More and more car owners are trying to take care of their cars on their own. This results in significant cost 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 affects more and more Toyota 4Runner owners is a clogged air flow meter, which will bring about a loss of power and black exhaust fumes. In this article we are going to check out how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Toyota 4Runner? . First, we will show you how your mass airflow sensor works and its advantages, second, why it may be important to clean this sensor , and finally, how to clean the mass air flow sensor of a Toyota 4Runner .

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Utility and operation of the mass air flow meter of a Toyota 4Runner

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So we start our article with the operation and goal of your Toyota 4Runner flowmeter.

The aim of the mass air flow sensor on Toyota 4Runner

The mass air flow sensor is a component that has been created quite recently and principally supplied 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 change the actions of complementary intake parts such as the injection or the EGR valve, if you have problems with the EGR valve on your Toyota 4Runner, do not think twice to seek advice from our article on this subject.

Mass air flow sensor operation on Toyota 4Runner

Now, we are going to examine how it works, before trying to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Toyota 4Runner , you must already find out how it works to do this routine service action correctly.

The mass air flow sensor is therefore principally there to collect info on the air intake of your motor vehicle. To do this, it must be fitted just after the air intake of your Toyota 4Runner, i. e. just after the air filter. It is a pipe supplied 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 Toyota 4Runner?

The mass air flow sensor of your Toyota 4Runner can have problems and this is what we will try to find out and discover what problems you may be facing!

Mass air flow sensor problems Toyota 4Runner

Here are the different problems that the air flow sensor of your Toyota 4Runner can cause:

  • higher fuel consumption: Because a dirty flow meter will necessarily result in 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 vehicle: Finally, one of the last traditional problems connected with a dirty flowmeter will be that your Toyota 4Runner will have more difficulties to start the vehicle.

How do I clean the mass air flow sensor from a Toyota 4Runner?

After looking at the operation and problems that the flowmeter can cause, we will look at how to resolve these problems by explaining to you how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Toyota 4Runner . You should know that this operation is quite very easy to perform and you will not need advanced mechanical skills to do it yourself, a good way to avoid a trip to the mechanic and a steep bill. See below the different steps to follow to perform this routine service act:

  • After having based the mass air flow sensor of your Toyota 4Runner , you will have to dismantle it. To do this, action 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 continue to the step cleaning the mass air flow sensor of your Toyota 4Runner . 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 Toyota 4Runner. The aim of this cleaning will be to remove all its harmful particles to enable 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 move on to the very gentle 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 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 Toyota 4Runner , you should feel a noticeable difference in the behavior of your engine.

To get more tips on the Toyota 4Runner, take a look at the Toyota 4Runner category.