More and more car owners are trying to maintain their vehicles by themselves. This results in considerable cost savings because contemporary cars involve more and more maintenance and are made up of more and more technical parts that result in new breakdowns or inconveniences. One of the problems that disturbs more and more BMW 5 Series owners is a clogged air flow meter, which will end in a loss of power and black exhaust gases. In this article we are going to take a look at how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your BMW 5 Series? . First, we will show you how your mass airflow sensor functions and its advantages, second, why it may be relevant to clean this sensor , and at last, how to clean the mass air flow sensor of a BMW 5 Series .

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Utility and action of the mass air flow meter of a BMW 5 Series

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So we start our content page with the procedure and purpose of your BMW 5 Series flowmeter.

The purpose of the mass air flow sensor on BMW 5 Series

The mass air flow sensor is a part that has been developed quite recently and specifically supplied on diesel models. Indeed, with injection engines, the fuel and air intake has become very precise and it is therefore important for the ECU to know the exact volume of air loaded 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 BMW 5 Series, do not think twice to seek advice from our content page on this subject.

Mass air flow sensor operation on BMW 5 Series

Now, we are going to have a look at how it functions, before trying to clean the mass air flow sensor of your BMW 5 Series , you must already figure out how it works to achieve this maintenance act correctly.

The mass air flow sensor is therefore specifically there to get info on the air intake of your car. To get this done, it must be set up just after the air intake of your BMW 5 Series, i. e. just after the air filter. It is a pipe supplied with a sensor that will analyze the air in the intake and transmit the info to the ECU of your car.

Why clean the mass air flow sensor of a BMW 5 Series?

The mass air flow sensor of your BMW 5 Series can have problems and this is what we will try to discover and figure out what problems you may be facing!

Mass air flow sensor problems BMW 5 Series

Here are the different problems that the air flow sensor of your BMW 5 Series can generate:

  • higher fuel consumption: Because a dirty flow meter will necessarily result in more significant fuel consumption because of poor air flow…
  • Power loss: Related to the same issue, this lack of air can generate a loss of power to your engine.
  • Difficulties starting the automobile: Finally, one of the last classic problems connected with a dirty flowmeter will be that your BMW 5 Series will have more difficulties to start the vehicle.

How do I clean the mass air flow sensor from a BMW 5 Series?

After looking at the operation and concerns that the flowmeter can generate, we will look at how to fix these problems by describing to you how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your BMW 5 Series . You should know that this operation is quite simple to accomplish and you will not need advanced mechanical skills to do it yourself, a good method to avoid a trip to the mechanic and a steep bill. See below the different steps to stick to to accomplish this maintenance act:

  • After having located the mass air flow sensor of your BMW 5 Series , you will have to dismantle it. To get this done, act gently, 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 taken apart, you will have the ability to continue to the step cleaning the mass air flow sensor of your BMW 5 Series . 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 correctly, it is in this sense that it will disturb the operation of the engine unit of your BMW 5 Series. The purpose 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 gentle cleaning of the flow meter filaments. You have to be very watchful, in any other case your mass air flow sensor will be permanently damaged. With the help of a fine brush and solvent, gently clean the two filaments of your mass air flow sensor . If you are too afraid of destroying 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 BMW 5 Series , you should feel a noticeable difference in the behavior of your engine unit.

If you have any additional questions about the BMW 5 Series, do not hesitate to consult our BMW 5 Series category.