This posting is going to be multi-fold....because I have several questions/issues....so just gonna wrap them all up in one nice little package.....

1.) I decided to change my plugs today, once I got the new plugs in, and the car all put back together....I started the car and it runs like crap! It won't idle and basically just idles itself right off. So I took the new plugs out and put the old ones back in, still runs like crap....so I took the air box off the car and then started it and it idled much better, but I can't get the rpm's above about 4500 on it with the air box off....so I pulled the little sensor thing out of the airbox and plugged it back into the connector and the car was back to idling like crap again....so I took the sensor to the parts store only to find it is a dealer only item.....can anyone tell me what this sensor is and maybe how to check and see if it has failed...? Or maybe suggest something else to could be wrong with it.....the T/C idiot light is now on also......

2.) I have a cold air setup for the car that I had put on a while back and that thing caused my dash panel to light up like a christmas tree...so I took it off and put the stock box back on it.....can anyone tell me why it would cause all my idiot lights to come on? Might like to try putting it back on the car if I know how to fix the idiot light problem.

3.) Now...I am going to be needing tires in the next couple weeks and went down to my tire store today to get a quote....I was wanting either whitewalls or whiteletter tires but they don't make any in the size that is on the car 215/50R17....but he can get me whiteletters in a 215/65R17....now my question is this....will these taller tires fir in my fender wells without rubbing or having to modify the suspension any? Basically what is the largest tire some of you may be running without mods? I really want the whiteletter tires...I am very old school and think they are sharp.....

Any help/suggestions/advice/prayers that any of you may be able to offer me with my problems I would really appreciate it....

Thanx...Anita

 

In regards to the plug issue, what did you replace the plugs with? The plugs are good for 100k anyways but should be replaced with the same Delco plugs that came out of it.

The sensor you unplugged was the MAF (Mass Airflow Sensor) I'm not sure of any way to check these to see if they're bad. Most of the time when they go bad, they'll cause a CEL.

What kind of cold air setup did you try to replace the stock one with?

 

The plugs that I replaced with were Autolite plugs.....but after I put the new plugs in and the car ran so bad, I put the old plugs back in and it still ran like crap. I can only guess that the MAF sensor failed do to the fact that when I unplugged the sensor, the idle issue went away, but without the airbox installed or the sensor plugged in I could only get the car to rev up to about 4500 rpm even with the pedal floored.....I then plugged just the sensor in without the airbox and it went back to idling really bad and dying.....

The cold air system that I tried to install I believe it was a Dragon system.....not sure of the exact name, I purchased it from someone here on the forum.......I followed the instructions and it said nothing about having to reprogram anything to keep the idiot lights from popping on.....

I would have never thought that changing out the plugs could have done this......I decided to change the plugs because the car had sporadically been running bad at lights and such....it would sort of miss and lope or surge if you will......so I had it looked at and was told that I needed new plugs......that is why I changed to plugs.

Thanx for your help with this.........Anita

 

I've read on here, and other ecotec based forums, that plugs in the N/A delta's are good for around 100k based on driving. Everyone I've talked to, or read about, has had issues with different brands other than AC Delco.

Most of the time when you install a cold air intake and have to remove/reinstall the MAF, it'll say somewhere to disconnect the battery. You could try doing this and leaving it disconnected for about 10 minutes to reset everything. If you have a CEL after that, take your car to an O'Reilly's, AutoZone or some place like that to have the code checked.

Is yours an auto or 5-speed?

 

It's an automatic.....

 

Are you positive the plug wires were put back on the correct plug? I made that mistake way back when. The car would kind of run, but very poorly. There could be problems with the MAF that may contribute to the poor idling and overall poor performance. I'm not a mechanic by any means, but I've learned a bit from my mistakes. You may also check to be absolutely sure there isn't a place where air is being drawn into the engine after the MAF sensor such as a gap between hard and soft pipe on the intake you installed.

Good luck,

Mike

 

That's why it won't rev past 4,500 RPM. There's a factory rev limiter in place that won't let the automatics rev past that point in Park or Neutral.
Unless you were driving when you couldn't get it past 4,500. If that's the case, I dunno whats goin on

 

AND....he is trying to run it without the MAF connected.... he's got some learnin to do

 

I am certain that the plug wires were correct, I only pulled them off one at a time and the way they are setup, it would be impossible to get them crossed.

I wasn't driving the car when I tried to rev the engine....it was in park......

And I agree with Woody....SHE's got a lot to learn!

I went to my local Parts store and was told the MAF is a dealer only item....but I can find it on the internet at parts stores, so this doesn't make any sense to me.....sure would like to find one of these sensor today.....


Thanx....Anita

 

I am going to try cleaning the MAF sensor today and see if that helps before I go and purchase another one.....I have been reading on cleaning these and I think it may help my problem....or should I say....what can it hurt.....

It said that these should be cleaned every 10,000 miles....anyone ever done that?

Thanx...Anita