What is this and what does it do?

[Brandon Friesen]

I was cleaning under the hood the other day and noticed this wire was cut by a mouse. Not sure how long it has been that way but I never really noticed anything wrong with the car. Sometimes it smokes a little much but I get about 500 miles on a tank of fuel with agressive driving and a WETT chip and very little oil consumption.

[ January 14, 2003, 21:47: Message edited by: Brandon Friesen ]

 

[Rammstein]

I think it's the Air flow meter.

I'm not sure since I'm more familiar with a A4 under-hood configuration.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

Rammstein.

 

[Rammstein]

Me again. Air mass flow meter. That would be better.

This device would tell the ECU how much air is passing per interval of time.

Again, I think this is right, but correct me if you can.

Rammstein.

 

[jag60mk2]

Brandon,

Looks like the IAT - Intake Air Temperature Sensor. The MAF has many more wires to it. I'm basing this on my 97 Passat manual, so I could be way off base. Do you have a CEL?

Based on my Passat OBD II, you should have a MIL (Malfunction Indicator Light) 'ON', with a P1161 code - Open or short to B+. If you have a multimeter, you can unplug this and check its resistance. At 32F, it should read 5000-6500 ohms, and the resistance goes up as temp goes down. You may be able to get a new connector in a junk yard and splice it in.

The sensor controls 'engine preheat'. What exactly that means, I don't know.

Hope this helps.

Matt Ross
1997 Passat TDI 91K miles

[ January 15, 2003, 01:29: Message edited by: jag60mk2 ]

 

[MOGolf]

No, that is the crank case ventilation heater under that connector. It heats the "fumes" from the crank case entering the intake from the small black tube. This is to prevent freeze up in that area during cold weather times. It is not a critical piece that would affect performance.

 

[car54]

Originally posted by MOGolf:
No, that is the crank case ventilation heater under that connector. It heats the "fumes" from the crank case entering the intake from the small black tube. This is to prevent freeze up in that area during cold weather times. It is not a critical piece that would affect performance.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is entirely correct. However I would say that its slightly important, as having that freeze can cause big problems. (freezing would be extremely rare, but still, take 5 minutes to solder it back together)

this thread should serve as a warning to anybody who takes advice from newbies. If you dont know, dont guess! MAP sensor before the turbo? LOL. MAF? LOL.

More familiar with the layout of the A4? probably not, since it has the same part in almost the same location!