More and more drivers are trying to take care of their cars by themselves. This results in substantial cost savings because contemporary cars involve more and more maintenance and are done up of more and more technical components that lead to new breakdowns or inconveniences. One of the complications that disturbs more and more Toyota Prius owners is a clogged air flow meter, which will result in a loss of power and black exhaust fumes. Today we are going to look at how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Toyota Prius? . First, we will teach you how your mass airflow sensor functions and its advantages, second, why it may be relevant to clean this sensor , and at last, how to clean the mass air flow sensor of a Toyota Prius .
Utility and operation of the mass air flow meter of a Toyota Prius
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So we begin our content with the procedure and intent of your Toyota Prius flowmeter.
The purpose of the mass air flow sensor on Toyota Prius
The mass air flow sensor is a part that has been created actually quite not too long ago and principally equipped on diesel models. Indeed, 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 loaded into the engine to modify 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 Prius, do not think twice to consult our content on this subject.
Mass air flow sensor operation on Toyota Prius
Now, we are going to check out how it functions, before trying to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Toyota Prius , you must already find out how it functions to do this maintenance action correctly.
The mass air flow sensor is therefore principally there to collect data on the air intake of your motor vehicle. To achieve this, it must be installed just after the air intake of your Toyota Prius, i. e. just after the air filter. It is a pipe equipped with a sensor that will analyze the air in the intake and transmit the data to the ECU of your car.
Why clean the mass air flow sensor of a Toyota Prius?
The mass air flow sensor of your Toyota Prius can have complications and this is what we will try to find out and understand what complications you may be facing!
Mass air flow sensor complications Toyota Prius
Here are the different complications that the air flow sensor of your Toyota Prius can cause:
- higher fuel consumption: Because a dirty flow meter will actually end up in excessive fuel consumption because of poor air flow…
- Power loss: Related to the same problem, this lack of air can cause a loss of power to your engine.
- Difficulties starting the car: Finally, one of the last classic complications linked to a dirty flowmeter will be that your Toyota Prius will have more difficulties to begin the vehicle.
How do I clean the mass air flow sensor from a Toyota Prius?
After examining the operation and problems that the flowmeter can cause, we will look at how to solve these complications by showing to you how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Toyota Prius . You should know that this operation is actually quite basic to carry out and you will not need advanced mechanical abilities to do it yourself, a good technique to avoid a trip to the garage and a steep bill. Discover below the different steps to follow to carry out this maintenance act:
- After having based the mass air flow sensor of your Toyota Prius , you will have to dismantle it. To achieve this, action delicately, 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 Toyota Prius . 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 have the ability to collect data correctly, it is in this sense that it will affect the operation of the engine unit of your Toyota Prius. The purpose 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
- Now we’ll move on to the very delicate cleaning of the flow meter filaments. You have to be very cautious, otherwise your mass air flow sensor will be permanently damaged. 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 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.
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Now you know how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Toyota Prius , you should feel a noticeable difference in the behavior of your engine unit.
If you want more tutorials on the Toyota Prius, go to our Toyota Prius category.
