Stupid question, everybody locally is out of MAF cleaner. I have ~100 gallons of 100% lab grad ETOH to clean stuff with. The internet seems to believe that you can clean a maf by soaking and cleaning with this stuff but does anybody have any personal experience.
Thinking soak the thing then blow out the MAF with some compressed air.
Car starting shaking and has terrible power and does not want to idle celanly. ~2008 528i BMw with 110K miles, has never had plug or MAf cleaned in the past.
I'd say it's safe enough bet. That way, you can cross that off the list and continue troubleshooting. 
It's probably got a split in an intake boot. They usually split where it's really hard to see. Ask Woody about his recent experience.
I know it is not proper but I have used brake clean with no issues. Follow this advise at your own risk.
dean1484 wrote: I know it is not proper but I have used brake clean with no issues. Follow this advise at your own risk.
Same experience here.
Modern "brake clean" stuff is mostly... wait for it... EtOH.
And you'd rather use it to clean a beamer MAF than make everclear punch?
wearymicrobe wrote: I have ~100 gallons of 100% lab grad ETOH
"To clean stuff with" is not how I'd expect that sentence to end. I may have spent too much time in moonshine country.
The safety data sheet for the CRC MAF cleaner seems to indicate that it has "worse" ingredients in it than ethanol.
Brett_Murphy wrote:wearymicrobe wrote: I have ~100 gallons of 100% lab grad ETOH"To clean stuff with" is not how I'd expect that sentence to end. I may have spent too much time in moonshine country. The safety data sheet for the CRC MAF cleaner seems to indicate that it has "worse" ingredients in it than ethanol.
No lie we have a tax stamp and everything. I go though gallons of the stuff a week for precipitations and formulation.
I may have seen a bottle or two of it in my garage before. That wouldn't make any sense, however, since it's not supposed to leave the lab. 
"Soak" is the wrong word. "Gently clean the sensor" is much, much better.
Bosch hot wire sensors seldom respond to cleaning, in my experience. Unless your K&N let a moth in to stick on something important, you likely need new.
So definitely not a MAF sensor. Torn intake line and a few other things.
Car is getting new plugs, injector service and de-carbon next week at the dealer. Car is BAD> 105K miles and no real service to speak of.
MAF cleaner last I looked was HEXANE chemical formula C₆H₁₄
44Dwarf wrote: MAF cleaner last I looked was HEXANE chemical formula C₆H₁₄
Well crap I have that in 5 gallon buckets as well.
Essentially any organic solvent that leaves zero residue and isn't active on the plastic parts, is fine.
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