What Do You Use To Clean Your Afm?

[avant]

hey guys i got an auto 92 gtst with a green label AFM, sumtimes leaving the lights the car stops making power past 3 thou revs, since this is an auto i have to switch the car off and start it again for it to be working fine. my guess is the AFM screwing up, since the things covered with oil, could i be right?? if so how would i clean it without damaging it, got no $$ to buy i new one since i heard they go for around $250+??

cheers guys

[edspaged2]

There are plenty of threads on how to clean the AFM's. But, alot of people seem to use brake cleaner. Ive used it in the past and seems fine.

[RANDY]

Carby cleaner was the most popular thing i've seen suggested. I'd also suggest contact cleaner (used for PCB's).

[SLIPPERY]

also, you can wash some 50/50 mix of metho and kero through it a few times

did it on my car and fuel economy picked up quite a bit

[insu]

Or CRC contact cleaner, which is designed to clean electrical components and not leave any residue.

[Greg]

Use contact cleaner. I was advised by a repuatable tuner that carby cleaner eats into the finish on the AFM sensor over time (ie with repeated use)

[002doc]

Jaycar have a good contact cleaner mate, about 10 bucks, did mine a few weeks back

[Cubes]

The elec. contact cleaner stuff doesn't remove the oil well.

Best bet is to go with the carby cleaner.

Check your plug and give it a little clean.

[Spook's_Skyline]

i cleaned mine last weekend

using contact cleaner

i dunno about not cleaning it well, there was a stack of dirty liquid coming out of it, and the mesh on both sides was left shiny

didnt affect my fuel economy any though

[Cubes]

Well it does clean it but it also still leaves a residue on the little element or what ever it is.

[satanic]

I'm quite adamant at doing this myself... the filament inside the AFM looks REALLY REALLY fragile and sparying brake cleaner/carbycleaner etc onto it doesn't sound right.

Carby Cleaner might come out as a mist, but brake cleaner comes out in a jet-line.

Any thoughts?

[BSK]

another vote for contact cleaner. did it yesterday and worked a treat..

[cowie165]

I'm quite adamant at doing this myself... the filament inside the AFM looks REALLY REALLY fragile and sparying brake cleaner/carbycleaner etc onto it doesn't sound right.

Carby Cleaner might come out as a mist, but brake cleaner comes out in a jet-line.

Any thoughts?

As an aside Stan, six years ago the 'accepted' means to clean your AFM was to remove the mesh and get stuck in with a cotton-bud and some metho

And I've used the jet-line BrakeKleen three times now, all good.

[Trex101]

As an aside Stan, six years ago the 'accepted' means to clean your AFM was to remove the mesh and get stuck in with a cotton-bud and some metho

And I've used the jet-line BrakeKleen three times now, all good.

Go with plastic safe electro contact cleaner. Do not use carb clearner, it will leave a oily layer on the sensor.

[cowie165]

Go with plastic safe electro contact cleaner. Do not use carb clearner, it will leave a oily layer on the sensor.

Yep, I think I'll use contact cleaner in future. Right tools for the job and all...

[MerlinTheHapyPig]

no-one on this forum really knows for sure, that's the sad state of affairs.

I've used brake cleaner, but *apparently* it doesn't remove any carbon deposits (worked fine for my afm though)

some people suggest using carby cleaner because it also removes carbon residue. other people claim this is bad because it leaves residue. BUT no-one can explain *what* the residue is, and how it is *bad*, so go figure!!

look, brake cleaner or electrical contact cleaner are both basically the same thing, they are alcohol based, and probably better than mineral based degreasers which can effect some fragile sensors etc. I'd try using them, and if you are having a specific problem and they don't fix it, try replacing AFM's

Using Oiled pod filters (HKS powerflow / foam filters) tends to kill AFM's because the oil coats the afm contact causing bad things to happen.... so if you have one of these, best change it to something else.

Edited May 20, 2006 by MerlinTheHapyPig

[insu]

This is the specs for the NF contact cleaner, about the best one you can get and the one i'd get:

CRC NF Contact Cleaner is a technically proven stable, inert high purity cleaning solvent, designed to meet today's environmental challenges. This new improved formula is chemically stable, evaporates rapidly, has no flash point and leaves no residue.

Use NF Contact Cleaner for cleaning: PC Boards, Edge connectors, motor and motor controls, contacts and relays, metal switches, sensors, flux removal.

When CRC NF Contact Cleaner is used on lubricated rotating, sliding or stepping contacts it is recommended to apply CRC 2.26 to replace lubrication.

CRC NF Contact Cleaner

Revolutionary Precision Cleaning Solvent.

Instantly removes grease, oil, dirt, flux and other contaminants.

Chemically stable, non-conductive, non-corrosive.

High purity formula evaporates rapidly and leaves no residue.

Strong cleaning action for removal of flux and oils and others contaminants.

No Flash Point. Non flammable.

Does not contain CFC 113 or Methyl Chloroform.

May be harmful to some plastics, e.g. A.B.S. Pebax 2533, Polystyrene etc. Test on small area before using.

[insu]

This is the more commonly found co contact cleaner, and I'm sure would probably be just as good:

CO Contact Cleaner Plastic Safe Formula is a technically proven, stable, inert high purity cleaning solvent. Non-corrosive, non-staining, rapid-complete evaporation - contains no lubricants. Removes light contaminants, dust, lint, atmospheric/oils, finger prints, moisture from precision electrical/electronic equipment where lower-flashpoint solvents may be used. Leaves no residue to increase resistance. Use as a touch-up supplement for vapour degreasing.

CO Contact Cleaner Plastic Safe Formula used in a planned maintenance programme will eliminate carbon deposits or contaminants that hold moisture and cause corrosion or arcing. An increase in resistance will indicate the frequency of re-application.

Use CRC CO Contact Cleaner for cleaning: Relays, switches, circuit breakers, alarm and signal systems, printed circuit boards, connectors, generators, contacts, laboratory and test equipment, video heads/drums, terminals, plugs and jacks.

[Dizmo]

i cleaned the afm element yesterday with crc contact cleaner and now the fuel economy is shit. its guzzling the fuel and thats the only thing i have touched.

[Greg]

It could have been running lean before. Dirty AFM = understated airflow = less fuel input relative to actual amount of air = running lean.

Clean AFM = airflow stated correctly = more fuel input relative to actual amount of air = using more fuel = worse fuel economy.

Maybe?