The best thing to use is throttle body and carburetor cleaner in a spray can, usually with a red cap. This doesn't leave residue and it's safe to use on the intake piping. The spray is also safe on the maf, so you don't have to worry about damaging it, just try to keep it off of the rubber o-ring because it may cause it to dry up. What I did was spray the maf and the whole interior of the piping with it then let it dry for like 10 mins. I sprayed through both ends of it to make sure that most of it got cleaned. The directions say to warm up the engine to normal operating temperature, but it's not absolutely necessary. While you're at it make sure to clean the intake valve as well.
The maf is quite fragile, so using a q-tip is very risky. Too much pressure on the temp. gauge will prolly snap it off, and replacing a maf is obviously expensive.
I'm not too sure about rinsing out the inside with water, but since cold air intakes w/o splash guards are sometimes exposed to water due to rain or whatever, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Last time I checked my intake pipe, it was clear of any rust. But yeah, not too sure about that...
Edit:
Forgot to add that you can find the cleaner at any car parts shop like Pep Boys, Walmart, Target, etc, not sure about the local shops in HI. btw how's that for a first post haha.
Last edited by Kaze; Mar 27, 2005 11:58pm.