4 Best Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner in 2024 | Expert’s Guide

A good car engine can ensure a fantastic driving experience. Still, no matter how incredible the scenery is, frequent engine alerts are bound to destroy the mood.

Do you know that a dirty mass air flow sensor (MAF) gives frequent false engine alerts as well as slows down the engine? And by regular cleaning, you can avoid these disturbances.

Therefore, make sure to use the best mass air flow sensor cleaner to have a clean MAF before going out in fun long-drive.

Best Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner in 2023

Your beloved vehicle should get only the best of the best. While items like MAF sensor cleaner may seem unimportant and easily replaceable, I can assure you that for the car engine’s long term sustainability, using the MAF sensor cleaner is vital.

Therefore, you should give special care in cleaning this part of your car.

Proper care of the MAF sensor includes the usage of quality cleaning equipment, such as cleaning sprays. That is why I am here with you to find out the best mass air flow sensor cleaner spray you can find in the market.

1. Gunk MAS6-12PK Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner

Don’t want to spend $300 to buy a new MAF sensor as a regular occurrence? Use the Gunk MAS6-12PK MAF sensor cleaner regularly to clean and give the mass air flow sensor of your car a new life!

Key Features of This Product

Trustworthy

Gunk is a family-oriented company that has been in operation for over 75 years. No company can last so long in this competitive market if their products are not up to the mark.

High Compatibility

You can use this cleaner for most of the MAF sensors, except for a few. This cleaning spray can be used for:

• Sturdy, all-terrain means of transport
• Street-sport motorbike
• Utility automobile
• Off-road motor two-wheeler
• Touring motorbikes
• Snowmobiles
• Scooters
• Marine transport, etc

Excellent Cleaning

The chemical components of Gunk spray dissolve the dirt, oil, grease, and flux from the interior of the mass air flow cleaner. As a result, you will get a completely clean MAF sensor within a few minutes of applying the spray.

Improved Performance

After using this spray to clean your mass air flow sensor properly, you will find a noticeable improvement in your engine’s performance.

Considerations

Expensive

When you explore the other mass air flow cleaning agent products, you would realize that this spray is comparatively more expensive than the other ones.

Nozzle and Cap

You should not be hasty. Please take care when you uncap or recap the container. The cap is tight, and sometimes it can become a little stiff. Putting pressure can break the weak nozzle.

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Bottom Line
Overall, if your car has a mass air flow sensor with exposed wire elements, this will be the best mass air flow sensor cleaner to look for. Trust me!

Read Also: Top 10 Fuel Injector Cleaner Review

2. CRC 05110 Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner

By the way, have you been using rubbing alcohol for cleaning your vehicle’s mass air flow sensor? Don’t! Use CRC 05110; a chemical spray designed explicitly for cleaning MAF sensors.

Key Features of This Product

Improved Engine Functions

I can guarantee that using CRC 05110 to clean your mass air flow sensor will improve your engine. According to testing, this best mass air flow sensor cleaner can gain 4 to 10 HP at the wheels and reduce rough ride along with hesitation.

Fast Acting

If you are like me, an impatient short, then you will love how fast acting this sensor cleaner is. The residues within the sensor will dissolve within minutes, and it will take only ten minutes for the spray to dry. Fast, right?

Sensitive-Equipment Safe

Also, CRC 05110 cleaning spray is designed in such a way so that it will not damage the plastic coating of the wires or other sensitive pieces of equipment.

Considerations

Strict Usage

Be warned! You cannot use CRC 05110 mass air flow sensor cleaner as it is designed for cleaning MAF sensors only.

Flammable

The components of the cleaner are incredibly flammable. So make sure not to leave it near any kind of flame.

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Bottom Line
If you still haven’t found what you are looking for, then I implore you to check the later part of my list of the best mass air flow sensor cleaner.

3. WD-40 Specialist Electrical Contact Cleaner Spray

This particular mass air flow sensor cleaner is a little unique.

Key Features of This Product

Smart-Straw Technology

The aerosol container comes with an attached straw. You can use the straw to precisely aiming for the dirty parts and blast away oil, condensation, flux, and dirt from sensitive electrical pieces of equipment.

Electric-Equipment Cleaner

Unlike the previous two cleaners exclusively designed for cleaning only MAF sensors, you can use this spray to clean various other electric types of equipment.

Moreover, this spray’s smart-stray technology makes it very suitable for cleaning electronic materials like precision instruments, electrical panels, printed circuit boards, switches, and controls.

Economic

Dissimilar to Gunk MAS6-12PK MAF Sensor Cleaner, WD-40 Specialist Electrical Contact Cleaner Spray is exceptionally cheap. Believe it or not, you won’t even need to spend eight dollars to buy this. See how low priced it is?

Trusty Source

As I have said in the past, no company can last long without innovation and maintaining quality. Is has been over sixty years since the establishment of the WD-40 Company. So you decide whether they are good or not.

Considerations

No Lubrication

If you expect to clean AND lubricate your device simultaneously, then this product is not for you. It contains no lubricants.

Toxic

Before using this product, you should take proper measures to limit your exposure to the chemicals. The cleaner is designed to remove hard to remove oil, grease, dirt, etc. from the sensor by dissolving them.

So, as you can guess, it is a powerful chemical agent containing toxin elements. A lack of caution can cause your body harm.

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Bottom Line
If you are looking for a multi-purpose cleaner, you can give this a try.

Read Also: Top 10 Best Radiator Flush Kit Solution Review

4. Johnsen’s 4721 Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner

And last, but not the least comes Johnsen’s 4721 mass air flow sensor cleaner, another budget-friendly, yet highly effective MAF sensor cleaning chemical.

Key Features of This Product

Foaming Cleaner

This water-based foaming cleanser contains two active ingredients. The solution pulls the grease, oil, dirt, etc. off the surface with efficiency.

Multi-purpose cleaner

Johnsen’s 4721 mass air flow sensor cleaner is versatile. You can use it to clean not only MAF sensors but also-

• Electrical components
• Dashboards
• Automotive electronics
• Engine components
• Driveways and garage floors
• Bricks and stones

Quick-Drying Formula

Because of the quick-dry formula, this spray works very fast. You won’t need to wait, and air dry your sensor for a long time. It takes only 20 minutes for the shower to dissolve the dirt particles and dry.

Budget-friendly

Though Johnsen’s 4721 MAF sensor cleaner is not as cheap as WD-40 Specialist Electrical Contact Cleaner Spray, it still costs fewer than fifteen dollars.

Considerations

Respiratory Caution

The chemicals contained within the spray are toxic. When you spray the cleaner, take caution to wear a mask, or hold your breath.
It is because when the components are exposed to air, they produce carbon monoxide. So, be careful.

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Bottom Line
If you want a CRC-like mass air flow cleaner at a lower price, then go for me. You won’t be disappointed, believe me!

One more thing, before buying the cleaning spray, let’s learn more about cleaning the mass air flow sensor. What do you say?

How to Clean a Mass Air Flow Sensor

No matter how eager you may feel to check out and clean your mass air flow sensor after reading this article, you cannot just take out the part for cleaning without proper knowledge. After all, replacing a MAF is very costly.

To clean a mass air flow sensor, you will need three things-

• A MAF cleaner
• A screwdriver
• A towel

If you try to clean a mass air flow cleaner without any idea, it is highly likely that you will damage its delicate parts. So try to follow the steps mentioned below with caution.

• Turn off the engine and remove the keys from the ignition.
• Cool the engine
• Consult your owner’s manual to locate the MAF sensor.
• Unplug the sensor using a flat screwdriver.
• Loosen the clamps or brackets. Remember to hold it in place before loosening them lest you damage it.
• Carefully remove it.
• Place it on a towel to soak up the excess oil and grease.
• Apply 10 to 15 spurts of the cleaner around the inside of the sensor
• Then, clean the sides, housing, connectors, and terminals while you are at it. Be careful to avoid spraying the cleaner onto any hot wires or plates.
• Air-dry the sensor
• Re-install it
• Before starting the engine, wait a few seconds

And the procedure is complete!

How to Use Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner

The method of using a MAF sensor cleaner is different from just spraying to clean something. But again, there are also some similarities.

• First, open the cap of the mass air flow sensor cleaner’s container.
• Then, attach a straw with the nozzle. It is best if you use a metal straw as some cleaners dissolve plastic. If you use plastic straws for such cleaners, you might end up with a blocked nozzle.
• Carefully point the stray towards the parts you want to clean.
• Press the push button on the nozzle gently.
• The cleaning agent will come out in a straight line. Starting light, spray as much as you need to dissolve the grease and dirt. Generally, you will need to use 10 to 15 spurts of the cleaner.
• After spraying sufficiently, immediately remove the stray and recap the container.
• Done!

How to Detect and Clean a Faulty Mass Airflow Sensor

You know, it is not that hard to judge whether your mass airflow sensor is faulty or not. You just need to keep your eyes open to some simple observations.

That way, you can quickly find out if there are any abnormalities and spare yourself from further complications likely to arise in the future because of neglect.

I have mentioned the main symptom of a faulty mass airflow sensor bellow. Don’t forget to check whether your engine shows these symptoms carefully.

• Engine power decreases
• Starting or turning over the engine becomes very hard
• Shortly after starting, the engine stalls
• While under load or idle, the engine hesitates or drags
• Acceleration causes hesitation and jerking
• Vibration in the engine
• Frequent hiccups in the engine
• Frequent check-engine lights
• Increase in fuel demand
• Black smoke

These symptoms are quite similar to a faulty fuel pump generated low fuel pressure symptoms. So it will be best if you take your air flow sensor to a qualified mechanic to run a complete computer diagnostic. This way, you can get a clear idea of the condition of your MAF sensor.

You should clean your MAF sensor periodically to make it long-lasting. Follow these steps to clean the dirty MAF sensor.

• Open your car’s airbox
• Pluck the mass air flow sensor out using a flathead screwdriver
• Spray your best mass air flow sensor cleaner onto your sensor
• Let it sit for more than twenty minutes to dry it completely
• Re-install the mass air flow sensor back to the car

Tip: You can save both time and money cleaning your MAF sensor when you change or clean your air filter.

Never Do This When Cleaning Your Mass Air Flow Sensor

A mass air flow sensor is very delicate and sensitive. Also, the human body is even more delicate and fragile. So, you should be extremely careful while cleaning your mass air flow sensor.

Make sure never to make the following mistakes while cleaning your MAF sensor.

• Want to avoid significant damage to the sensor? Then NEVER use a mass air flow sensor cleaner with a running engine. This advice includes the times when the key is inserted in the run position.
• DO NOT use any brushes to clean lest you damage the wires.
• Your eye-sight is irreplaceable. NEVER forget to wear safety glasses.
• The same goes for your skin and lungs. DON’T be lazy and wear protective gloves and face masks. If wearing a face mask is impossible, try to clean your MAF sensor in an open, airy area and take as few breaths as possible. AVOID cleaning in a closed, congested space.
• The mass air flow sensor cleaners are all extremely flammable. AVOID cleaning your MAF sensor near any-kind of flame. DO NOT smoke while working.
• Remember, spray cleaner is very toxic. DO NOT just wash off the excess into the drain to lessen the possibility of the contamination of land and water.

Final Verdict
As you can see, you will ensure better engine performance and mass air flow sustainability if you periodically clean the MAF sensor. So I suggest you use our best mass air flow sensor cleaner to keep the mass air flow sensor of the car clean, long-lasting, and good-as-new.