You either have a good size vacuum leak or a bad MAF.
Look around and listen for a vacuum leak. You can take a 3 foot piece of rubber hose.3/8 or bigger will work and hold one end in your ear. Move the other end around the vacuum lines and hoses. You will hear a vacuum leak pretty easily.
You can also spray carb cleaner around lines and gaskets.A change in idle indicates a leak where the cleaner is getting into plenum.
MAF can be cleaned. The explore should have the MAF that has the aluminum snorle tube and the actual MAF sensor has three anti tamper torx screws holding it in. I think they are t-15s. But they are the anit tamper ones.
You can get them out with a little work without the right torx bit.A small flat head screwdriver will work. I have also used a dremmel cut off tool to cut a slight slot in the heads of them so I can use a flat blade screw driver. When I have misplaced my anti tamper torxs and in a hurry.
Take it out and spray the two little wires with the resistor looking thingys (technical aren't I) with brake parts cleaner or Mass airflow intake cleaner. Either will work fine.
You can use a q-tip on them too but BE CAREFUL. If you bend them too much or break the connection. You will most likely be buying a new one. Unless you are real handy with a fine tip soldering iron.
Put it back together an clear codes and drive it.
Find those vacuum leaks too.
Friday, November 16th, 2007 AT 7:53 PM