So lately my cobalt has been acting up, particularly when undergoing acceleration. Whether WOT or medium-hard acceleration, it will flip into reduced-engine-power mode. It used to happen rarely, but lately it has been happening any time I accelerate somewhat quickly.

Anyways, I have a few ideas as to what may be wrong, and firstly I think I should clean my MAF sensor. I have the airbox mod done to my car and I left the bottom lid off of the box exposing the filter. I have seen many people do this before, and water has always been my only concern with this. But I noticed recently that the wheel well isn't closed up flush anymore, so I think a fair amount of dirt could get into the airbox, and possibly onto the MAF sensor.

So tomorrow I plan to open it up and investigate. I also plan on cleaning the MAF sensor, but I have never done it before, and I understand it to be a pretty sensitive piece.

I'm mainly looking for advice on this procedure. I feel like it's pretty straight forward, but if anyone knows any good tricks to make it easier on me, or things I need to be careful of, I'd appreciate it. Especially since my search didn't turn up much info on dealing with the sensor, and I've never cleaned one before.

Thanks for any help!

 

Go to your local auto repair supply store, autozone, advance, etc, and buy mass air flow sensor cleaner. Its in an aerosol can.

You just spray it on the sensor element and let it dry. It 'blasts' the contaminates off.

You aren't supposed to touch the element in any way. Any particles or film you leave on the element will distort the. MAF voltage drop interpretation. If the element gets bent or stretched in any way you'll have the same effect since the heat transfer rate between the air and the element is very sensitive to turbulence (this is why crappy ebay intakes can cause so much damage)

 

^^^Great advice bro, exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

 

When my car acts up, I just ask it whats wrong and it tells me....

 

I typically pet the dash board and talk real sweet to it. "Come on baby, what's wrong?"