Got a Question!
First, let me say that i let my son clean the K&N air filter by himself and in turn, he over oiled the filter and did not let it dry good enough, so the Mass Air Flow Sensor starting to act up and turned the check engine light on.
So i called Leo/my Vette Doc, and he said to pull it and clean it with some carb-cleaner and of corse re-clean the air filter to remove the excess oil. Well, i went to Advance auto parts and a kid there sold be some MAF cleaner along with some Throttle body cleaner,fuel system&combustion chamber cleaner, and Valve-Kleen Oil Treatment,all in one CRC brand fuel system tune up kit.
Fist question>>> Should i use all of this on my 97, or just the MAF cleaner? Does anyone know if this CRC brand stuff could hurt my car,or is it good stuff?
Next question>>> Should i go ahead and clean the throttle body while i am at it, or is it worth the trouble/(She is running grreat-other than the oil on the MAF--- Just Recently installed plugs and wires)
And finally>>> I just read on the back of the can,to not use the MAF cleaner on Karman-Vortex sensors. First of all, i don't even know what that is. I am thinking i have the MAF and not the KArman thingy, but for some reason the cold air filter case/box has the word "VORTEX writen across it. The previous owner installed it, so i can not be sure??
ANyway, maybe i should just go get the carb-cleaner like my mechanic said??? What should i do??
Thanks for reading!

 

only use the maf cleaner!

 

Thanks!
Have you ever cleaned a throttle body? If you have,How difficult and how neccessary is it?
I did get the complete C5 set of maint.,books from the previous owner/so hope to learn alot there and
Hope to be on this forum more often!
Gotta learn to do as much maint.as i can, so i can afford to keep this thing! Lol --- I have never enjoyed driving a car so much in my life!!!
Have a great weekend!

 

Check you tube, there are videos that show how it is done!

 

First off CRC is a quality product. If it was my car, I'd clean the MAF sensor with the spray, then use the throttle body cleaner to wipe out the inner bore of the TB. The TB can never be "too clean".....

 

Thanks again!!!!!!!
DOing it right now!

 

When you use the spray, it is still a good idea to try to spray mainly the bore of the throttle body, and avoid as much as possible over spraying the bushings that the throttle plate pivots on.
On my previous cars, I just sprayed the cleaner on a rag, and wiped the bore to avoid getting the solvent in places it should not go.

 

MAF cleaner for the MAF and TB cleaner (or carb cleaner) for the TB.

I just did my 98's MAF and what a bietoch. My MAF is not removable (easily) from the air cleaner on a 98 so the entire thing has to come off.

Be sure the MAF is DRY before reconnecting it and don't touch the wires inside (I don't know why - just repeating).

Since I had everything off I cleaned the TB too. I sprayed it and used a tooth brush to clean behind and around the throttle plate. I also flossed. (kidding)

I pulled the battery cable to make it reset all the fuel trims.

 

If you touch the wires of the MAF, the natural oils in your skin can contaminate the wire, and when the wire is heated, this oil is burned into the surface of the wire. This is the same reason for not touching headlight bulbs with your bare fingers. (yes, the wires of the lamp aren't exposed, but the glass gets quite hot, and will etch your fingerprints into the glass)

 

 

I've used CRC products for over 30yrs. Its top of the line. You should know that K&N and most other systems air systems use an oil agent. This is not good for MAF being that the part is electrical. That is why you never touch the wires inside.. Fingers have oil on them. K&M would be better for carb installations.The operating principal is mechanical vs electrical.(old vs new). There are systems that use a filter liquid agent good for electronics. I hope thats helped. AOK67

 

Well? How did it go?

I simply took everything apart. If you have the airfilter assembly off it's easy.

I would remove the TB for cleaning. 3 bolts, a couple hoses. The gasket is re-useable. You will likely find it pretty gunked up if it hasn't been cleaned before. Just keep the cleaner away from the electrical parts.
Carb or brake cleaner. I prefer brake cleaner, it evaporates really quick.

Wash and lightly re-oil the air filter.

pretty easy part of the car to work on, go slow and have fun learning. You will be doing heads and cam in no time!

Ron

 

Was getting hesitation at 50 - 60 MPH when accelerating. Had changed plugs and wires but still had the hesitation.
Removed MAF and sprayed brake cleaner thru the honeycomb and onto the wires. DO NOT TOUCH THE WIRES. Can contaminate them.
Let dry thoroughly.
Use about a can of carb cleaner and a toothbrush to clean the TB.
Took my time and removed as much crud as I could.
Results: No more hesitation.

 

Ended up cleaning the MAF and TB myself Monday. Used the CRC MAF cleaner, cleaned and re-oiled the blackwing, let it sit till Tuesday afternoon, put it back together, and off we went. Don't know if it was in my mind or what, but performance seems to be a bit better.....