More and more motorists are trying to maintain their cars by themselves. This results in significant savings because contemporary cars involve more and more routine service and are made up of more and more technical parts that result in new breakdowns or inconveniences. One of the problems that impacts more and more Volkswagen Polo 5 owners is a clogged air flow meter, which will end in 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 Polo 5? . First, we will explain how your mass airflow sensor functions and its advantages, second, why it might be relevant to clean this sensor , and finally, how to clean the mass air flow sensor of a Volkswagen Polo 5 .

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Utility and operation of the mass air flow meter of a Volkswagen Polo 5

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So we start our article with the operation and role of your Volkswagen Polo 5 flowmeter.

The goal of the mass air flow sensor on Volkswagen Polo 5

The mass air flow sensor is a component that has been created actually quite not long ago and specifically equipped on diesel models. Obviously, with injection engines, the fuel and air intake has become very precise and it is therefore necessary 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 Volkswagen Polo 5, do not think twice to seek advice from our article on this subject.

Mass air flow sensor operation on Volkswagen Polo 5

Now, we are going to examine how it functions, before trying to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Volkswagen Polo 5 , you must already figure out how it works to achieve this routine service action properly.

The mass air flow sensor is consequently specifically there to collect info on the air intake of your motor vehicle. To achieve this, it must be installed just after the air intake of your Volkswagen Polo 5, i. e. just after the air filter. It is a pipe equipped 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 Polo 5?

The mass air flow sensor of your Volkswagen Polo 5 can have problems and this is what we will try to find out and understand what problems you might be facing!

Mass air flow sensor problems Volkswagen Polo 5

Here are the different problems that the air flow sensor of your Volkswagen Polo 5 can generate:

  • higher fuel consumption: Because a dirty flow meter will necessarily end up in excessive fuel consumption caused by poor air flow…
  • Power loss: Related to similar issue, this lack of air can generate a loss of power to your engine.
  • Difficulties starting the vehicle: Finally, one of the last classic problems connected with a dirty flowmeter will be that your Volkswagen Polo 5 will have more issues to start the vehicle.

How do I clean the mass air flow sensor from a Volkswagen Polo 5?

After examining the operation and concerns that the flowmeter can generate, we will look at how to solve these problems by showing to you how to clean the mass air flow sensor of your Volkswagen Polo 5 . You should know that this procedure is actually quite basic to perform and you will not need advanced mechanical expertise to do it your self, a good way to avoid a trip to the garage area and a steep bill. See below the different steps to stick to to perform this routine service act:

  • After having located the mass air flow sensor of your Volkswagen Polo 5 , you will have to dismantle it. To achieve this, action gently, 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 taken apart, you will be able to proceed to the step cleaning the mass air flow sensor of your Volkswagen Polo 5 . 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 be able to collect data properly, it is in this sense that it will disturb the operation of the engine of your Volkswagen Polo 5. The goal of this cleaning will be to remove all its impure substances 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 delicate cleaning of the flow meter filaments. You have to be very careful, otherwise 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 damaging 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 Polo 5 , you should feel a noticeable difference in the behavior of your engine.

If you wish more tutorials on the Volkswagen Polo 5, go to our Volkswagen Polo 5 category.