Car won't start or run

[MikeF]

Alright, so my 99 GTP has been running great with no issues whatsoever until today. This morning on the way home from school, I go to start my car and it turns over just fine, sputters for a second but will not fire. After playing with the throttle a little while trying to start it, I got it to run with a surging idle and the car would want to die the second you gave it any gas.

I decided to let it run for a few minutes with the surging idle. After about 3 or 4 minutes, the idle smoothed out a little bit and the car seemed to respond to the throttle quite well, so I decided to chance it and drive home.

The car ran pretty much normal for about 1.5 miles, then with no warning, died on the road and would not start back up. There is NO service engine soon light on. At this point I was thinking it was bad fuel (even though Im 76 miles into a full tank) or maby bad fuel pump. I took it to the dealer since I really don't have time to diag it myself and they tell me its a bad MAF sensor and want 500 for part and labor.

 

I am very mechanically inclined and know that I can pick up a MAF sensor from a junkyard or even online for 1/5 the dealer price and have my car up and running in about 20 min. However I have 3 questions.

 

#1. Does anyone know if the MAF sensors are the same for supercharged and NA vehicles?

 

#2. I find it strange that the MAF sensor is bad without tripping an SES light. Does this sound correct?

 

#3. Iv read some stuff about sometimes being able to clean the MAF sensor but the stuff I'v read are only for the older models. Anyone know how to do that.

 

Thanks in advance for any replies

-Mike

[95 vert]

IIRC 97 and 98 MAF's are different than 99. I have used the same MAF supercharged or not.

The hotwire on the end of the MAF can be cleaned-done it several times. Alot of times thats all thats wrong with them.

[swift13]

yeah i think there is a spray you can get to clean called maf cleaner or something