More and more drivers are trying to take care of their vehicles on their own. This results in significant savings because modern cars require more and more routine service and are made up of more and more technical components that result in new breakdowns or inconveniences. One of the complications that affects more and more Volkswagen Golf 3 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 take a look at how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Volkswagen Golf 3? . First, we will explain how your mass airflow sensor functions and its value, second, why it might be relevant to clean this sensor , and finally, how to clean the mass air flow sensor of a Volkswagen Golf 3 .

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Utility and operation of the mass air flow meter of a Volkswagen Golf 3

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So we begin our content with the process and role of your Volkswagen Golf 3 flowmeter.

The aim of the mass air flow sensor on Volkswagen Golf 3

The mass air flow sensor is a component that has been created quite not long ago and mainly outfitted on diesel models. In fact, 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 added 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 Volkswagen Golf 3, do not hesitate to seek advice from our content on this subject.

Mass air flow sensor operation on Volkswagen Golf 3

Now, we are going to look at how it functions, before trying to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Volkswagen Golf 3 , you must already understand how it works to do this routine service work properly.

The mass air flow sensor is therefore mainly there to get info on the air intake of your motor vehicle. To get this done, it must be set up just after the air intake of your Volkswagen Golf 3, i. e. just after the air filter. It is a pipe outfitted with a sensor that will review the air in the intake and transfer the info to the ECU of your car.

Why clean the mass air flow sensor of a Volkswagen Golf 3?

The mass air flow sensor of your Volkswagen Golf 3 can have complications and this is what we will try to discover and understand what complications you might be struggling with!

Mass air flow sensor complications Volkswagen Golf 3

Here are the different complications that the air flow sensor of your Volkswagen Golf 3 can provoke:

  • higher fuel consumption: Because a dirty flow meter will actually end in excessive fuel consumption because of poor air flow…
  • Power loss: Associated with the same issue, this lack of air can provoke a loss of power to your engine.
  • Difficulties starting the car: Finally, one of the last traditional complications connected to a dirty flowmeter will be that your Volkswagen Golf 3 will have more issues to begin the car.

How do I clean the mass air flow sensor from a Volkswagen Golf 3?

After going over the operation and concerns that the flowmeter can provoke, we will look at how to solve these complications by describing to you how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Volkswagen Golf 3 . You should know that this procedure is quite basic to carry out and you will not need advanced mechanical expertise to do it yourself, a good method to avoid a trip to the garage and a steep bill. See below the different steps to follow to carry out this routine service act:

  • After having found the mass air flow sensor of your Volkswagen Golf 3 , you will have to dismantle it. To get this done, work 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 be able to carry on to the step cleaning the mass air flow sensor of your Volkswagen Golf 3 . 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 properly, it is in this sense that it will disturb the operation of the engine unit of your Volkswagen Golf 3. The aim of this cleaning will be to remove all its impurities to allow 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 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, delicately 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 Volkswagen Golf 3 , you should feel a noticeable difference in the behavior of your engine unit.

Whenever you have any further questions about the Volkswagen Golf 3, do not hesitate to consult our Volkswagen Golf 3 category.