No warranty on MAS if you have an oiled airfilter

[torque]

A Chevy dealer told me that if an oiled airfilter (eg: Amsoil) is installed, it will foul the Mass Airflow Sensor. And, if the dealer finds one installed, the warranty will be voided on the MAS. He said there is a GM bulletin on this.
Last week, my SES light came on and I called Onstar. They said that there was a problem in my air intake and to see a dealer in 7 days. So, I checked the MAS and the little wire sensors were really dirty. Long story short: I broke one of the little sensors trying to clean it with a Q-tip. Yeah, I should have been more careful, but I was in the middle of Utah with my 5th wheel strapped on. Anyway, now I know what a (clean) new one looks like because I bought one in Moab.
The truck runs fine, it got me home to L.A. Now, how does one turn off that annoying SES light?

[Kennedy]

It should cycle out by itself if the problem has been corrected. What air filter are you using?

For future reference, a spray cleaner like tuner cleaner or electrical parts cleaner is the best way to clean it. It shouldn't get dirty or heavily oiled though anyhow.

Also be sure to remove the sensor or air box lid and do NOT spray into the intake...

[torque]

Thanks for reply.
I have an Amsoil. The truck has 49K miles and the Amsoil has been in for all of those miles.
I had the duct section with the MAS in it out to clean the MAS when I broke the sensor. I didn't have the tamper-proof Torx wrench to remove the MAS then (I do now).
The dealer mentioned contact cleaner, he said it doesn't always work. I tried it on the old MAS just to see what it would do - it did make the sensors look a lot cleaner.
Sounds like you're telling me I have to go to a dealer to turn off the SES???

[DmaxMaverick]

You don't have to go to the dealer, but you could. After several starting cycles, it will clear itself if the problem was corrected. If it doesn't clear, the sensor wasn't the problem. It could have been a dirty connector or poor connection somewhere else. If you know someone with a Hypertech or Predator, they can clear the code for you.

Some early Amsoil TS filters (yours should be a TS123) were delivered with too much oil, and some had issues with contaminated MAF's. A properly serviced oil/foam filter won't cause problems. I've been using an Amsoil TS123 for over 85K.

The bulletin your dealer refered to only instructs tech's to check the MAF for oil contamination if an oiled type filter is used, and to deny warranty coverage if the contamination condition exists. If the MAF were to fail, and not be oil contaminated, they would have to cover the repair, regardless of your filter choice.

[FleetFilter.com]

Same thing happened to a lot of Fords. Guys were over-oiling their K&Ns and fouling their MAFs too.

It's not a big deal - just be careful not to soak the filter.

[Kennedy]

I'll add that I have yet to see a Dmax MAF sensor that was actually damaged. Cleaning seems to fix them right up...

[AB_DURAMAX]

I have also read here that using 99% alcohol from your local drug store does the trick...tried it and it worked for me.

[Brian DMT]

FYI - Another solution to avoiding the whole oil-contamination problem is to upgrade to the new AMSOIL Ea nanofiber air filter, guaranteed 4 years/100,000 miles and 100% efficient absolute removal down to 3 micron particles. Airflow is just barely more restrictive than an oiled gauze keep-out-the-feathers-and-leaves filter, but these don't use oil and they're GM certified. So you get no warranty issues, and have easier 25k mile cleaning, great fuel economy and ultimate engine protection. :D

[ 10-24-2005, 11:18 AM: Message edited by: DmaxMaverick ]

[DmaxMaverick]

Brian DMT

We appreciate your product info.

Greg Landuyt ( www.lubricationspecialist.com (http://www.lubricationspecialist.com) ) introduced the new Amsoil filter(s) in the Advertiser's Forum (http://forum.thedieselpage.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=20) several days ago. Greg is a TDP Advertising supporter, and is allowed commercial advertising privileges. Please adhere to Forum posting rules in this regard. If you have questions or concerns regarding this, please contact me (dmaxmaverick@thedieselpage.com) or Jim (turbo@thedieselpage.com).