It depends on how it is dying. If it is the electronics in it, then you need to get a replacement. If it is corrosion in the air box part, then you can sand off that corrosion, but it requires opening up the air box portion which can be difficult due to some really small screws.
You can visually look for corrosion, and check for free motion of the flapper gate. The AFM is attached to the top of the air filter box. Detach it form the ductwork to the engine air intake manifold. Shine a light into the end and look for corroded wall sides. The corrosion will be white and rough. Try moving the flapper. It may bind some. If it does that is a sure sign of corrosion. If you have corrosion issues, then bite the bullet and detach the electrical connector. There is a thin spring wire that serves to keep it in place. It can be lifted out of place on both ends and the connector will easily come off. Otherwise it is near impossible to remove. Don't bend the wire as you need it to keep the connector on when you reassemble it later.
To open up the air box to get access to the corroded interior walls you need to remove the AL air box from the top of the filter box. Once done, then you will see a cover plate held on with a number of small screws. They are JIS standard Philips screws. Find a screwdriver that fits very well, and use allot of pressure when initially getting them to turn, or you will round the Phillips slots off. A bit of the caulking used to seal the airbox must get into the screw threading and make they difficult to remove. If you do round the slots off of one or two, drill the heads off and don't worry. Use a left hand drill bit and you may be able to remove the screw. otherwise remove the head so you can remove the plate. The cover has a seal of some sort of caulking. Cut it and pry up the cover carefully. You don't want to bend it. Once the cover is off you can then use sandpaper to remove the corrosion from the interior surfaces and the edges of the air gate. You don't need to remove the flapper. Removing it requires access into the part where the electronics are, and that would put the electronics at risk of getting wet. When you are done sanding off the corrosion, check to see if the flapper moves freely. It should not have any binding or roughness in it's motion at all. Put the cover back on, again being careful not to round off any of the screw heads. If you bent the cover you will have to use some caulk to seal it, if not it may seal well enough without it. After the cover is secured, again check for free motion. Reattach the AFM to the top of the air filter box, and reinstall.
Another thing to check are the tubes from the AFM to the engine intake manifold. If they have any cracks, then air will get by the AFM and cause fuel starvation.
On a side note, with my '89 removing the corrosion this way seams to last 9 to 12 months and I have to do it again. At the farm I have lots of problems with mice chewing through the air filter* and when that happens, the corrosion seams to return more quickly. The bastards piddle up in the part of the air box they can access. That hastens the corrosion.
* The air filters get seeds trapped in them and the mice chew up the paper elements to get at the seeds.
Man of all the stupid everyone can have a laugh on me it was the egr sad thing is no mechanic could diagnose it but I met an old tech that figured out my problem in 3 hrs. I know it sounds like alot but took that long for it to act up so he could figure it out, Thanks to everyone on here I am sure most anyone on here would have figured it out if I could explain things better but it was more of a drive it to feel it deal.