I might try to modify the MAF this weekend. I'm a newbie at this so I think I may just remove the screens. How hard is it to take the screen out? Does it just pull out or do I have to cut it out or what? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Do a search here for it and then decide if you really want to do it. Maybe get the Wells unit instead.

But if you still want to do it it's easy. Just take a knife and cut/bend loose the end"rings" on the MAF and the screen falls out.....

------------------
GTA -89:383, 4-bolt,Free flow muffler,dual 3" HF cats, Edelbrock headers, Canfield heads, 1.52 RR 7/16, ZZ-9 cam, Big Mouth, AS&M LTR, !plenum, 52 TB, MSD 6AL, TPIS level V prom, Superior shift-kit and all the minor mods,looking for a SR ...
http://www.itv.se/tacs/members_cars/m279/m279.html (Swedish Trans Am Club)

 

i wouldn't mess with the MAF. as far as performance gains.... marginal, slim to none

------------------
86',88',89' IROC-Z, 350 TPI, 700-R4

94' Formula, LT1, 6spd



[This message has been edited by mystikkal_69 (edited October 26, 2001).]

 

Leave it alone.

 

If you do remove the screens, recommend you only remove the upstream one. That affords some protection to the sensor from possible incoming debris.

------------------
87 TA, 305 TPI, Custom CAI, ACCEL 8mm wires,ACCEL Super-coil, ACCEL Plugs, JET TPI Airfoil, Cherry Bomb Muffler
"35 yr old helo pilot
with a cool new toy my 17 yr old son wants" The Phoenix Project..click to see my project car
Trans Am stuff and GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS!!!!!

 

I modified mine and put 35,000 miles on it with no problems before I sold it.
You wont get a lot more power if any that you can feel. Its one of those every little bit counts things. Like you know 1hp here another 2 there, hey if I do this I can get an extra 3... you know, but eventually it all adds up.
I think TPIS sayes you pick up like 50cfm more air flow.
When I had the 35 with the stock TB I Modified the maf, Put in an air foil, and removed the air cleaner and put an open element K&N on the end Of the MAF all in the same day. Well the car got much better gas milage. Like 2mpg more on average. The throttle response was greatly improved, but as far as power went... Im a little difference in the SOTP so I would say all together was like 10hp... which wasn't bad for an hours work and $90.
Though the added airflow will reall show up when you do other mods.
Its a free mod and I never had anyproblems with mine. I recomend doing it. Its easy and cost nothing. If you gain 2hp you made an improvement.
SO heres what to do for a full modification like I did.
Take a flat head screw driver and pop the glue around the screens lose and pry the screens out.
Then if you are brave enough to go further get a hacksaw. Run the balde through the MAF and saw the heat sincs out.
I dont recomend this, because you can damage stuff quite easily, but its up to you.
Good luck.

 

Y take any out? If he messes with timing and has a backfire through the intake the sensor is toast because the 2nd screen wasnt there to protect it. Trust me I've learned on that one. Thats y there is 2 sceens. Yes it may flow a TAD better but the screens smooth out the incoming air just like a faucet does water.

 

Here we go again...

(And it's probably on an otherwise stock engine, too!)

------------------
Later,
Vader
------------------
If you want to beat the World, it might reach up and pull you down...
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

HEY! Have some repect for the teenager without all the $$$ I'm prolly gonna order my catback tomorrow with that 10% off Summit deal... What do you think, Hooker Header Catback with Monza tips??? I think it'll look schweet, never seen any cars with monza tips... ever.

 

Ummm... no.

As for the screens, mine are gone. My car has backfired before, and horror of all horrors, I have run it without a filter! Its still there working its little electronic heart away. You may not be so lucky, there are plenty who have taken their screens out and that was the end of their MAF before it even made it back onto the car. You'll have to decide on your own what you want to do.

 

i gutten my "upstream" side today while changing my coolent temp sensor, and decided to take a test drive with the air filter and hose AFTER the MAF sensor taken off, got on the highway and noticed it pulled ALOT harder past 4000 then it ever has before, but it was more because of the filter being off.

------------------
- David
88' GTA 5.7L TPI MODS---> air foil, K&N, Shift Kit, 180* therm, TB bypass, Gutted CAT, Flowmaster 80 Series

http://www.geocities.com/david_angel_16

 

I doubt hes gona post it again, but Vader put up a post a while ago showing that there is nothing to be gained by removing the MAF screens. on top of that, i gutted my old one. just put a new one in. you do the math.

 

GM pulled the screens for the 2002 Vette,, you do the math.

 

ok i have taken out the screens on my MAF and my buddys 86, neither one of us have had any problems, and we are both running K&N`s if that matters, i have an extra MAF that is bone stock that i keep in the hatch, just for peice of mind even though u can run the car without a MAF all together if need be.
I am going to be milling out the heat sink fins on the modified one very soon, to see if it is noticeable.
As for the mod I dont think there is a really noticeable difference from just removing the screens, and since i made my custom RAM AIR , and put on some K&Ns at the same time i removed the screens, theres no way for me to know what caused the difference, however when i did those mods the car does pull harder on the highway, so i would say find an extra MAF and butcher it, but modifying the one you have now for very minimal performance gains is not worth the risk of having to buy a costly new one.

just my opinion, hope it helped

------------------
87 IROC-z 305 TPI
Borg Warner T-5 fresh rebuild
10-bolt 3.73 Richmond gears rebuilt GM posi,
formerly BW 9-bolt w/3.45 gears(broke it)
Ported Plenum and Runners Homemade AFPR
ACCEL 8.8 wires, High output coil,and cap & rotor
Bosch platinum + 4 plugs
Ram Air w/ K&N filters,
MAF sensor screens removed, TB coolant bypass
Polyurethane tranny and torque arm mounts
Dynomax catback w/custom tips
K&N oil filter,Mobil 1 synth, Futura GLS Super Sport tires 265/50/15 rear and 235/60/15 front mounted on 86 monte carlo SS rims ,

400 sbc and a 6 spd in the works

 

I'll second that. I have done this mod on some cars and not on others. It is really up to you but any changes to the flow of the MAF do skew the calibrations in the EPROM as far as flow in g/sec vs voltage of the MAF sensor itself...... Another reason to get into burning your own PROMs!!

But as far as backfiring and blowing apart the MAF sensor goes; I rarely have seen that happen. One of my friends has a 383 in his TA and runs a dry nitrous setup (no I did not recommend or condone this mod). Needless to say his engine has gone BOOM a few times out the intake during tuning and his MAF is just fine..... The intake elbow that goes onto the engine side of the MAF sensor always blows off........

------------------
1987 GTA L98 MD8
355, TFS Heads, LT4 Hot Cam
My GTA

The Minnesota F-body Club

 

I JUST removed mine, I feel it is pretty safe, if it backfires a little mesh screen will NOT stop fire! But if your extremely insecure just remove the aft screen to catch any clogged filter debris.

------------------
'89 GTA
5.7L TPI
Bright Red w/T-Tops Edelbrock Headers
Edelbrock Catback

 

Your car has a 305 and is bone stock. Just leave the screens in there and go get a job.

------------------
355 c.i.
Dart 180 Heads
Lunati 224/224 cam
Harland Sharp 1.5 rockers
Performer RPM Manifold
Holley 600 cfm double pumper
Hooker Super Competition Headers
Flowmaster Exhaust
Competition Engineering Sub-frame connectors
Tremec TKO
Pro 5.0 Shifter
GM posi 3.42 rear
Hurst Roll Control
13.9@102
http://www.geocities.com/thetpiguy/index.html
chemjoker@aol.com

 

www.madirect.com
sells a new maf sensor for the 85-89 corvette and they will work on the f-bodys,
flows 750 cfm, over about 450 cfm stock
it sells for about $299

 

Taking out the screens gain about 180CFM.

On a stock motor it won't do much, but on a modified engine like mine, I gained 5 tenths.


-- Joe


------------------
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
1989 Formula 350 4-bolt mains, Forged .030 TRW pistons, SLP 51010 Roller Cam, Comp-cams roller lifters,
Summit 1.5 roller rockers, World Products Sportsman II 2.02/1.60 heads, Edelbrock TPI Intake,
Cloyes Double Roller timing chain, Mellings oil pump: 13.5 @ 100.23 MPH

Since close of track : Ported SLP runners, Ported Plenum, AFPR, Autometer 100lbs F/P gauge, A/F ratio gauge, MSD 6AL, MSD Redline selector.

http://www.joesperformance.com

 

Geez! .5...that's 50hp. I really doubt it. What was your mph before/after? I haven't removed mine yet and I do have plenty of mods so I'm considering doing it. Anyone have any dyno info?

------------------
'87 Formula WS6 - ZZ4 Crate TPI, Scroggin-Dickey ported heads, LT4 hot cam, 1.6RR, Accel runners, Accel base, ported plenum, Edelbrock 58mm TB, Crane Fireball ignition, SLP cold air, SLP 1 5/8 headers, !cat, Summit exhaust cutout, Walbro 255, Koni yellows, Hotchkis panhard & LCA's, 9 bolt w/3.27's.

 

About the corvette MAF... I believe they are a totally different design, so they can build them without screens. The ultimate would be to retro fit a new vette MAF on our cars... I am sure it coulod be done with some brain power and a little soldier.

------------------
1988 Pontiac Trans Am GTA L98 5.7L, Black on Black with 114,000kms.

Best ET 14.559 @ 95.25MPH
Custom 3" Stainless Exhaust Y-Pipe back (High flow Cat and Flowmaster Mufler)

 

there is a maf that wells makes that is $170 Vader can tell you the part no. It is the style that the fourth gen has it is a better unit and it flows more than the stock out of the box.