can o2 and map sensors be cleaned? and if so ; what with ?
not keen on melting plastic or damaging stuff so any advise from you guys would be most appreciated .

 

o2 sensors...I think the answer is no.
For map sensors...I think there is an aerosol canned cleaner or two...like carb cleaner that does MAP sensors (just check the cans in the store..GUMOUT is ok if I remember what it said)....Just becareful....I have heard stories of people that have broken MAP sensors trying to clean them.
Is you 04 part of the extended warranty for o2 sensors? On many cars it was extended to 100,000 miles/10 years.

 

i've gone past 100,000 . just was getting flat spot and thought while i was poking around i'd clean everything up . boost is still hittin 15lb. but flat spot is definately there . could be the crap winter gas . shutting off dsc gets rid of the bogging down from computer but right around 3-4000 rpms i get the flat spot / lag . maybe i'll be late to the vgs party and try that . waaaaaaay late .

 

Yeah....that thread is an oldey, but goodey!! I've debated doing it a few time....but can't decide which of the 2 ways!

 

Usually if you get a CEL code for an 02 Sensor, they are usually bad and need to be replaced. However, a few years back when Hurricane Katrina rolled through and there was a gas shortage, I tripped a CEL code on my 2003 Cooper for the 02 Sensor. The CEL would come on for a while and then go away. The guy at Auto Zone said there was a rash of bad gas going around and to just take my 02 Sensor off and clean it. No chemicals or anything, just take a clean rag and wipe it off. Never had a problem after that.

 

thanks deth

 

No problem. As far as the MAP sensors are concerned, Zippy is right. There is a special cleaner for Mass air flow sensors that can be used on MAP sensors as well. You can get it at auto parts store where they sell carb cleaner. The thing is, when I took my MAP sensors off recently and replaced them due to a CEL in the MAP system, the sensor near the oil filler looked brand new and the sensor closest to the front of the engine was hardly what I'd call dirty. With the cleaner, you just spray it on and it evaporates. You could just pull them off and check them out. If you're not getting any MAP related codes, I'd just leave them alone.

 

Whipeing off an o2 sensor might be ok...if it has lots of gunk on it it could help it respond more accuratey. Usually when they age, they get "lazy", meaning they get slower to respond to mixture changes. The other failure mode is they just stop after being poisoned by some chemical or addiditive (lead, excessive sulpher, zinc, etc), and throw a code pretty quick.
It sounds like a few folks have gotten the far cheaper universal type o2 (still the 4 wire type I think, not the 2) and soldered on the mini plug with some sucess to save a few $$. If you are over 100,000 miles, I say it is time...I think the manual says to swap them out at 120,000 miles if I remember right...I'd have too look it up, but they do so much to help the motor control the mixture, they might be a good place to start, both as trouble shooting, and even preventive mataince. They are $$, but might be worth it.

 

Is replacing the o2 sensor as simple as just unscrewing it? Or is there any sort of multiple cycling of the ignition to recognize the new part?

 

Nope, unscrew it out and screw the new one in. It only gets hard if you get a universal one and have to splice the mini connector on.

 

Thank you for that! I ordered the Bosch from Bavarian Autosport..