Okay, I voltmetered my MAF, and it reads like 0.9 volts at idle and 1.7 volts at 3000 rpm in neutral. According to
this , the idle reading is a bit on the high side... but I don't worry too much about that given that contamination would tend to lower the voltage, not raise it. Does anyone think these readings indicate anything wrong?
I'm inclined to just clean the wire again, maybe with two or more different chemicals for better luck, and see if the reading changes at all. If anything is wrong here, it's subtle. And yet the engine would hardly rev smoothly when I pulled the throttle open to get the upper reading...