More and more drivers are trying to take care of their cars by themselves. This results in significant savings because modern cars involve more and more routine service and are made up of more and more technical components that lead to new breakdowns or inconveniences. One of the problems that impacts more and more Audi A3 owners is a clogged air flow meter, which will bring about a loss of power and black exhaust fumes. In this article we are going to look at how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Audi A3? . First, we will teach you how your mass airflow sensor works and its value, second, why it may be important to clean this sensor , and finally, how to clean the mass air flow sensor of a Audi A3 .

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Utility and operation of the mass air flow meter of a Audi A3

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So we begin our content with the operation and point of your Audi A3 flowmeter.

The aim of the mass air flow sensor on Audi A3

The mass air flow sensor is a component that has been created actually quite not too long ago and principally outfitted on diesel models. In actual fact, with injection engines, the fuel and air intake has become very precise and it is consequently necessary for the ECU to know the exact volume of air added into the engine to change 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 A3, do not hesitate to seek advice from our content on this subject.

Mass air flow sensor operation on Audi A3

Now, we are going to check out how it works, before trying to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Audi A3 , you must already find out how it works to achieve this routine service action properly.

The mass air flow sensor is therefore principally there to obtain data on the air intake of your car. To get this done, it must be mounted just after the air intake of your Audi A3, i. e. just after the air filter. It is a pipe outfitted with a sensor that will review the air in the intake and transmit the data to the ECU of your car.

Why clean the mass air flow sensor of a Audi A3?

The mass air flow sensor of your Audi A3 can have problems and this is what we will try to discover and discover what problems you may be struggling with!

Mass air flow sensor problems Audi A3

Here are the different problems that the air flow sensor of your Audi A3 can cause:

  • higher fuel consumption: Because a dirty flow meter will necessarily bring about excessive fuel consumption due to poor air flow…
  • Power loss: Associated with the same problem, this lack of air can cause a loss of power to your engine.
  • Difficulties starting the car: Finally, one of the last traditional problems connected with a dirty flowmeter will be that your Audi A3 will have more difficulties to begin the vehicle.

How do I clean the mass air flow sensor from a Audi A3?

After reviewing the operation and complications that the flowmeter can cause, we will look at how to resolve these problems by showing to you how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Audi A3 . You should know that this operation is actually quite simple to conduct and you will not need advanced mechanical abilities to do it yourself, a good method to avoid a trip to the workshop and a steep bill. Discover down below the different steps to stick to to conduct this routine service act:

  • After having located the mass air flow sensor of your Audi A3 , you will have to dismantle it. To get this done, 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 continue to the step cleaning the mass air flow sensor of your Audi A3 . This sensor will, over time, 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 disturb the operation of the engine unit of your Audi A3. The aim of this cleaning will be to take out all its impure substances 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 take out most of the grime
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  • Now we’ll proceed to the very delicate cleaning of the flow meter filaments. You have to be very cautious, 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 also 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 A3 , you should feel a noticeable difference in the behavior of your engine unit.

Whenever you have any further questions about the Audi A3, do not hesitate to consult our Audi A3 category.