My 95 S320 is starting to develop a very slightly rough idle, and also it's been shifting kind of funky. The engine has been slowly losing power. I'm thinking that the mass air meter is the problem. To clean it, can I just use regular brake clean, or should I use electronic parts cleaner??

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All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to stand by and do nothing.

Too many people tip toe through life, never attempting or doing anything great, hoping to make it safely to death... Bob Proctor

'95 S320 LWB
'87 300SDL
'04 E500 wagon 4matic

electric parts cleaner or specific MAFS cleaner (e.g. CRC brand - in the US, these sell for ~$6 at autoparts stores here). I wouldn't use brake cleaner.. that's some strong stuff.

I used the CRC Cleaner this past weekend. I suppose it works on very sensitive parts, but I noticed when I accidently sprayed a bit on a slightly dirty part of my index finger, the dirt was still there.

I think if you have the wire sensor, which will burn off residue, you can get away with a harsher cleaner. If you have the flat film sensor, which I have, you don;t want any residue left behind.

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2008 E350 4matic / Black/Anthracite

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Gone but not Forgotten:
2001 E430 4matic, 206,xxx miles, Black/Charcoal
1995 E320, 252,xxx miles, Black/Grey
1989 260E, 223,00 miles, Black/Black

HFM/SFI do not have a Hot Wire MAF system.

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A Dalton

so, it's the film type of sensor?? Is the cmc electronics cleaner ok to use arthur?? That seems to be all I can get locally...

__________________
All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to stand by and do nothing.

Too many people tip toe through life, never attempting or doing anything great, hoping to make it safely to death... Bob Proctor

'95 S320 LWB
'87 300SDL
'04 E500 wagon 4matic

Your finger and the sensor are made of different materials I would venture a guess that the dirt "clings" differently to the sensor from your skin, and the cleaner itself has various chemicals which have different effects when encountering your skin.

amosfella, aren't there any car-parts stores near you?

That what I said...HFM is "Hot Film Mas".
If it were a wire sensor, it would be LH/SFI. That would be the V8 system.

CRC MAS/MAF spray cleaner.

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A Dalton

I know, but I still can;t help but wonder... Also, it is guaranteed residue-free, but it left plenty of white spots on the intake pipe, manifold and valve cover (from overspray) when I used it in those areas. That sounds like "residue" to me. (Brake cleaner never did that). But I'm sure it worked OK on the sensor.

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2008 E350 4matic / Black/Anthracite

------------------------------------
Gone but not Forgotten:
2001 E430 4matic, 206,xxx miles, Black/Charcoal
1995 E320, 252,xxx miles, Black/Grey
1989 260E, 223,00 miles, Black/Black

LOL... I'm glad I walked into the store in town. The guy coudln't see what was right under his nose. They had air mass sensor cleaner there.
There is one auto parts store within 60 miles to me...

__________________
All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to stand by and do nothing.

Too many people tip toe through life, never attempting or doing anything great, hoping to make it safely to death... Bob Proctor

'95 S320 LWB
'87 300SDL
'04 E500 wagon 4matic

I believe that car has OBDII. So I would think it would throw a code if the MAF was that bad. I assume the CEL is not on?

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

Attempting to clean the MAF on our 95 E320 was an exercise in frustration. Replacement was the cure.

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

Didn't work for me either. But I had a code. The old P0170.

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

I haven't checked for a code, but I cleaned out the AMS, took the negative off the battery for 15 seconds, and put it back on. Then i started the car, and let it run while I checked and adjusted the tire air pressure. The engine was definitely running smoother. The transmission wasn't acting up, or shifting hard either when I took it for a drive. The engine felt like it had a lot more power.
As for OBD2, I have the part under the dash, but I don't have a reader. Can one read the codes from the engine on OBD2, Arthur??
I don't need the mercedes specific one. Looking through waxed paper works for me for now.... I was looking at maybe buying the star diagnostic system from a guy in quebec for $700. Didn't include the laptop though....

__________________
All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to stand by and do nothing.

Too many people tip toe through life, never attempting or doing anything great, hoping to make it safely to death... Bob Proctor

'95 S320 LWB
'87 300SDL
'04 E500 wagon 4matic

You have been asked a diagnostic question...
Do you have a CE LAMP Iluminated ?????????????????????????????????????

__________________
A Dalton

How so? All I needed to do was disconnect the tube behind the air filter box, spray the sensor, then put it back.

__________________
2008 E350 4matic / Black/Anthracite

------------------------------------
Gone but not Forgotten:
2001 E430 4matic, 206,xxx miles, Black/Charcoal
1995 E320, 252,xxx miles, Black/Grey
1989 260E, 223,00 miles, Black/Black