Mass Air Flow Sensor problems
 

I had to buy another MAF and after I hook it up it seems the engine runs better without it. The guy at the parts store told me to check the ground and it turned out to be allright. Any suggestions................Thanks

um..... im pretty sure your car isn't supposed to be able to run at all without the MAF.

87 is right, generally they run like crap and won't idle without the MAF. Depending on the year look for the MAF power and MAF burnoff relays. Replace both of them, they cause more grief than the sensor itself which generally is quite reliable. And it's a whole lot cheaper.

burnoff relay? whats that? my car runs like it doesn't have the MAF/ speed sensor hooked up, but i want to be toatlly sure before i buy a new one, mabye its the burnoff relay? i havn't heard of that, i have 30 lb fuel injectors, so i think the maf is made for them, it says bosch, i didn't install the stuff, the guy who i bought it from did. and info on MAF's would be very helpfull.

on my iroc's, both of those are located up on the firewall next to the wiper motor, in the area of the fuel pump relay. they are the common gm realy, and are really cheap. you can get them almost anywere.

if it runs better with it not hooked up, that usually means the maf has somthing wrong with it. check the wires inside the maf to make sure there is not any lint or junk on them. that will through the whole system off. also, the maf burn off relay not finctioning will have the same effect over time, because it burns dirt off the wires after the car is shut off, that is that click that you hear right after the car is shut off, than efter 5 sec. it clicks again. that is that realay.

good luck.
anthony

Yea im having like the same problem, replaced the fuel filter, throttle positioning sensor, got a cheap ECM replacement, and still, i try to start my car, and it turns over, but dies almost instantly, unless i give her gas, then she stays running, but idle's like crap...sound like the burnoff sensor??? my check engine light was scanned, and it came back as the Burnoff to the MAS, but everyone around here seems to know nothing about those...btw my cars a 88 T/A GTA. think my burnoff relay would be in about the same spot? sound like a cheap easy thing to check none the less

Convert to Speed Density for less than the cost of a new MAF. My car ran without a MAF, I even drove it a few miles which sucked. If your MAF is dead your car will idle better with it unplugged.

i really dont think its the MAF, i just replaced it like 3 months ago with a Granatelli hi-flow one...how are the reviews on that? its still on warranty, so who knows, maybe its a pile? get back to me again bro, i need a car!

unplug the new maf to see if it will idle. if it does , that means the computer is running off the preset paramerters for air flow. this means the maf is bad. also, if the maf burnoff curcuit is not working properly, it will ruin a new maf in no time.

thanks

Patience, planning, perseverance...
 

The MAF power and burn off control relays should be mounted to the rail on the firewall, near the brake booster, similar to this:

http://www.wwdsltd.com/files/TArelays.jpg

The arrangement may vary, so verify that you have the correct relay by comparing the wire colors in the relay socket:

http://www.wwdsltd.com/files/MAFpower.gif

If the relays are intact and operating correctly, the MAF should be reporting an analog voltage signal (0-5VDC) to the ECM via the dark green wire on the MAf "C" terminal. At an 850 RPM idle, the signal should be on the order of 800mV for a 350, 700mV for a 305 TPI:

http://www.wwdsltd.com/files/305MAF850rpm.jpg

If your MAF has completed a burn off cycle successfully, the hot wire should be clean, and the signal should be relatively close to that level. If the signal is significantly lower or higher, there may be a problem with the intake ducting, MAF power, or MAF/ECM wiring.

vader to the rescue again. good job on the diagrams.
a side not on the volt meter, if you dont have a digital one, i would get a cheap one, cause the anolog ones (particularly the cheap ones) are not very accurate.

thanks.