Cleaning of MAF and Throttle Body by Bulldog

The mass airflow meter (MAF) and throttle body needs to be cleaned from time to time. I chose to do it at 40k miles. With the replacement of my air filter it certainly did restore some “pep” to my V8. It started to feel pretty lazy and now it feels very “peppy” again. I also plan to run some SeaFoam through the fuel system to clean it out with the injectors before the 40k oil service, will report back on that some time. If I can find the fuel filter I will probably replace that as well.

You will require:

First do the MAF. The MAF is located on top of the airbox (air filter assembly). Unclip the wire going into the MAF by pressing down on the clip and pulling it out (marked in green). Then unscrew the 2 screws holding it to the air intake system (marked in red). Then pull out the whole MAF assembly carefully.

The MAF uses a number of very delicate sensors, which SHOULD NEVER BE TOUCHED! Just spray it with the contact cleaner. The contact cleaner leaves no residue and is safe to use on these sensors. Be very careful when doing this or else you might have to buy a new part (which can be pricey). Mine wasn’t too dirty but did end up a bit cleaner than in the picture below.

Wait for the contact cleaner to dry. Wipe the top rubber seal clean and then replace it in reverse order of removal.

The throttle body is hidden below the small plastic V8 iForce cover. SImply remove the cover by unbolting the 2 12mm bolts. Then unscrew the clamp on the air intake pipe till you can pull it off the throttle body.

I just put the air intake pipe on top of the assembly to make sure it stays out of the way. Spray on some throttle body cleaner on the butterfly valve and surrounding throttle body. Wipe clean with the soft cloth and by pushing the butterfly open with the cloth around your finger. Also clean the bottom area by pushing the top open and wiping the bottom clean with the cloth. Again mine was not too dirty at the current mileage but it did look better afterwards. Don’t use hard objects like screw drivers, etc. rather just soft cloth and your fingers. That way you prevent any scratching of the surface area.

Below is the cleaned throttle body. I did not try to over clean it as I was cautious of damaging the unit. It was not that dirty, but I still did get a lot of black debris on the soft cloth. Clean enough for me. When you are done, just assemble in reverse order of taking it apart.