mass air flow sensor diagnosis?

[omodos]

hello all, how do I tell this has gone?or needs cleaning?would the onboard computer says so?or would it have to be hooked up to diags?would the diags also show if the turbo has an issue?still trying to get to the bottom of my power loss on a 3.0d,could be burst hoses off the turbo, blocked catalytic converters or air filter, I have read. But what does this mass air flow sensor actually do, car is currently in a very dusty climate, could it be feasible that is has got clogged dirty?and would that have resulted in my loss of power?

thanks

[Tomaz]

The mass air flow sensor measures exactly that. The amount and density of air moving across it. This is done by heating a resistive wire to a known value, as the air moves across it, the wire is cooled in proportion to the flow and density of air passing over the sensor. As sensor becomes dirty, it will give a false reading, and the engine management system will compensate the fuel mixture incorrectly. Mass air flow sensors are easy to clean or replace. I'm sure there are DIY guides on this site. Good luck

[omodos]

thanks for the reply,could well be a dirty sensor as the car has 30000 miles on it which is not much, but I am in a very dusty climate, so I suppose it could have clogged up, found a link with diags on where the mass air sensor is located but that does not tally up with what I see under the hood of the car, do you have any idea?logically it would be after the air filter I suppose?

[Tomaz]

Good luck, check the fuel filter too.