Disclaimer
The community here at 355nation.net urges you to please use caution and seek professional assistance when performing modifications to your vehicle. Before attempting any modification it is advised that you refer to your Colorado or Canyon service manual or contact a certified mechanic as not all GMT355 trucks are the same. The staff and the associated members are in no way responsible for any damages, injuries or other harm inflicted to your vehicle or yourself which may result in attempting these modifications. The posts and content presented on this site reflect in no way the views of 355nation.net or it’s ownership.
A 355nation (CCP) presented by
Maverick/econobarn
Project Name
How-To: Clean Your Mass Air Flow Sensor
Project Description
A mass airflow sensor is used to determine the mass of air entering the engine. The air mass information is necessary to calculate and deliver the correct fuel mass needed by the engine. There are two common types of mass airflow sensors in usage on gasoline engines. They are the vane meter and the hot wire; our trucks have a hot wire sensor.
If the mass air flow sensor becomes dirty it can no longer tell the engine how much air is really getting in. If the engine doesn’t know how much air is coming in it doesn’t know how much fuel to inject into the cylinder. This can cause the engine to idle funny and not get enough fuel which is also called running ‘lean’. Running lean can cause excessive combustion temperatures and lead to engine damage or destruction. Most problems are from "oiled" element air filters such as K&N. More oil is not better on an air filter.
Skill Level
Easy
Project Vehicle
Make: Chevrolet
Model: Colorado Z71
Year: 2005
Engine: 5cly
Power windows: Yes
Sun Roof: No
Tool Needed
CRC Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner (DO NOT use carburetor cleaner or brake cleaner, those leave residue and will make the sensor in worse condition)
Ratchet with a 7/32 socket
Project Time
15min or less
Project Cost
$5.00
The first thing you’ll need to do is locate the sensor. It is located in your intake tube right after the air filter. Your intake may look different.
Now that you have found it it’s time to disconnect it so it can be removed from the intake tube. Completely unplug the electrical connector.
With your ratchet remove the 2 screws from the intake tube.
Once the 2 screws have been removed gently lift the MAF out of the intake tube.
Take your can of CRC Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner and attach the red spray tube, this will ensure the liquid only goes where we want it to and not all over your hands and everything else in the area.
Hold the MAF by the top portion of the sensor and spray 10-15 short blasts into all of the openings. Make sure not to touch any of the wires or sensors inside the MAF with your fingers or the plastic spray tube, doing so will result in a broken sensor.
Now that you have soaked the MAF let it sit for 5-10 minutes to dry.
After it is dry simply put the sensor back into the intake tube.
Secure the sensor with the 2 screws you removed and plug the electrical connector back in.
With the sensor secured and plugged it’s now safe to start your truck. If the sensor was dirty prior to cleaning it you should notice a slight improvement in idle and in some cases the performance difference can be quite drastic. Try to clean your MAF with every air filter change or air filter cleaning if you have a cleanable air filter. For the guys who use a K&N filter I would clean it 100-200 miles after you clean your filter, that gives some time for the excess oil to dissipate.
The community here at 355nation.net urges you to please use caution and seek professional assistance when performing modifications to your vehicle. Before attempting any modification it is advised that you refer to your Colorado or Canyon service manual or contact a certified mechanic as not all GMT355 trucks are the same. The staff and the associated members are in no way responsible for any damages, injuries or other harm inflicted to your vehicle or yourself which may result in attempting these modifications. The posts and content presented on this site reflect in no way the views of 355nation.net or it’s ownership.

A 355nation (CCP) presented by
Maverick/econobarn
Project Name
How-To: Clean Your Mass Air Flow Sensor
Project Description
A mass airflow sensor is used to determine the mass of air entering the engine. The air mass information is necessary to calculate and deliver the correct fuel mass needed by the engine. There are two common types of mass airflow sensors in usage on gasoline engines. They are the vane meter and the hot wire; our trucks have a hot wire sensor.
If the mass air flow sensor becomes dirty it can no longer tell the engine how much air is really getting in. If the engine doesn’t know how much air is coming in it doesn’t know how much fuel to inject into the cylinder. This can cause the engine to idle funny and not get enough fuel which is also called running ‘lean’. Running lean can cause excessive combustion temperatures and lead to engine damage or destruction. Most problems are from "oiled" element air filters such as K&N. More oil is not better on an air filter.
Skill Level
Easy
Project Vehicle
Make: Chevrolet
Model: Colorado Z71
Year: 2005
Engine: 5cly
Power windows: Yes
Sun Roof: No
Tool Needed
CRC Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner (DO NOT use carburetor cleaner or brake cleaner, those leave residue and will make the sensor in worse condition)
Ratchet with a 7/32 socket
Project Time
15min or less
Project Cost
$5.00
The first thing you’ll need to do is locate the sensor. It is located in your intake tube right after the air filter. Your intake may look different.

Now that you have found it it’s time to disconnect it so it can be removed from the intake tube. Completely unplug the electrical connector.


With your ratchet remove the 2 screws from the intake tube.

Once the 2 screws have been removed gently lift the MAF out of the intake tube.

Take your can of CRC Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner and attach the red spray tube, this will ensure the liquid only goes where we want it to and not all over your hands and everything else in the area.

Hold the MAF by the top portion of the sensor and spray 10-15 short blasts into all of the openings. Make sure not to touch any of the wires or sensors inside the MAF with your fingers or the plastic spray tube, doing so will result in a broken sensor.

Now that you have soaked the MAF let it sit for 5-10 minutes to dry.

After it is dry simply put the sensor back into the intake tube.

Secure the sensor with the 2 screws you removed and plug the electrical connector back in.

With the sensor secured and plugged it’s now safe to start your truck. If the sensor was dirty prior to cleaning it you should notice a slight improvement in idle and in some cases the performance difference can be quite drastic. Try to clean your MAF with every air filter change or air filter cleaning if you have a cleanable air filter. For the guys who use a K&N filter I would clean it 100-200 miles after you clean your filter, that gives some time for the excess oil to dissipate.