I think I answered the question earlier.  If you really believe that there is play that is causing the wiper arm to lose contact with the conductive trace then you'll have to find a way to take it apart.  The AFM rebuild guys do it.  But they have skills and special tools.

There's almost always a way to get things done.

4 minutes ago, chaseincats said:

You can tune the car using an air fuel gauge by changing the tension in the AFM's spring after confirming your water temperature sensor is working properly. 

That's not really tuning.  It's just messing with things.  When you change the tension on the spring you alter the air-fuel ratio curve over the whole of the air flow range.  You can't pick a spot and "tune" it in.

p.s. the procedure from atlanticz is meant to get the AFM back in spec after people mess with the spring and ruin the AFM performance.

Edited July 23, 20222 yr by Zed Head

Have you looked at the other end of the shaft?  Maybe there's a clip missing.  That would be a start. 

28 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

Have you looked at the other end of the shaft?  Maybe there's a clip missing.  That would be a start. 

If we can figure out how to open these things we absolutely would haha

Got a Phillips head screwdriver?

I agree with Zed. You can get the Stoichiometric (air/fuel ratio) set by messing with the AFM but you will not see any performance increases. You can only get so much air thru these things with out using forced air induction.  

BTW there are actually 2 screws (air bypasses) on the meter that lets you "tune" the fuel ratio. You don't have to open the cover. I understand that you have an issue and that is a worn out bushing, get a rebuilt AFM. If this thing is that worn out it will cause issues for a long time. Best bet is a new one.

The yellow box is the bypass screw that is used to CORRECTLY "tune" your air/fuel mixture.

6 hours ago, Zed Head said:

Got a Phillips head screwdriver?

I thought those were rivets but apparently they just stripped all the screws - great

If you've got play like that in the AFM, I'd just replace it with another one.

Then after you've got it fixed, I'd autopsy the old one. Grind the stripped out screw heads flush and then pry that cover off. I would expect the sealant to put a fight though.

I'd be interested in seeing the insides. It seems hard for me to believe that a bushing has worn out so much there is visible slop in the arm. Wonder what happened and why!