I'm not an expert in electronics or mechanics, but I know a little bit. 2 years ago I got the MAF replaced on my 85 2.8v6 firebird, and it's been fine ever since but a few weeks ago the car started to randomly "hiccup" and idle badly. It only does it sometimes, like on every other drive. When I'm on the highway and it happens, it feels like I'm stomping my foot on and off the gas really fast.. it really jerks the drivetrain around and I'm afraid it's hurting the transmission, rear end, etc. My guess was the MAF was acting up again. I hooked up a code reader and got codes 34 and 45 which seems to confirm that the MAF is acting up. I haven't cleared the codes, and I hear the ECM stores codes for the last 50 engine sessions, but it's been more than 50 since it started to do this a few weeks ago, so I think the 34 and 45 are accurate and recent.
Any suggestions on what I should do before spending money on a new MAF? Really appreciate it. thanks.

 

You could try disconnecting the maf and see what happens. They also say that if you tap on it with a screwdriver and it hiccups that's a sign of a bad maf. ~Arnold