More and more motorists are trying to take care of their cars on their own. This results in significant 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 impacts more and more Chevrolet Captiva owners is a clogged air flow meter, which will end in a loss of power and black exhaust gases. Today we are going to examine how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Chevrolet Captiva? . First, we will explain how your mass airflow sensor functions and its advantages, second, why it might be important to clean this sensor , and at last, how to clean the mass air flow sensor of a Chevrolet Captiva .

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Utility and action of the mass air flow meter of a Chevrolet Captiva

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So we begin our article with the process and goal of your Chevrolet Captiva flowmeter.

The intent of the mass air flow sensor on Chevrolet Captiva

The mass air flow sensor is a part that has been developed quite recently and specifically outfitted on diesel models. In actual fact, with injection engines, the fuel and air intake has become very precise and it is so important for the ECU to know the exact volume of air injected 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 Chevrolet Captiva, do not hesitate to consult our article on this subject.

Mass air flow sensor operation on Chevrolet Captiva

Now, we are going to have a look at how it functions, before trying to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Chevrolet Captiva , you must already figure out how it works to do this routine service action correctly.

The mass air flow sensor is consequently specifically there to get statistics on the air intake of your car. To get this done, it must be fitted just after the air intake of your Chevrolet Captiva, 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 statistics to the ECU of your car.

Why clean the mass air flow sensor of a Chevrolet Captiva?

The mass air flow sensor of your Chevrolet Captiva can have problems and this is what we will try to discover and figure out what problems you might be struggling with!

Mass air flow sensor problems Chevrolet Captiva

Here are the different problems that the air flow sensor of your Chevrolet Captiva can trigger:

  • higher fuel consumption: Because a dirty flow meter will actually end in higher fuel consumption caused by poor air flow…
  • Power loss: Associated with the same issue, this lack of air can trigger a loss of power to your engine.
  • Difficulties starting the automobile: Finally, one of the last traditional problems connected to a dirty flowmeter will be that your Chevrolet Captiva will have more difficulties to begin the car.

How do I clean the mass air flow sensor from a Chevrolet Captiva?

After examining the operation and concerns that the flowmeter can trigger, we will look at how to fix these problems by showing to you how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Chevrolet Captiva . You should know that this operation is quite simple to execute and you will not need advanced mechanical abilities to do it your self, a good way to avoid a trip to the garage and a steep bill. Discover below the different steps to follow to execute this routine service act:

  • After having located the mass air flow sensor of your Chevrolet Captiva , 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 taken apart, you will be able to move forward to the step cleaning the mass air flow sensor of your Chevrolet Captiva . 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 be able to collect data correctly, it is in this sense that it will disturb the operation of the engine unit of your Chevrolet Captiva. The intent of this cleaning will be to remove all its harmful particles 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 remove 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 careful, otherwise your mass air flow sensor will be permanently broken. 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 harming 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 Chevrolet Captiva , you should feel a noticeable difference in the behavior of your engine unit.

If perhaps you have any additional questions about the Chevrolet Captiva, do not hesitate to consult our Chevrolet Captiva category.