Unpluging the MAF. Will it run or not?

[Vegascorbin]

Okay, I have seen conflicting information on this issue throughout the threads and would like to reach a consenus opinion.

1990 SOHC Stock setup.

1. Should the car start with the MAF unpluged? If yes what would be bad if it does not start.

2. While ideling what should happen when the MAF is unpluged. Some say it will run but be like crap, and others say it should die.

Thanks for the help.

[AZhitman]

Short answer:

It depends. Temp, altitude, injectors, state of tune...

Keep in mind, the MAF tells the ECU how much air is entering, so it can match against load / RPMs / etc and tell the injectors how much fuel to dump.

In certain instances, it may run (poorly). Some conditions, it may not run at all.

Bottom line is, test the MAF and replace if necessary, but no need to fret over whether it'll run without it.

If you're trying to troubleshoot another issue, replace the MAF first. THEN continue your troubleshooting.