More and more motorists are trying to maintain their cars on their own. This results in substantial savings because contemporary cars necessitate more and more routine service and are done up of more and more technical parts that result in new breakdowns or inconveniences. One of the problems that disturbs more and more Subaru Outback owners is a clogged air flow meter, which will result in a loss of power and black exhaust gases. In this article we are going to look at how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Subaru Outback? . First, we will describe how your mass airflow sensor works 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 Subaru Outback .

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Utility and action of the mass air flow meter of a Subaru Outback

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So we start our article with the operation and role of your Subaru Outback flowmeter.

The goal of the mass air flow sensor on Subaru Outback

The mass air flow sensor is a component that has been created quite not too long ago and principally outfitted on diesel models. Obviously, 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 loaded into the engine to change the behaviour of complementary intake parts such as the injection or the EGR valve, if you have problems with the EGR valve on your Subaru Outback, do not hesitate to seek advice from our article on this subject.

Mass air flow sensor operation on Subaru Outback

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

The mass air flow sensor is consequently principally there to get statistics on the air intake of your motor vehicle. To do this, it must be installed just after the air intake of your Subaru Outback, 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 statistics to the ECU of your car.

Why clean the mass air flow sensor of a Subaru Outback?

The mass air flow sensor of your Subaru Outback 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 Subaru Outback

Here are the different problems that the air flow sensor of your Subaru Outback can generate:

  • higher fuel consumption: Because a dirty flow meter will necessarily lead to excessive fuel consumption due to poor air flow…
  • Power loss: Associated with similar 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 linked to a dirty flowmeter will be that your Subaru Outback will have more issues to start the vehicle.

How do I clean the mass air flow sensor from a Subaru Outback?

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 Subaru Outback . You should know that this process is quite basic to conduct and you will not need advanced mechanical abilities to do it yourself, a good way to avoid a trip to the garage area and a steep bill. See down below the different steps to follow to conduct this routine service act:

  • After having found the mass air flow sensor of your Subaru Outback , you will have to dismantle it. To do this, act 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 disassembled, you will have the ability to proceed to the step cleaning the mass air flow sensor of your Subaru Outback . 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 correctly, it is in this sense that it will affect the operation of the engine of your Subaru Outback. The goal of this cleaning will be to remove all its impurities 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 remove most of the grime
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  • Now we’ll move on to the very gentle cleaning of the flow meter filaments. You have to be very watchful, 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 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 Subaru Outback , you should feel a noticeable difference in the behavior of your engine.

Whenever you have any additional questions about the Subaru Outback, do not hesitate to consult our Subaru Outback category.