More and more motorists are trying to maintain their cars on their own. This results in substantial cost savings because contemporary cars require more and more routine service and are made up of more and more technical parts that lead to new breakdowns or inconveniences. One of the complications that disturbs more and more BMW X5 owners is a clogged air flow meter, which will bring about a loss of power and black exhaust fumes. Today we are going to take a look at how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your BMW X5? . First, we will describe how your mass airflow sensor functions and its value, second, why it may be important to clean this sensor , and at last, how to clean the mass air flow sensor of a BMW X5 .

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Utility and operation of the mass air flow meter of a BMW X5

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So we begin our article with the process and aim of your BMW X5 flowmeter.

The intent of the mass air flow sensor on BMW X5

The mass air flow sensor is a part that has been created quite recently and principally outfitted on diesel models. Obviously, 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 loaded 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 BMW X5, do not think twice to consult our article on this subject.

Mass air flow sensor operation on BMW X5

Now, we are going to check out how it functions, before trying to clean the mass air flow sensor of your BMW X5 , you must already figure out how it works to achieve this routine service work accurately.

The mass air flow sensor is therefore principally there to obtain data on the air intake of your car. To do this, it must be set up just after the air intake of your BMW X5, i. e. just after the air filter. It is a pipe outfitted with a sensor that will analyze the air in the intake and transmit the data to the ECU of your car.

Why clean the mass air flow sensor of a BMW X5?

The mass air flow sensor of your BMW X5 can have complications and this is what we will try to discover and understand what complications you may be struggling with!

Mass air flow sensor complications BMW X5

Here are the different complications that the air flow sensor of your BMW X5 can cause:

  • higher fuel consumption: Because a dirty flow meter will necessarily bring about more significant fuel consumption caused by poor air flow…
  • Power loss: Linked to the same problem, this lack of air can cause a loss of power to your engine.
  • Difficulties starting the automobile: Finally, one of the last classic complications connected to a dirty flowmeter will be that your BMW X5 will have more issues to begin the car.

How do I clean the mass air flow sensor from a BMW X5?

After going over the operation and problems that the flowmeter can cause, we will look at how to fix these complications by explaining to you how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your BMW X5 . You should know that this procedure is quite simple to carry out and you will not need advanced mechanical expertise to do it your self, a good technique to avoid a trip to the workshop and a steep bill. See below the different steps to stick to to carry out this routine service act:

  • After having located the mass air flow sensor of your BMW X5 , you will have to dismantle it. To do this, work gently, but you will just have to disassemble it on both sides of the air duct and disconnect the electrical plug on top of it.
  • Once taken apart, you will have the ability to proceed to the step cleaning the mass air flow sensor of your BMW X5 . This sensor will, with 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 accurately, it is in this sense that it will disrupt the operation of the engine unit of your BMW X5. The intent of this cleaning will be to take out all its impurities to allow it to work efficiently again.
  • Let soak the lower section 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 move on to the very delicate cleaning of the flow meter filaments. You have to be very careful, in any other case your mass air flow sensor will be permanently broken. 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 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 BMW X5 , you should feel a noticeable difference in the behavior of your engine unit.

If perhaps you have any further questions about the BMW X5, do not hesitate to consult our BMW X5 category.