Clean it with electronics cleaner?
John
I don't think there is any harm in using electronic cleaner but I am not the authority. I use CRC's MAFS cleaner since it is specifically designed for that purpose. 10 years ago when I did my Tacoma I used CRC's QD electronic cleaner with no ill effects. I'm not sure if they were making the MAFS cleaner then. The electronic cleaner was recommended to me by some guys on a Tacoma forum.
Here we are full circle. That was the first time I used a forum for a vehicle issue, I discovered it by accident. My truck and I had gone through months of misery trying to figure this thing out. Like I mentioned before it was running pretty crappy for months before the check engine light came on, once it got real bad. I knew absolutely nothing about cars except for where to put the gas in. My boss told me about auto parts stores and their code readers so I went to one. The dude hooked up the thingy to the thingy and said you need a new O2 sensor. I didn't know any better so I bought one and put it in. Still had the issue. That idiot thought the sensor was malfunctioning, no it was just doing it's job. I took it to a friend of a friend who is a mechanic and he did a bunch of diagnostics on it for the cost of a 12 pack and he couldn't figure it out. Finally I decided to do my own research on the web. I came across a Tacoma forum, I didn't even know they existed. I registered and created a post describing the whole thing. Within minutes a guy replied asking me if I had an oiled filter. After I replied yes, he told me about the MAFS and recommended the electronics cleaner.
Sorry for the long story. I just think it's pretty awesome that after all that the solution was a few minutes and a forum and a five dollar can of cleaner.
http://crcindustries.com/ei/product_detail.aspx?id=05110
---------- Post added at 11:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:37 AM ----------
Clean it with electronics cleaner?
John
I don't think there is any harm in using electronic cleaner but I am not the authority. I use CRC's MAFS cleaner since it is specifically designed for that purpose. 10 years ago when I did my Tacoma I used CRC's QD electronic cleaner with no ill effects. I'm not sure if they were making the MAFS cleaner then. The electronic cleaner was recommended to me by some guys on a Tacoma forum. They are very easy to get to on our trucks. Just handle it with care and follow the directions on the can.
http://crcindustries.com/ei/product_detail.aspx?id=05110
Stop reading now if you like, the rest is just me blabbing on... That was the first time I used a forum for a vehicle issue, I discovered it by accident. My truck and I had gone through months of misery trying to figure this thing out. Like I mentioned before it was running pretty crappy for months before the check engine light came on, once it got real bad. I knew absolutely nothing about cars except for where to put the gas in. My boss told me about auto parts stores and their code readers so I went to one. The dude hooked up the thingy to the thingy and said you need a new O2 sensor. I didn't know any better so I bought one and put it in. Still had the issue. That idiot thought the sensor was malfunctioning, no it was just doing it's job. I took it to a friend of a friend who is a mechanic and he did a bunch of diagnostics on it for the cost of a 12 pack and he couldn't figure it out. I tried replacing the fuel filter, running system cleaner, etc., nothing helped. Finally I decided to do my own research on the web. I came across a Tacoma forum, I didn't even know they existed. I registered and created a post describing the whole thing. Within minutes a guy replied asking me if I had an oiled filter. After I replied yes, he told me about the MAFS and recommended the electronics cleaner.
Sorry for the long story. I just think it's pretty awesome that after wasting 300+ dollars, hours and days, and my truck running lean for months; the solution was a few minutes on a forum and a five dollar can of cleaner. To this day I'm still a little too eager to tell people to check their MAFS, but I can't help it. I haven't seen any that were anywhere close to being as bad as my Tacoma was.
