I just cleaned the MAF sensor on my 1994 4x4 2.4L truck and it solved most of my problems. It was very easy to do so i'm just writing this to let others know how they can do it.
If you're standing in front of the truck facing it with the hood open, the MAF sensor is on the LEFT side of the throttle body in the vacinity of the fuel filter. It's bolted to the throttle body using 3 machine screws.
Disconnect the plug, remove the 3 screws and it should come off very easily. BE CAREFUL taking it out. You don't want it to bang on the edges of the throttle body. Once you take it out, you'll notice 2 small wire coils that look sort of like the filaments of a light bulb. These are the "hot wires" that get the job done. I sprayed mine with electrical contact cleaner (which honestly just smelled like acetone) and then very very gently scraped it clean with a Q-tip. I have a stereo microscope that i used to be sure that i was cleaning it thoroughly.
Honestly, mine were not THAT dirty but a film was definitely visible as was some gunk on the top side (the side that faces the air cleaner). Once it was cleaned, i reinstalled it and my engine now has a totally different feel than it did before.
The symptoms that i had were a very powerless engine that was very slow to accelerate. Everytime i hit 3,000 RPM the engine felt like it could not rev up any hire and it started to buck. I'm sure the symptoms can vary across the board though since this is a major contributer in determining what the mixture is to the engine.
I hope this helps someone. Total time....30 mins.
If you're standing in front of the truck facing it with the hood open, the MAF sensor is on the LEFT side of the throttle body in the vacinity of the fuel filter. It's bolted to the throttle body using 3 machine screws.
Disconnect the plug, remove the 3 screws and it should come off very easily. BE CAREFUL taking it out. You don't want it to bang on the edges of the throttle body. Once you take it out, you'll notice 2 small wire coils that look sort of like the filaments of a light bulb. These are the "hot wires" that get the job done. I sprayed mine with electrical contact cleaner (which honestly just smelled like acetone) and then very very gently scraped it clean with a Q-tip. I have a stereo microscope that i used to be sure that i was cleaning it thoroughly.
Honestly, mine were not THAT dirty but a film was definitely visible as was some gunk on the top side (the side that faces the air cleaner). Once it was cleaned, i reinstalled it and my engine now has a totally different feel than it did before.
The symptoms that i had were a very powerless engine that was very slow to accelerate. Everytime i hit 3,000 RPM the engine felt like it could not rev up any hire and it started to buck. I'm sure the symptoms can vary across the board though since this is a major contributer in determining what the mixture is to the engine.
I hope this helps someone. Total time....30 mins.