I have an '86 2.8. A few months back I replaced my MAF. The car felt like it was compleatly confused and couldn't keep timing and fuel strait. The computer threw a MAF code. I replaced it and it was ok for a few weeks, but occationaly it will do the same thing when im driving around. I cant get it above 2K. Above 2k, its stupid and is undriveable. It throws the SES light (MAF) too. I pull off to the side of the road, turn the car off, wait till the motor stops and turn it right back over and its perfectly fine (no SES light either). For months I was puzzled by this, I replaced relays here and cleaned up some wires there, but then I thought It was very similar to when my PC goes to crap and needs to be rebooted. I dont see how it could be a sensor problem if it corrects its self by 'rebooting' the car. Is there any logic to this? Has my computer or chip gone to crap?

 

did you replace the maf aftermarket or gm, i had problems with maf before and replaced it twice aftermarket and it didnt fix the problem until i finally spent the extra money with ac delco. it kept throwing me off to on what was wrong with my car making me think well it cant be that i replaced that already. but what do you mean by your car rebooting??? mine just ran very poorly and popped the maf codes. v-6 2.8 1988

 

Do you have a lose or sloppy steering wheel???? GM didn't use any thread lock on the tilt parts n the bolts walk out and the wheel get sloppy. Which affects the key switch n rod and bumps or turning the wheel can make it act funny.

 

yeah i had the same problem just follow these directions. http://www.chevyasylum.com/column/tiltcol.html

 

I have a loose steering wheel and i can bump shake wiggle the wheel all i want and it doesnt affect the way the engine starts of runs.

 

The MAF is aftermarket. Looks like an hour-glass, whereas the old one was just a tube. What I mean by 'rebooting' is turning the car off so the computer loses the sensor information that it has been calculating and starting it again to start fresh. Its just seems strange to me that the motor can go from being compleatly uncoordinated to perfectly fine just be turning it off and then turing it right back on.
Forgive me, but, im not quite conecting the dots on how my steering column could be the culprit. I dont have tilt steering. When I jiggle the tumbler, the volt gage does moves a small amount. Are you saying that that a poor ignition conection in the column could be sending the motor in a rapid on/off situation?

 

Well if you don't have tilt it more likely not but yes it will do and did that to me when I had the sloppy wheel. All 4 bolts of mine were out. It still could be a flaky ign switch. Do you know if the car has ever been peeled or stolen before???