318ti air intake problem

[ATL318ti]

i recently installed air intake into my 97 318ti and one of the service lights went on. also when i am driving the car it seems like it jerks out of gear or something and my car is an automatic. i dont know what to do. if anyone can help i would greatly appreciate it.

[darkhorse737]

dirt in your AFM?

[ATL318ti]

first of all thanks for the reply. second of all im new to the forum and i do not know what the AFM is. the CAI i put on is brand new if that helps. also if the AFM has dirt in it how would i clean it?

[darkhorse737]

AFM is your Air Flow Meter(a.k.a. MAF-Mass Airflow Meter).

That is that silver box with an electronic plug where you CAI(Cold Air Intake) connects to.

In many cases, a CAI filter is much less dense in filter material, and allows not only air but also minute dirt particles as well. And if yours is the kind that uses an oil recharge every so often, the chances of contaminating your AFM/MAF is even greater.

For starters, you can take of the air filter, get some airflow sensor cleaner(regular brake cleaner will do), and clean it as best u can. and then reinstall.

Pay close attention also to the electric connector to the AFM, many times, the connector pops loose.