.7:1 it gained 10 HP and 3 ftLB TQ. Just by cleaning the MAF. It mentioned esspicialy helpful on cars with "over oiled Air filters"

[araine901]

Good points. I wonder if the M3 they got these gains on was becuase it had an oiled filter and the MAF was fouled more than normal, thus by cleaning it restored the lost power from the use of the over oiled filter.

I have yet to find it anywhere either.

[GS535i]

Generally, an aerosol brake cleaner will do the job on these delicate sensors - toluene cut witn n-heptane is the active degreaser/cleaner. Spray, and by time you start the engine, the platinum wire will be cleaned & dry. A fairly standard tune-up step on the Ford Triton engines. ( my bimmer is a flappy AFM .. no application here).

[semiretired]

Has anyone used the new CRC MAF cleaner?

http://www.crcindustries.com/auto/content/prod_detail.aspx?PN=05110&S=Y
I picked up a can of CRC MAF Sensor Cleaner at O'Reilly's yesterday and going to try it on my 525 with 243000+ miles this weekend

[TC535i]

Threw it at my 540i... no huge gain.

[puppypilgrim]

The CRC MAF cleaner works. Don't worry, you did the right thing.

[TC535i]

The CRC MAF cleaner works. Don't worry, you did the right thing.
Eh, I guess. Maybe I'll sleep better knowing any buildup on my MAF is now gone.

[onZedge]

Advance just started carrying it. About $7 a can.

[semiretired]

I picked up a can of CRC MAF Sensor Cleaner at O'Reilly's yesterday and going to try it on my 525 with 243000+ miles this weekend
Well.... I removed the MAF and sprayed the $hit out it with CRC; reinstalled the MAF and guess what. The sumbiatch won't start this morning.

I guess I should just leave well enough alone.

[The Bigfella]

Well.... I removed the MAF and sprayed the $hit out it with CRC; reinstalled the MAF and guess what. The sumbiatch won't start this morning.

I guess I should just leave well enough alone.

You say you sprayed it with CRC - which one? Hopefully the MAF cleaner?

[semiretired]

Yeah... it was the CRC MAF Sensor cleaner.... I finally did get it started last night.

Was acting like it was fuel-starved. But after I pumped the accelerator pedal quite a few times it fired up. Took it out on the freeway and wound it up.

I will say it *seems* to have a bit quicker acceleration. Maybe it's just my imagination after cleaning.

This morning it fired up as usual. No problems. I'm calling it a success.