How to Tell If Your BMW X5 MAF Sensor Is Failing? What’s a MAF sensor? MAF stands for the mass airflow sensor. It is an important part of the fuel delivery system of a vehicle. It sits between the intake manifold and air filter and its sole purpose is to take the measurement of air entering into the cylinders. Feedback provided by the MAF sensor helps the ECM or engine control module to adjust the amount of fuel entering into the cylinders. Thereby, helps in attaining ideal or stoichiometric air-fuel ratio within the combustion chamber. Most modern vehicles including BMW X5 use a hot-wire air flow sensor. Failure of such a key component can destabilize the air-fuel ratio within the cylinders, as a result of which you might face drivability problems. So, if you are noticing signs of a bad MAF sensor in your BMW X5, consider replacing it immediately. Now, let’s have a brief conversation about some of the most common reasons behind MAF sensor failure in BMW X5.
BMW X5 MAF sensor failure: Causes Dust, debris, and other foreign contaminants can make it difficult for the MAF sensor to take the measurement of air entering into the engine. Besides, broken or disconnected wires and mechanical damages can also put the MAF sensor in jeopardy. An electrical short circuit is another possible reason behind MAF sensor failure in your BMW X5. Besides, if it's too old, then it might feed flawed data to the ECM which can cause all kinds of engine-related complications.
BMW X5 MAF sensor failure: Symptoms Struggles to accelerate
It indicates that the engine is starving for fuel. Inaccurate data provided by the MAF sensor makes it difficult for the ECM to maintain an ideal air-fuel mixture within the cylinder, as a result of which your BMW X5 engine might hesitate to accelerate. So, if your car is hesitating to accelerate, then its MAF sensor might be failing. So, inspect it and get it replaced if necessary.
Engine won’t start An ideal or stoichiometric air-fuel ratio for the complete combustion of fuel within the cylinder is 14.7:1. It is a key parameter and a significant change in this ratio can easily affect the engine performance in your BMW X5. A considerable change in air-fuel mix within the combustion chamber due to a faulty MAF sensor can make it difficult for you to start your BMW X5 engine. The engine might crank but won’t start. Replacement of the defective MAF sensor is the only option to resolve the starting problem in your BMW.
Malfunction indicator lamp is on When your car's onboard computer believes that there is something wrong with the system which is interfering with the engine operation, it would activate the malfunction indicator lamp on the instrument panel to warn the driver about the problem in advance. A faulty or broken MAF sensor can adversely affect the engine operation in your BMW X5. When the computer detects the problem, it would turn on the engine warning light to warn you about the issue, so that you can fix it on time.
Black exhaust smoke
It is a classic characteristic of a faulty MAF sensor. Usually, the color of exhaust smoke coming from your BMW X5 is light or thin white. The emergence of thick black-colored exhaust smoke indicates that the airfuel ratio within the combustion chamber of the engine is too rich. It means the quantity of fuel within the combustion chamber is way too much than the quantity of air. A broken MAF might be the culprit. So, check it and get it replaced if it's broken.
Bad gas mileage If your BMW X5 is consuming more fuel than usual, then it can indicate many things. Skipping an oil change, low tire pressure, using bad quality fuel, frequent short trips, bad driving habit, and carrying too much load are some of the most common reasons behind bad gas mileage in a vehicle. Apart from these factors, having a defective MAF sensor can also make your BMW X5 engine consume more fuel than usual.
In conclusion Mass airflow sensor (MAF) assists the ECM to maintain an ideal air-fuel ratio within the combustion chamber of the engine. However, a bad MAF sensor might limit the ability of the ECM to maintain an ideal air-fuel ratio within the combustion chamber of the engine. It can cause an array of engine problems in your vehicle. So, if you are observing some of the above mentioned signs, then your BMW X5 might have a defective MAF that needs to be replaced immediately.