I've seen people cutting the screens on Mass Air Flow sensors but im really worried about the harmful dirt particles that escape the air filter damaging the heated wire. Obviously their two screens for each side. One for inlet and one for outlet. If i just cut the outlet(screen closest to throttle bodie)will airflow increase substantially. How much hp is expected if i cut out both screens.

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92' camaro
New 305 block TPI conversion, Flat top pistons,Bore over .30 Forged parts all around,Edelbrock intake,ported plennum,ported corvette alluminum heads, accel cam,52mm throttle bodie, SLP runners Home aid cold air induction, Air foil,ford SVO 19lb injectors,fuel regulator,cloys timing chain, comp alluminum roller rocker arms and pushrods MSD 8.5 mm wires, bosch plattinum plugs, hypertech cap & rotor and coil, Edelbrock TES headers, free flowing catalytic converter and a 3 inch force II flowmaster exhaust system, and a 3 inch cutout,Zoom multi friction clutch, T-5 tranny,billenstien shocks&struts.
Soon to come!!!
Procharger system 12lbs o boost.
New paint job(hawaiin orchid purple)Cast alluminum ZR1 rims w/ 275 tires.
Favorite quote: "where ever u go, there u are"

Other car;
1971 plymouth Duster
Mods:340,edelbrock victor jr. intake, 650 4 barrel holley, heddman headers,40 series dual flowmasters, cold air intake,4:10 gears, just got a new paint job and cragar rims with 315 tires in the back.
:Yeah its not a chevy but damn how many 71' dusters have u seen in the streets.

 

I wouldn't worry about the dirt coming through your air filter. That is not the reason for the screens. The screens are there to smooth the air coming into the throttle body.

I wouldn't mess with it unless you are making big H.P. I took mine out and have not a had a problem in 5 years. But....after putting it on a scanner I could tell it changed the flow from the preprogrammed tables on the PROM. It will run without reprogramming the chip but it will not be optimized to handle the additional air flow. If I knew back then what know now I wouldn't of taken them out.

TPIS reported the biggest gain in airflow was achieved by removing the screens and you could get a little more by removing the fins. You might want to check out a Wells MAF instead. They are supposed to flow a little more without any modifcations.

Or just wait and see if Granettelli comes through with their translator for a larger MAF.

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87 Iroc 5.7, AFR190, SLP Cam(218/224), SLP 1 5/8 headers & cat back, Random CAT, SLP Runners (matched intake-runners-plenum), 48mm TB, 6E(arap) chip, Vigilante & Probuilt trans.

 

I took out my screens and didn't have any problems. But look at it this way...imagine a fire hose with 2 large hose clamps in the middle. You turn on the water. OK, it flows. Take off 1 clamp and it flows a little more. But it'll REALLY flow when you take off the second one. See what I'm shooting at? For a modification to be worth anything, you have to attack the whole area for a noticeable improvement. Doesn't do much to to remove 1 restriction when a similar restriction is downstream. It the same principle used when a huge motor runs a small TB. Gut both or neither, I say. Just make sure you run a decent filter and your MAF burnoff relay is OK. You should be fine. I dont recommend cutting fins, though, especially in hotter climates. they cool the MAF and it will overheat in summertime. I'd say 2 at most, depending on where you live.

My $.02

[This message has been edited by dhirocz (edited April 22, 2001).]

 

First, something that frustrates me every time I see it. The MAF screens do NOT 'smooth' the air, they actually create more turbulence and therefore its less smooth than when it started.

Its up to you. Ive always taken them out and never had a problem. Other people kill their MAFs by doing this. Stay away from the wire in the middle of the MAF and you will be fine. You probably wont see any gain from this on a relatively stock motor though, it doesnt need the extra air anyway.

 

Yeah, u don't have to do this on a stock engine, it becomes useful with bigger mods like heads and cam.

 

The only maf sensor on third gens that the screen is needed to smooth the air is on the v6's. Never remove these.

On the 8's cut them off. Removing the fins will lean the upper end out a little making more power since the stock chip is too rich at wot anyway.

 

thanks for the replies,ah did u guys see my sig for mods , will i get somewhat of a gain from removing the screens.

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92' camaro
New 305 block TPI conversion, Flat top pistons,Bore over .30 Forged parts all around,Edelbrock intake,ported plennum,ported corvette alluminum heads, accel cam,52mm throttle bodie, SLP runners Home aid cold air induction, Air foil,ford SVO 19lb injectors,fuel regulator,cloys timing chain, comp alluminum roller rocker arms and pushrods MSD 8.5 mm wires, bosch plattinum plugs, hypertech cap & rotor and coil, Edelbrock TES headers, free flowing catalytic converter and a 3 inch force II flowmaster exhaust system, and a 3 inch cutout,Zoom multi friction clutch, T-5 tranny,billenstien shocks&struts.
Soon to come!!!
Procharger system 12lbs o boost.
New paint job(hawaiin orchid purple)Cast alluminum ZR1 rims w/ 275 tires.
Favorite quote: "where ever u go, there u are"

Other car;
1971 plymouth Duster
Mods:340,edelbrock victor jr. intake, 650 4 barrel holley, heddman headers,40 series dual flowmasters, cold air intake,4:10 gears, just got a new paint job and cragar rims with 315 tires in the back.
:Yeah its not a chevy but damn how many 71' dusters have u seen in the streets.

 

87 is correct. The screens are not there as dirt filters, but vortex generators. They create minor voticies behind each piece of wire to assure enven air flow through and around the sample tube in the MAF. Without the wires, the air may flow more to one side or the other due to the influences of intake velocity and ducting curves and design. This unequal air flow can result in erroneous readings from the MAF.

There is another reason for the screens in the Bosch MAF. The hot wire sensor is very fragile. The shock waves from a single backfire can fracture the wire, and even the "valve howl" from operating at WOT can weaken or crack the wire. Remember, it's only a piece of platimum alloy (hard and brittle) that is 0.0022" thick (thinner than most human hair) and doesn't take much to break. The screens help deflect some of the sonic shock waves back away from the sensor wire.

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Later,
Vader
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WOW thanks for verifying that!!!!!!!!