i've had a few folks say my bikes issue might be the iac sensor. but i cant find a conclusive answer on what to clean it with, some say Throttle body cleaner is fine, other say use MAF sensor cleaner, any thoughts?

 

I have a can of CRC maf cleaner in my garage- so that's what i'd use

if you don;t see a bunch of crud in teh throttle body, unplug and replug ( renew connections ) for your sensor- same for your ECM/ tuner

mike

 

I use isopropyl alcohol and lint free swabs. You get them in a makeup store and the look like a book of matches. the have foam ends.

 

+1 Mass Airflow Sensor Cleaner.

 

Carb cleaner is fine or something similar. Spray it in with the red extender while cycling the ignition.

 

iac was caked with all kinds of funky stuff,aswell as the hollow area inside the tb wall were it goes into. At that point im guessen anything would have been fine to clean it with, but instead replaced it on account of its age.Ive been told all those cleaners are really a rip off and just pick up a gallon can of kerosene. MAF or MAP might be a different story but id replace that too.

 

Later model engines may be different but the throttle bodies I worked on in the 90's were coated with a sealant, use any form of aggressive cleaner and you remove said sealant leading to phantom vacuum leaks poor running and loss of electronic controls to the point of ECM dropping inconsistent codes or again phantoms.

If it will not clean using a soft bristle brush(think toothbrush or flossing brush) and a little water then I replace, for throttle body region at the throttle plate edge junction wipe with a water moistened rag nothing more.

 

Throttle body, carburetor, or brake cleaners will all leave a residue which may throw the IAC's reading off and you'll end up with some phantom codes which are going to be a bitch to track down because they really don't exist. MAF Cleaner does not leave any residue.

 

If you are talking about a sticky IAC pintle then stuff a shop rag down in the throttle body and spray the pintle area with carb cleaner while cycling the ignition.
If you don't put a rag in the throttle body you will probably wet foul the plugs when you go to start the motor.