convette01

I know there is much debate about the advantages and disadvantages of removing the screen from a MAF. My question; is there any advantage to removing this damaged screen? I removed this to clean my throttle body and have not experienced any noticable problems prior to dissasembly.

Thanks.

AFTRBRNR

I would recommend that you either repair that one as best as possible or buy a rebuilt one from a parts store.

I descreened my MAF and the idle started to suck and the gas mileage went to hell. I bought a rebuilt unit from Advance Autoparts and voila...back to normal.

verano29

I descreened my MAF and picked up 7rwhp. Did it affect the idle/gas mileage? I have heads/cam/intake/exhaust mods....the idle and mpg were the same before and after. Also it is my understanding that some years had the screen and some did not. I don't think the Z06 has the screen. Most aftermarket MAFs don't have screens.

convette01

From your experienece (AFTRBRNR) a screen is better than no screen. Since I did not experience any ill effects I am considering leaving it as is. But is my car underperforming because of the screen?

convette01

verano29, did you remove the screen prior to all your Mods?
My car has a vararam, larger tbody, corsa exhaust. I have read that screen removal works better for cars that have been modified like yours.

Thanks.

dougbfresh

How does the MAF determine MASS AIR FLOW when it's destroyed in this way? The screen IS THERE FOR A REASON!

This is my understanding of how they work: http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/h34.pdf

convette01

I believe I have 3 choices:

Buy a new MAF
Remove the screen, see how the car reacts and modify the tables if needed
Leave as is and not know what I am missing since I am not getting any codes.

I guess it is more a matter of my budget.

alnassimvette

Remove the MAF and run SD open loop..(HP tune)..

Redline Motorsports

The screen is there to provide a laminar airflow past the MAF element. If you remove the screen, the air will not track properly across the element. Many times this will cause lean tip in conditions, detonation and poor drivability.

A gain CAN be had if tuning is done to correct this "self inflicted" airflow error that is caused. We have installed many new MAF's on cars where customers complained about poor idle, pinging and weird issues that where all fixed after a stock MAF was installed because of "descreening".

We have many 700+ RWHP cars that still retain the screens so we don't both pulling them out. Sometimes people pull them and have no issues but most don't see what the PCM is doing to counter act it by data logging.

Hopefully this makes sense!

Howard

ALLEGRO

I guess I don't see the damage. Where is it?

convette01

This is the damaged area of the screen. It has been compressed and does not allow air to flow like the rest of the screen.

CH.CRAFT

I pulled the screen out of my 2001 z06 when i learned that the 2002 z06 screen was left off from the factory. Had no problems, could not really tell any performance increase.

verano29

Actually, my tuner recommended removing the screen. I had it removed while the car was on the dyno...which is why I know I picked up 7rwhp.

BTW, my tuner is no hack...he is one of the most respected corvette builders/tuners of all time (Doug Rippie).

NC99

Even on a dyno, it would be very hard to tell if the increase of 7 RWHP was from the removal of the screen. Dyno runs vary from pull to pull. Typically, dyno runs will vary within 7 RWHP anyway. Even on a dyno, there are variables that will change the numbers.

I would be very, very surprised if removing the screens is responsible for 7 RWHP, or anything above 2 RWHP, and 2 RWHP is being very generous.

My opinion is to leave the screens alone. Those screens stop turbulence. The MAF with screens is more than capable of flowing plenty of air to our cars, of course unless they are modded to no end.

blue63cpe

I have a 2002 Z and the screen has always been there.

VIPERBLUELX

My 01 Z06 had the screen and I pulled it before my dynotune. To my knowledge GM removed the screens on all the 02-04 Z06 cars.

AFTRBRNR

The C5 Z06 models that do not have the screen are tuned from the factory to work correctly. If you car was equipped with a screen and you remove it; the flow of air going over the sensor will not be shaped the way it was intended to.

My car was maxing out fuel input to compensate for the incorrect air reading. My idle went to crap and throttle response was poor. My car was slightly modified at the time.

You can fix this problem with a tune. If you have a tuner that is very smart with the EFI tables then go for it and you may pick up like 2 RWHP.....hardly worth it!!!!!! GM technicians aren't stupid, that screen is there for a reason. I wouldn't even bother spending the money for an upgraded MAF from aftermarket companies. Granitelli will leave you dissappointed and SLP will need a tune.

The damage you have is negligable. Use a needle to bend back the bent honeycombs if it bothers you that much. I doubt your car even notices that little bit.

**Oh yeah....My car is "Modded to no end" and I have the STOCK MAF! Works like a charm and can burnout the tires past 75 MPH without using a brake assist.

VIPERBLUELX

So why'd GM remove it on the 02-04 Z06?

AFTRBRNR

As I just mentioned...GM recalibrated the tune in the Z06 to work properly without the screen in their attempt to up HP as much as possible while keeping costs down.

De-screen the MAF in a car that came with one is the same as taking a cog out of the wheel.

Taking the insoles out of your sneakers before a roadrace to reduce weight is negligable to your intent and will cost you performance wise.

Same type of analogy.

thetaxman

my screens have been gone for 150k miles with zero issues