OK....what is the piece that makes up the middle part of the air induction system of a TPI....(i know this sounds confusing...)

Theres the first part...which covers the air cleaners and then theres a clamp...holding on to the middle section...(is this the MAF sensor??) and then theres just the rubber tube leading to the throttle body....

reason i ask is because i took this middle section off....and somehow managed to break one of the little wires inside it??? just wondering what it is...and if now i need to replace it cause i broke one of those wires

(on a plus not i did find that my car had an Air Foil on it...when i was thinking about buying one....do those help as much as they say??)

 

yes, that is the mass airflow sensor. if you broke a wire inside, you will have to replace it. i have heard that airfoils make little or no difference at all. i don't know from personal experience as i have never had one.

 

Your MAF:





As for the air foils, they can help fuel mileage and performance in some instances. The one such instance I can envision is if you were carrying a large bag of pennies and nickels in your car, and the cost of the air foil would be paid using those coins, there would be a slight fuel mileage and performance increase due primarily to removing the 50 pounds of coin from the interior. The air foil itself wouldn't really account for much unless your setup is already operating near the peak flow of the throttle body. If you are running a stock or nearly stock setup, save your cash for something that can make a real difference.

 

And if this is for your TBI, forget it. The throttle air foil doesn't apply to that system.

 

That really sucks that you broke your MAF sensor. You might want to think about finding a used ones here on the classifieds. I think that I saw one person on here buying old ones for about $20, that will save you a little bit. If you buy it new expect to pay over $200, that little wire you broke was a big expence and the price of an airfoil is nothing compared to the price of a MAF sensor. Good luck and I dont think your car will be running good with a broken MAF. Just my opinion though I know mine didnt.
Have fun,
Dennis