Car is 1989 Iroc 350 TPI. The car will fire up and immediately die. I open the hood, and tap the group of relays on the DS firewall and bam, she fires right up and runs fine. I have swapped the relays with no affect. I also have a CEL "mass air low". Any ideas? Thanks.

 

replace your mass flow sensor. if you unplug it your car ether wont start or start and die as it is. i just replaced mine for 42$ and its simple to replace.

 

check the plugs on the relays, over time the insulation can slide down and expose bare wire that can short out and cause many problems.

 

also check the wiring at the MAF. probably wouldn't hurt you to get some electrical component cleaner and spray that maf down... debris on the wire would mess with your signal as well.

 

I see that some of the insulation indeed has slipped down. Is there a tool to release the wiring from the connectors?

 

yes... or you can just get a fine piece of strong wire that will let you pop that tab down which holds the wire in place. i have small terminal block screwdrivers that i use.

 

When this happened on my car I just individually wrapped each wire with black electrical tape.