filter cleaning w/ little difficulty

[tritonman5.4]

hey guies,this was my first time cleaning my k&n filter and it didnt go so bad but i counldn't find a way to remove the base of it in which the map air flow sensor is connected to,(yall know what im talking about) i tried to uncrew the filter from that part but the screws just kept turninig in both directions right/left,however, i did manage to clean it with the MAFS still attached without getting it wet.is there a easy way in seperating the filter intirely??
dont mean to sound like a ******** !!

thanks in advance,