I've read that having a cold air intake messes up the mass air flow sensor. I was wondering if someone who had both could give me some input on this matter.
I'm planning on ducting a path from the foglight area to my stock TPI intake and I'm running a wells MAF sensor. I don't want to have any issues with the MAFS but I do want increased air intake. Please advise.

 

Nope, a cold air kit wont hurt anything.

Stop.
Use your brain.
Ask yourself "Does my car run in winter's cold air?"
Tell that to the person who told you.

Be sure there are no air leaks after the filter and after the MAF. This just involves the quality of craftsmanship. If you have a leak, it will definetly alter your motor's state of tune and / or allow unfiltered air to enter.

Things like removing the fins and screens on the MAF sensor DO effect the state of tune.

 

As long as your induction system has a filter installed before the MAF, you should have no problems.

 

I think that the problems I've read about were not related to colder or more dense air, but rather the amount of air coming in and causing turbulence. This was disruptive to the somewhat finiky and delicate MAF sensor. And that kind of does make sense. Most of the people I see with CAIs are running speed density.

What I want are responses from people with both a CAI and a MAF sensor (preferably the tpi stock intake modified as stated in my original post) stating what their particular results are. Thank you.

 

Matlock....NOT TRUE! And I can prove it. I have a high flow Granatelli MAF on my 5.0, designed for a stock intake. When I install a cold air intake in front of the MAF, here's what happens. The airflow is so turbulent and irregular compared to that of the stock intake, that the MAF (with the stock-style sensor location of up top, with a small funnel aiming to it) cannot sample the airflow properly. What happens? It throws a check engine light and THE CAR LEANS OUT. I pulled a set of plugs with the only different in operating being that CAI setup, and my plugs were WHITE. I've since dremeled the back out of the factory intake with no problems.

Now, a CAI typically won't have any ill effects at all with a stock MAF....but a high flow, it's possible. But that's only if you buy a high flow designed for a stock intake. When you go to buy a high flow MAF, IF you do, make sure it's for a cold air intake. Then it will work just fine.

 

He was telling ME to use my brain. Sometimes even when you think you know it all you can still learn something new
But I'm still waiting to hear from people who actually have a thirdgen camaro with the tpi intake with a CAI and a MAFS.

 

Lol exactly... It's unfortunate my setup was on a 5.0 Mustang, but yeah.,... I had CAI on a 91 MAP Camaro with no problems, naturally. I figured I'd offer my problems on the Mustang however. I apolgiize if this reply makes no sense...I'j more drunk than you might believe possible...

 

Yes, the heat removed from the MAF's hotwire will definetly be effected by turbulence. However, the question was asked in the context of a stock thirdgen MAF in a Thirdgen. In light of hundres of successful homeade cold air MAF designs and many dyno-verified gains, addressing this issue is irrelivent in the context of the original question. I'm sorry that your 5.0 had problems using an aftermarket part, but his camaro will simply not. Wish, you can take it from me, a person who has owned 3 thirdgens (two MAF and one SD) together which have experienced probably 15 cold air design iterations, that no tuning issues have arison from these changes.

 

Well, I've had a small problem with mine since I put mine on. Everyonce in a while I'll throw a MAF code, then turn the engine off, wait a couple seconds, restart, then it would be fine. This has only happened since the cold air.

-Jesse

 

I have an 1889 Firebird with the MAF and a SLP cold air induction system. It has been on the car since at least 1991 and I have had no problems with it. Allen

 

If the SLP setup is the one I'm thinking of....that setup still uses the stock intake assembly and all, just replaces the canister right? I doubt that intake is radical enough in design to cause any MAF problems...

and oldblue....do the codes come when you go WOT, or when you're cruising at high speeds? If it's a code through just normal driving or idling, I would tend to think it's more of a problem with the MAF itself than the CAI setup, since at idle/low speed cruising the airflow should be smooth enough not to give the MAF problems.

 

Ooops,

I posted under my buddies SN.

-Jesse (oldblueZ)

 

Nixon1,

The code is only thrown when the car is started cold.

I also think that the wire might be stretched out a bit, so I am going to try to relocate it closer (it's in the stock location though). The clip on the connector was broken when I bought the car. When I had the stock air cleaner, I had no problems with it, and when I switched back to the stock one, I had no problems with it after using the "cold air" for a bit. Now the stock one is on a friends car in Texas so I can't use it any more.

I'll see if I can get pics up in the next couple days. A buddy and I are putting headers on my car and a rear end in his car today and tomorrow, so it could be a while.

-Jesse

 

Hi Nixon1

You are correct about the SLP cold air package. You are also correct in that if the cold air intake into the MAF causes the wrong turbulance you will deffinetely have problems. So if someone is making up one themselves you have to be carefull. Allen