More and more car owners are trying to maintain their cars on their own. This results in substantial savings because contemporary cars necessitate more and more maintenance and are made up of more and more technical parts that lead to new breakdowns or inconveniences. One of the problems that affects more and more Chevrolet Equinox 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 Chevrolet Equinox? . First, we will teach you how your mass airflow sensor functions and its usefulness, second, why it may be relevant to clean this sensor , and finally, how to clean the mass air flow sensor of a Chevrolet Equinox .

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Utility and operation of the mass air flow meter of a Chevrolet Equinox

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So we begin our article with the operation and role of your Chevrolet Equinox flowmeter.

The purpose of the mass air flow sensor on Chevrolet Equinox

The mass air flow sensor is a part that has been developed quite not too long ago and specifically outfitted on diesel models. In truth, with injection engines, the fuel and air intake has become very precise and it is so essential 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 Chevrolet Equinox, do not think twice to seek advice from our article on this subject.

Mass air flow sensor operation on Chevrolet Equinox

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

The mass air flow sensor is therefore specifically there to collect info on the air intake of your motor vehicle. To achieve this, it must be set up just after the air intake of your Chevrolet Equinox, i. e. just after the air filter. It is a pipe outfitted 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 Chevrolet Equinox?

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

Mass air flow sensor problems Chevrolet Equinox

Here are the different problems that the air flow sensor of your Chevrolet Equinox can generate:

  • higher fuel consumption: Because a dirty flow meter will actually end up in higher fuel consumption because of poor air flow…
  • Power loss: Related to the same problem, 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 to a dirty flowmeter will be that your Chevrolet Equinox will have more troubles to begin the car.

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

After looking at the operation and problems 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 Chevrolet Equinox . You should know that this operation is quite basic to execute and you will not need advanced mechanical expertise to do it your self, a good technique to avoid a trip to the mechanic and a steep bill. See below the different steps to stick to to execute this maintenance act:

  • After having based the mass air flow sensor of your Chevrolet Equinox , you will have to dismantle it. To achieve this, act 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 be able to move forward to the step cleaning the mass air flow sensor of your Chevrolet Equinox . 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 be able to collect data correctly, it is in this sense that it will disturb the operation of the engine of your Chevrolet Equinox. The purpose of this cleaning will be to take out all its impure substances to enable 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 careful, 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 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 Chevrolet Equinox , you should feel a noticeable difference in the behavior of your engine.

To get more tips on the Chevrolet Equinox, take a look at the Chevrolet Equinox category.