Anybody still in the Omaha area?

[russrad25]

Any members left in the Omaha area available to come help with a project SHO I just got? It is a basket case but has a clean shell. I have been out of the game for about 5 years since I sold my 89. I now have a 94 MTX that I am trying to get back into running shape. It runs (not great) and drives (for the most part)...

 

[russrad25]

Did some troubleshooting yesterday...Isn't the idle supposed to change when you unplug the MAF?

 

[luigisho]

Man it's been a long time since I tackled a failing MAF but a fuzzy recollection is- if that is the failing part then you should notice a change in idle or acceleration. If the change is better with the sensor unplugged then you have found the issue. A good running car will run like a dog with the sensor unplugged. In a car with a bad MAF, running unplugged will still get you somewhere with better running running conditions than a faulty one plugged in. A bad MAF can cause a surging idle I guess but more common is pinging or hesitation as the metered reading of intake air is way off

 

[russrad25]

I didn't see much change in the idle when I unplugged it. It was almost as if the car is running in the closed loop mode all the time. It is also running pig rich. I am slowly trying to correct all the stuff the previous owner screwed up when he pulled the intake to paint it ( a horrendous yellow)...ugh.

 

[luigisho]

Unplugging the MAF will make it run rich. Some have said it may get bad enough to ruin the cats over time. Never had it run for long enough to find out. You could strip it or tank it to remove the paint I suppose or just repaint it. I would even consider another used one if the price was cheap enough. Good luck.

 

[russrad25]

I unplugged the MAF while running. There was no change in the way the car ran. It did illuminate the CEL while unplugged.

 

[luigisho]

Did you just unplug it at idle or did you drive it? If there is no difference usually that means the sensor is bad. However you have to judge that against whether or not something else is failing and making it run poorly