Just got the torx and cleaner. I'm going to clean the old MAF that I replaced last Fall and also clean the newer one. Car runs very rough (P0100) and I hope I get some improvement here. I NEED to get some improvement here.

 

Good guide for the MAF, but anyone done the IACV? I've searched and seen the posts mentioning cleaning the IACV but no specific how-to.

My 00 has a cap on one side held in by a small phillips head. The inside of the cap has a slot which holds one end of a torsion spring. The other end of the spring slots into what looks like a plastic flapper.

Anyone actually taken one apart before? I was very careful and the torsion spring didn't seem like it had any preload on it. But would like confirmation of this before I put it all back together.

 

My car ran fine and SES P0171 went up for awhile and cleared and up again. I read this site and decided to clear my MAF even if the SES light was gone this morning. After cleaning up, the SES, SLIP, and TCS went up and my car stalled. I cannot drive more than 30 mph. What did I do wrong? I just called DaveB and ordered the new MAF. Assuming the MAF is bad, why SLIP and TCS come up? Anyone has an answer for this issue? Thanks.

 

It seems this CRC Mass Airflow Cleaner does a fine job cleaning the surface of the 5.5 gen aluminum upper IM. Go figure.

All nice and shiny again.

 

Just wanted to post how my experience was after cleaning the MAF. The issue that made me want to clean the MAF in the first place was the lack acceleration from a dead stop. The Max wasn't as responsive as it use to be, and when at WOT the car would hesitate when trying to downshift to a lower gear. So I gave this a try this past weekend and let me tell you... I fell back in love with my Max!!! The acceleration is back and transmission shifts are smoother. This definitely worked and was worth the $7 i spent. BTW my Max is an 03 Auto with 76,xxx miles on it.

 

Just an FYI, I recall reading here that if cleaning the MAF improves acceleration it is a sign the MAF is going bad. Replacement is likely but do not take my word on it.

 

Yea I know I don't want to think about it until it happens, but I still have warranty on my car until 100,000, and that includes almost everything.

 

Nice write up OP....I just seafoamed my intake manifold (put the rest in the gas tank) and followed it up with cleaning the MAF....I have to say the car runs alot better now....the idle is very smooth and the pick up has improved....thanks!

 

HELPPPP:

I changed out my spark plugs and replaced the MAF sensor. It ran perfectly on the test drive. However, the next day, I put her in gear and she stalls out. Idle is fine but wont stay on when it's in gear. any advice? Thanks in advance!

 

Double check all connections, air leak maybe.

 

i triple checked all connections, and then double check again to make sure but still does the same thing.

I was thinking it might be a vacuum leak but didn't know if anyone else had this problem

 

Very good post. However, I have a problem. The two screws that hold the MAF are rust out. How do I remove those screws?

thanks

 

Spray some Liquid Wrench and let it soak, then try unscrewing.

If it fails, you might need to get some "screw out."

 

Do a little research on your car's Idle relearn procedure. Also one other thing, did you mess around with the throttle body at all?

And to verify, you did put the MAF in the right way, right?

 

Just to add my .02 cents

On my 00 Maxima I just picked up, it had loss of power at 3800 RPM and would not pull hard at all up to red line. I cleaned my MAF sensor out with the cleaner and nothing. I tried a new one from Advance Auto Parts and that fixed the problem but the car was running way rich, burning up the cats, and would not stay running at idle. I bought a new MAF sensor at the dealer and now the car runs great and has all the power like it should. The sensor was cheaper at the dealer and even though it felt like I did not need to do the recomended download with the new MAF I did anyway becuase I had it done for only $25 instead of $90

 

I just pulled the MAF from my 2000 Maxima SE with 80K miles. I noticed it does NOT have the resistors as shown above. It's the same part, and it has the acceptor clips on the part, but it appears someone took the resistors off. I have owned the car for 6 months, so I can only assume previous owner or mechanic removed it. Will this work without the resistor???? Thanks

 

if you have a 5th gen you dont need the temperature sensor. if you have a 5.5 gen then you'll need it and it will not work if you do not have one on there.

 

Our 2000 did not come with the resistor. Cool it.

 

And you can not use the one with the resistor, from what I have been told. Tried.

 

The simplicity and success of this MAF cleaning technique led me to try it during my oil change on my '00 Max.

The CRC cleaner is not allowed in Canada as I found out when trying to order. I was able to place an order from Midway auto parts but they refunded my order saying none was in stock, but i think they were unable to ship to Canada too.

I then tried the alcohol method. Went to the drugstore and bought a $5 bottle of 99% pure isopropanol alcohol. Make sure to buy the 99% pure one as the other alcohols have other ingredients like camfor which will leave a residue on the MAF. The ingredients must read alcohol and water, nothing else!

Removing the MAF was a breeze using a #20 torx bit, and no problems removing the connector. Also disconnected battery ground at the beginning. The connector easily disconnects on its own when pushing straight down with a screwdriver on the connector part showing the down arrow.

To remove the sensor, it is key to rotate it clockwise untill it becomes loose enough to pull it straight up and out. When reinserting, do the exact reverse rotation with a bit of pressure as you would do when pressing and turning a medicine bottle. Failure to appl this pressure when reinserting will prevent the MAF from seating/sealing tightly.

I sprayed the hell out of the entire sensor and all of the airway holes and noticed the 2 metal pins were noticeably shinier after the spraying and letting air dry.

The process was definitely worth it and was so easy.! The car now starts immediately on turning the key. The acceleration response is impressively stronger with much less bogging down/laziness while accelerating.

 

Thanks for the information. I have a 2000 Maxima SE and was frustrated over hesitations, sputterings and stalling. It showed codes PO171 and PO174. I took out the MAF sensor to clean it, and reinstalled it. Then it was much worse. My friend a mechanic said that means it's bad. I replaced the MAF and it pealed out in my test run. It was @ $115 but the new NAPA part included a vent housing and I had to take out the airfilter housing to install. I did it becuase I did not want to take any changes. The only problem I had was the electrical connector. The locking clip came out. Do you know where that wire goes? Is that one of the 4 sensors in 2 banks? Is there another way to keep it on? Thanks

 

I have a 2003 Maxima SE Auto, i do have a little lag at lower RPM's. Can this cleaning of the MAF be done on this model?

 

If you read the thread, even the first page, you would know the answer is:

 

I don't have the special star bit to take out the sensor, so I took off the whole housing and did my best to clean the MAF sensor. In your opinion, was this enough, I did notice a difference, but it still bogs at 3,200 RPM's. I can go buy the tip, I just wonder if I have a different problem?

 

Still bogs down means you have two options, first is to repalce the MAF with the 2002-2003 part which costs $400 or more or second option is to buy the 2000 MAF and swap your IAT wire from the broken MAF to the new 2000 MAF and install. Search for the other thread on doing the part swap.

 

slimbim, just to you know CRC IT is allowed in Canada, actually I bought a bottle about 3 mos ago to do this, you can find it at Canadian tire, Napa, Partsource, etc... at least in Ontario. It works great as I said I did this about 3 mos ago and what a difference it made......Thanks for the how to.

 

I had the Code P0171 "System too lean (Bank 1)" and couldn't get past the emissions in Utah. The car ran sluggish for 30 seconds in the morning, experienced the RPM false redline effect at like 4500 RPM, I thought my tranny was going out due to weird shifting response and power loss . Pulled the MAF and saw a charcoal like glaze on the metal parts and used the MAF cleaner. The charcoal stuff came right off and I put the MAF sensor back in after it dried. I took the car for a spin, and was really impressed with the power and acceleration! I just got the car 2 years ago and came off a subaru outback so I was used to gutless performance I guess.

Anyway, just wanted to thank the contributors to this thread. I have 2000 Maxima 3.0 with 115,000 miles.

 

I just did the MAF cleanup operation. Didn't solve my problem. When I first started the car after doing it, it revved and then quit. Over and over again, then finally, it would idle without my foot on the gas, and purr like a kitten.

But when I put the gas on, the rpms come up to about 2250 and it brick walls. If I try to push the gas pedal more, it drops and wants to quit. Let go, back to perfect idle.

Ideas? Personally, I'm going to look at the spark plugs.

 

Today I pulled all six plugs (in the pouring rain, thank you very much) and gave them a quick buzz with a wire brush attachment on my rotary tool. They are all NGK double platinums in need of replacement pretty soon, but this was more of a test today.

Put 'em in, turned her over, and -- same problem. Idles rough at first, then ok, but won't rev past 2250 rpm (in park).

Next I'm going to try Sea Foam. I'm trying to avoid a MAF replacement, if possible.

All I did was replace the battery and starter and then all this bs started happening. Doesn't seem right that all of a sudden I should be having this apparent MAF issue.

Any remarks on my situation?

 

I would disconnect and inspect all connectors disconnected for the starter replacement. Sometimes, in the name of expediency a connector gets missed or is not completely plugged in. Also, make sure the pins are all straight and free of corrosion. Buy a small tube of dielectric grease to keep in your garage. Anytime I disconnect anything electric I put a little bit of grease in it before I reconnect(grounds and power). This will ensure better conductivity and prevent moisture from causing corrosion in the connector.

GL!

 

dielectric grease - that's one thing I don't have in my shop and should...

I had thought about doing a teardown and look at the work I did replacing the starter. And you nailed it when you suggested I might have done it in a huge hurry -- it was in a parking lot. But even with the hard running I was able to drive home!

I think I'll go disconnect the negative for the night...

 

Dielectric grease being non-conductive actually protects from unwanted conductivity (plug boots for instance), but small amounts can be used in dirty and humid environments as a sealing.

 

Finally got around to cleaning my MAF last night and it made a noticeable difference. My launches from a stop are so smooth that I now feel like I need to relearn how to drive stick over again, it's idling smoother and now there is no hesitation when giving it light to moderate throttle when driving.

Hopefully it stays this way and doesn't revert back.

 

This a awesome write man, I am a mechanic and I have never seen the MAF cleaner; where have I been?

 

I didn't know it existed either. I have electronic cleaner, but didn't want to risk damaging the $400 part. The MAF cleaner was $7 at Pepboys. I soaked the part with multiple blasts (more than the 10-12 they recommended), then let it sit for 15 minutes while I attended to other things.

 

Where do you get the MAF sensor cleaner from?

 

.

 

Um, Pepboys.

 

 

Installing is easy since you pulled out the old one to clean it. Same steps. Just buy an OEM. It should be under $100 if you buy from Dave B on the board or from Courtesy Nissan.