electronic throttle body cleaning/MAF sensor cleaning

[TJAbrigo]

im about to do 120k mile service on my 03 nissan murano. i also thought of cleaning the throttle, and perhaps the maf sensor. what are things i need to watch out for before cleaning a electronic throttle body and the maf sensor? i’ve read experiences from other murano owners having throttle body problems after they have cleaned it.

Topic

[renaud]

use the right cleaner mass air flow cleaner spray or trottle body cleaner dont use any thing to clean that
go smooth with this sensor

[dreamer2355]

Quoted From renaud:

use the right cleaner mass air flow cleaner spray or trottle body cleaner dont use any thing to clean that
go smooth with this sensor

+1

Most auto parts stores sell MAF cleaner. Just read the directions on the back of the can.

For the throttle body cleaning, is your throttle controlled by a accelerator cable or is is drive-by-wire aka electronically controlled?
If its cable driven, you could manual rotate the throttle plate back to aid in cleaning. If its drive-by-wire, i would not recommend manually moving the throttle plate.

[TJAbrigo]

its a drive-by-wire. so just clean the one side of the throttle and housing?

also, is it necessary to perform a ‘idle relearn’?

[dreamer2355]

Quoted From TJAbrigo:

its a drive-by-wire. so just clean the one side of the throttle and housing?

also, is it necessary to perform a ‘idle relearn’?

How bad it is? Is it bad enough to justify cleaning?

As for the idle relearn, that should not be an issue unless you decide to disconnect the TAC motor or disconnect the battery.

[EricTheCarGuy]

DO NOT CLEAN THE THROTTLE BODY. I’ve had so many comments on my throttle plate cleaning video about cleaning electronic throttle bodies I can’t count them. I had actually intended the video to help with curing a sticking throttle, this is not really an issue with electronic throttle bodies and besides you can really mess it up if you do clean it. As for the MAF sensor I’ve just used throttle cleaner but they do make a special cleaner just for that purpose.

[TJAbrigo]

its great hearing from you eric. i’ve read many murano owners with throttle problems after cleaning them. my guess its because they sprayed cleaner directly to the throttle destroying the sensors. i read in my automotive book about servicing a electronic throttle, that the cleaner should be applied in a clean rag. but with all of the problems that can occur after this, i will just put that aside for now. i wonder how shops/dealerships perform this service with the electronic throttle?

[brian.hawes]

We don’t do that many throttle body cleanings, but the ones we have done, haven’t needed a relearn or presented any problems. We use wynn’s throttle body cleaner and a tooth brush. Don’t sick your fingers in there if its electronic. I have herd recently the some models have a coating inside the throttle body that can be removed by cleaning. So the best advice is that if its not sticking than don’t clean it.

[Lee Ann]

Are you also indirectly saying here that you do not have to remove the battery cable(s) in order to clean the MAF sensor (on my 1997 Saturn SC2)? Because that was my question, disable battery before cleaning MAF sensor?

[Lee Ann]

Are you also indirectly saying here that you do not have to remove the battery cable(s) in order to clean the MAF sensor (on my 1997 Saturn SC2)? Because that was my question, disable battery before cleaning MAF sensor?

[Lee Ann]

Just a quick update regarding what I have learned since this post-

I removed the air tube hoping to find a MAF sensor to clean…well,there wasn’t one. At the time, I was surprised (and am a little embarrassed to admit). I since learned that Saturn didn’t start using MAF sensors until 1999.

Also, thanks to a subscriber, I learned that I don’t have to disable the negative battery cable for every repair (but I do it anyway when working under the hood, just to be safe!).

[Lee Ann]

Just a quick update regarding what I have learned since this post-

I removed the air tube hoping to find a MAF sensor to clean…well,there wasn’t one. At the time, I was surprised (and am a little embarrassed to admit). I since learned that Saturn didn’t start using MAF sensors until 1999.

Also, thanks to a subscriber, I learned that I don’t have to disable the negative battery cable for every repair (but I do it anyway when working under the hood, just to be safe!).

[Author]

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