More and more drivers are trying to maintain their vehicles by themselves. This outcomes in substantial cost savings because modern cars involve more and more routine service and are done up of more and more technical components that result in new breakdowns or inconveniences. One of the problems that disturbs more and more Citroen Xsara owners is a clogged air flow meter, which will lead to a loss of power and black exhaust gases. Today we are going to examine how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Citroen Xsara? . First, we will describe how your mass airflow sensor functions and its advantages, second, why it might be important to clean this sensor , and finally, how to clean the mass air flow sensor of a Citroen Xsara .

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Utility and operation of the mass air flow meter of a Citroen Xsara

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So we start our content with the procedure and role of your Citroen Xsara flowmeter.

The purpose of the mass air flow sensor on Citroen Xsara

The mass air flow sensor is a component that has been developed quite lately and specifically equipped on diesel models. Obviously, with injection engines, the fuel and air intake has become very precise and it is consequently important for the ECU to know the exact volume of air injected into the engine to adapt the behaviour of complementary intake parts such as the injection or the EGR valve, if you have problems with the EGR valve on your Citroen Xsara, do not hesitate to consult our content on this subject.

Mass air flow sensor operation on Citroen Xsara

Now, we are going to have a look at how it functions, before trying to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Citroen Xsara , you must already figure out how it functions to achieve this routine service act correctly.

The mass air flow sensor is consequently specifically there to obtain data on the air intake of your motor vehicle. To get this done, it must be fitted just after the air intake of your Citroen Xsara, i. e. just after the air filter. It is a pipe equipped 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 Citroen Xsara?

The mass air flow sensor of your Citroen Xsara can have problems and this is what we will try to find out and understand what problems you might be struggling with!

Mass air flow sensor problems Citroen Xsara

Here are the different problems that the air flow sensor of your Citroen Xsara can trigger:

  • higher fuel consumption: Because a dirty flow meter will actually result in higher fuel consumption because of poor air flow…
  • Power loss: Associated with the same problem, this lack of air can trigger 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 Citroen Xsara will have more issues to start the car.

How do I clean the mass air flow sensor from a Citroen Xsara?

After reviewing 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 Citroen Xsara . You should know that this operation is quite basic to carry out and you will not need advanced mechanical expertise to do it yourself, a good technique to avoid a trip to the mechanic and a steep bill. Discover down below the different steps to stick to to carry out this routine service act:

  • After having based the mass air flow sensor of your Citroen Xsara , 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 disconnect the electrical plug on top of it.
  • Once disassembled, you will have the ability to move forward to the step cleaning the mass air flow sensor of your Citroen Xsara . This sensor will, as time passes, 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 affect the operation of the engine unit of your Citroen Xsara. The purpose of this cleaning will be to remove all its harmful particles 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 remove 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 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 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 Citroen Xsara , you should feel a noticeable difference in the behavior of your engine unit.

If you need more tutorials on the Citroen Xsara, go to our Citroen Xsara category.