I'm trouble shooting a lean condition on my truck after the supercharger install. Checked for leaks and the only place that I'm told it could be for a lean condition is between the MAF and the intake to the supercharger. I also wanted to clean the MAF and when I took it out I noticed it was completely different from my sport trac or '03 F150. It appeared to be very clean, but when I took it off, I noticed that it was plastic on metal. I was expecting a rubber seal in there. It appears as if air could pass through there. Is there supposed to be a seal between the MAF and the intake tube?

The first picture shows where I think the rubber seal should be. The second is a picture of the front and back of the MAF. How would I go about cleaning this thing?

 

05Rousch - if I'm looking at your 2nd pic correctly - you do have the factory rubber seal - it is small and goes around the base of the inner area (piece that sticks down into the intake tube). I've cleaned my MAF sensor on both my '05 GT and '05 F-150 (same sensor) and had very good luck with the contact cleaner in the spray can....it cleans and leaves no residue.

good luck

 

I noticed that on the MAF, but it didn't seem to seat well. I thought maybe a larger one went around it.

Thanks for the info.

Could I just spray some electriclean right into the opening on the narrow side of the MAF? I didn't feel like playing around too much since this is so much different than the styles I have cleaned before.

 

That is the side you want to clean - you'll notice a thin wire inside and that is what to spray.....I'm not familiar with your cleaner - but what you want is an electrical contact type of cleaner that does not leave residue...as far as the stock "O" ring seal - I added a small amount of the black RTV silicone gasket sealer (non-hardening) around the "O" ring to make sure it was sealing properly - on my AF1 (F-150) and JLT II CAI ('05 GT).

 

It is a quick dry electric cleaner. I was refered to it off a different websight and have used it before. Works great. I was mainly worried about spraying inside of there and splashing something I shouldn't.

Thanks again!

 

An old trick to find vacuum leaks or leaks in the intake is to spray starting fluid or something ethyr based in the suspected area while the engine is running. If the engine RPM's increase when it's sprayed in a certain area then it's a good place to look for a leak.

 

Typically you don't clean those you replace them when they act up. If it's working within spec leave it alone. Using the wrong spray will not only kill the MAF, it can kill one or more of the O2 sensors as well. If you want a better seal then get some O2 sensor safe automotive silicone, put a LIGHT film of oil on the mounting surfaces and put a small bead of silicone on the sensor. The oil prevents the silicone from forming a permanent bond so the MAF can be pulled out when needed.

This will seal up even the smallest air leak.

 

If you've got access to a scan tool that'll show PIDs, you need to see what your BARO reading is before messing with the MAF, and what the short and long term fuel trims are. Depending on what altitude you're at, BARO should be around 150-155 Hz (give or take 5-7 Hz - this is at my altitude, about sea level). Like baja150 said, you can carefully spray carb cleaner or similar around the intake and whatnot looking for outside air leaks. If you can watch your short and long term fuel trims, look for them to come down in a hurry if you spray around a suspected leak.

 

Possible.

Extremely unlikely. When it passes through the combustion chamber it's going to get burned and the HEGO's will never know it was there. Unless you're pouring a gallon into the intake the HEGO's will be fine.

 

If you do seal the MAF with any silicone, make sure it's totally dry before you run the engine or it will get sucked right into the intake. The airspeed through the airfoce through the intake is pretty amazing!

 

Not so unlikely actually, The O2's are very sensitive when the cleaner burns the vapor goes through the exhaust right past the sensors. That's why it's so important to make sure EVERYTHING used to clean or seal a modern engine is approved and safe to use. Even if it is very unlikely is it worth the risk to kill a $50+ sensor by not making sure the product your using is compatible?

 

Propane works well for this too. Just use an unlit propane torch. That way you don't run the risk of starter fluid damaging any plastic parts.