ive seen a lot of ricers out there with no maf's on their intake and their engine runs fine. i was working on my tpi today with it all off (sticking throttle body, see other thread), and the engine ran fine without it. it took a while to start and was really low idle at first, then it got better. definate increase in response and power when i gave it gas. i didnt drive it, but since the maf is the restriction, is it possible to run without it?

 

Your car will run without a Maf sensor because the ECM will relearn. However: it will not be as efficient as with the Maf. Also I belive it will always stay in the open loop mode and could affect your gas mieage.

 

Yeah, it'll stay in open loop allright. You DO NOT want to drive in a constant open loop state. Ever. Get a high flow MAF, and untill then, deal with the one you have. You'll regret driving without it. Sure, gas mileage isn't a huge deal with these cars, but the amount that you'll be losing over the miniscule gains is a big deal.

 

Depends on how the car is set up. If the car uses both a MAF and a MAP sensor, it will follow the MAF sensor. If you take the MAF off it will default to the MAP sensor, switch to open loop and use preprogrammed A/F maps for engine management. When the MAF is working the short term tables are constantly updated and depending on the amount of change they get copied to the long term tables. This allows corrections to handle most minor mods. When the MAF is out, the engine will run on the last update, which most likely is not right on. If the MAP is removed the car will probably not start.
If the car only uses a MAP sensor the amount of correction it can do is limited and will require that the ECM/PCM be reprogrammed to handle most mods properly.
As previusly mentioned, if you think the MAF is restricting air flow, get a bigger one and make sure it is calibrated for your car.

 

thanks guys. i was also told that the maf for ls1's or lt1's will work with the 86 tpi, and it is a larger peice. is this true?

 

You were told WRONG, 4th Gen Mafs will NOT work on your car. For a fact there is no such thing as a hi-flow maf (all replacements flow about 450CFS) At one time Wells made a Maf (SU-145) that flowed about 750CFS but it is no longer in productions. I am lucky that I do have the Wells (SU-145) on my TPI 350. Also forget the BS about descreening and removing heat soak fins from the stock Mafs. Only results will the cost of new one.

 

i already descreened mine, and noticed a feelable increase in power and response. but thank you for the info. i know granatelli sells high flows, but theyre a few hundred bucks

 

You do realize that the screen IS the sensor, right? If any part of the metal in the sensor is missing, it will throw off the readings.

 

no, the screen is only to protect the sensor. the actual sensor is the tiny little peice of wire in the center.

 

Ah, so the screen doesn't contain the sensor wire on these? I never really took one apart before on a camaro. I have seen them where the sensor is practically built into the screen, and it would be near impossible to remove it without removing the sensor as well.