I picked up a 97 Tbird about 6months ago. Cleaning the mass airflow sensor cleared the lean codes. Just picked up a 99 E-250 a couple weeks ago. Same lean codes.
One of the mechanics at work cleaned the MAF but it still kept throwing lean codes, so I got a reman MAF from O'reilly.
When I went to reinstall the round plastic plate that the MAF is bolted to, the bloody plate wouldn't sit straight while I put the air filter in. Kept shifting outward at the bottom, leaving a 1/8 gap. I found that there are several plastic tabs that hold that plate in, and a couple were snapped off.
The helpful mechanic at work had cleaned the MAF in the parking lot at work in the dark and hadn't noticed the problem.
So I finally got the air filter back in and the housing reassembled without the plate shifting, and the lean codes went away long enough for it to pass smog, but eventually came back.
I suspect that I didn't really need to replace the MAF. I think that a bit of air getting past the edge of that plate - bypassing both the filter and the MAF - is the problem.
I won't know for sure till I replace that plate. Dealer could get the whole air cleaner assembly, but not just that one part so I'm going to have to find one in a junkyard.
Or...maybe make some brackets and screw the thing in.
It's the part marked "9A628" in this image (same image I saw on the dealer's computer):