More and more drivers are trying to take care of their vehicles by themselves. This outcomes in substantial cost savings because contemporary cars require more and more routine service and are done up of more and more technical components that lead to new breakdowns or inconveniences. One of the problems that affects more and more Audi A1 owners is a clogged air flow meter, which will lead to a loss of power and black exhaust gases. In this article we are going to examine how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Audi A1? . First, we will explain how your mass airflow sensor works and its value, second, why it might be relevant to clean this sensor , and at last, how to clean the mass air flow sensor of a Audi A1 .

clean-mass-airflow-sensor-audi-a1

Utility and operation of the mass air flow meter of a Audi A1

.
So we start our content with the operation and role of your Audi A1 flowmeter.

The intent of the mass air flow sensor on Audi A1

The mass air flow sensor is a component that has been developed quite lately and mainly equipped on diesel models. Indeed, with injection engines, the fuel and air intake has become very precise and it is so necessary for the ECU to know the exact volume of air added into the engine to adapt the actions of complementary intake parts such as the injection or the EGR valve, if you have problems with the EGR valve on your Audi A1, do not think twice to seek advice from our content on this subject.

Mass air flow sensor operation on Audi A1

Now, we are going to take a look at how it works, before trying to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Audi A1 , you must already understand how it works to do this routine service action properly.

The mass air flow sensor is consequently mainly there to collect info on the air intake of your car. To do this, it must be installed just after the air intake of your Audi A1, i. e. just after the air filter. It is a pipe equipped with a sensor that will analyze the air in the intake and transfer the info to the ECU of your car.

Why clean the mass air flow sensor of a Audi A1?

The mass air flow sensor of your Audi A1 can have problems and this is what we will try to find out and understand what problems you might be facing!

Mass air flow sensor problems Audi A1

Here are the different problems that the air flow sensor of your Audi A1 can bring about:

  • higher fuel consumption: Because a dirty flow meter will necessarily bring about more significant fuel consumption caused by poor air flow…
  • Power loss: Related to the same problem, this lack of air can bring about a loss of power to your engine.
  • Difficulties starting the vehicle: Finally, one of the last traditional problems connected with a dirty flowmeter will be that your Audi A1 will have more troubles to start the car.

How do I clean the mass air flow sensor from a Audi A1?

After reviewing the operation and complications that the flowmeter can bring about, we will look at how to resolve these problems by describing to you how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Audi A1 . You should know that this operation is quite very easy to execute and you will not need advanced mechanical abilities to do it your self, a good method to avoid a trip to the workshop and a steep bill. See down below the different steps to follow to execute this routine service act:

  • After having based the mass air flow sensor of your Audi A1 , you will have to dismantle it. To do this, action delicately, but you will just have to disassemble it on both sides of the air duct and detach the electrical plug on top of it.
  • Once disassembled, you will have the ability to carry on to the step cleaning the mass air flow sensor of your Audi A1 . This sensor will, as time passes, get dirty and its two “filaments” that will give information to your computer on the quality and temperature of the air will no longer have the ability to collect data properly, it is in this sense that it will disrupt the operation of the engine unit of your Audi A1. The intent of this cleaning will be to remove all its harmful particles to allow it to work efficiently again.
  • Let soak the lower part of your mass air flow sensor (not the plug part) in acetone or another solvent for a few minutes , which will remove most of the grime
  • .

  • Now we’ll proceed to the very delicate cleaning of the flow meter filaments. You have to be very watchful, otherwise your mass air flow sensor will be permanently damaged. With the help of a fine brush and solvent, delicately clean the two filaments of your mass air flow sensor . If you are too afraid of damaging it, you can as well clean them with a brake fluid in the form of an aerosol by spraying the jet on these filaments.

Now you know how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Audi A1 , you should feel a noticeable difference in the behavior of your engine unit.

Whenever you have any further questions about the Audi A1, do not hesitate to consult our Audi A1 category.