Tried to remove the MAF on my 2001 4Runner while I was cleaning the throttle body. I am very unhappy with whomever designed the attachment. I took the entire air filter box out so I could get to the two screws. In ten seconds I rounded the ends of both screws with a phillips screwdriver. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get the darn screws out or why in the world Toyota put the softest metal screws I have ever seen in this model. I could understand if I tried a screwdriver with it still in the car but with the air filter box removed I had total access and only tried once on each screw. The only way I can even think about doing this is to dremel carefully and remove the surrounding plastic on the MAF so I can use vice grips to remove the screws. Pretty nice designl by Toyota that requires a new part to be purchased instead of cleaning the old one
Any idea if PB Blaster works on screws in plastic. Also I am very afraid of messing up a working MAF. This was preventative maintenence

 

Get some screw extractors and get them screws out, replace with hex head screws or bolts.

 

Do they even make extractors that small?

 

I removed the MAF on my 4Runner this weekend with following tool. Took literally 15 seconds to remove it.

 

Yes, they so make them that small but a simpler way is to use a dremmel to cut a grove in the center and turn it into a flat head screw. This works great and i have used it many times (great for when you don't have the extraters around...)

 

Same thing happened to me. Check out my thread:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/m...r-woes-103667/

I had to remove the air box and use the dremmel tool. Once the head of the screw was shaved off, the rest of it came out easy. Good luck.

 

That service requires some nimble fingers and the biggest problem is dropping those little screws in the forbidden zone!
Then you can easily pinch the O-ring upon installation, stretching it out.
I did that and had to cut the o-ring and crazy glue it back together.
Sounds dumb but it works great. Kenny S

 

use a handheld impact if you can fit it in there. works good on stripped screws.

 

Don't even try to drill out the screw and use a extractor. Broke two different drill bits before going to the dremel. I found a great replacement bolt for 40 cents at Home Depot. Part number 30699-82558 4mmx10mm cap screw with socket head.

 

I had the same problem, and responded to a couple threads about this.

Here's what mine looked like:





I tried one of those screw extractors from SEARS but it just dug it out more.

I did the dremil trick to cut a notch and ended up heating the screw so much that it just melted the plastic around the threaded insert. I just pulled it out and found the corrosion that was causing the problem.

I mixed up some epoxy and glued the insert back in and used an alan head bolt.

Erich

 

Pictures of the two bad boys and the replacement. 20 cents each at Home Depot

 

These worked good from HD.

 

8 year old thread

Can you say JIS screw driver!!!!

 

Well, now that it has risen from the dead(the thread), that is a great suggestion, thanks.

 

That's because our 4Runners are still going strong! My 2002 SR5 now has 297,938 mi...I think I need to clean the MAF for the first time! Excellent thread.