Hey fellow enthusiasts, how is everybody. I came to this site to see if anyone can help me with my problem as i am just beginning to work on cars and dont know that much. I just recently installed a cold air induction kit to my 3800 series 2 engine. The intallation was relatively easy except for the removal of the IAT sensor from the stock intake, which i had to cut out(foolishly). The car starts fine but when it starts to idle the tach drops to zero and the engine sounds like its gasping, right before it dies down. Some people said that i need the computer retuned, but no one else i know had to have that done after just putting in a new intake. other friends have said that i just messed up one of the sensors or i need a new mass air flow sensor as well. If anyone can help point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you once again and have a good one!

 

The PCM does not need to be retuned just because you added a CAI. Because the engine falters when it goes in the closed loop mode, I also suspect one of the sensors may have gone bad, or connected improperly. Is the check engine lite lit when the problem starts? If it is, get the car scanned and you will be pointed to the trouble source. If the check engine lite stays off, then make sure the IAT is wired back in properly. The MAF can be easily damaged if not handled properly, and it is an expensive piece. You can do a quick test of the MAF by just disconnecting the wires to it & see what happens. By pulling the wires you force the engine to go into speed density mode and tranfers control to the MAP sensor. The PCM should throw a code, but if the MAF sensor was bad it will now run better. Gently clean out the inside of the MAF and have it tested, before spending money on a new one.