MAF sensor no start?

Hello. I have a 99 grand prix gt 3.8l bout 98000 miles. Never had any issue with engine before today. Driving to Pep Boys turn into parking lot car dies wont restart. no service engine light or nothing. Had them diagnose problem they told me MAF sensor was bad,needs wires and plugs and a fuel rail cleaning and seprentine belt. I unfortunately couldnt afford to pay the $848 they wanted to charge to do all the work. So I read somewhere online that if the MAF sensor is bad and you disconnect it the car will run fine. Thats what I did and it starts and runs fine except the service engine light is on since I unplugged the MAF sensor. How long can I drive the car without the MAF sensor connected? Will driving it disconnected cause other problems or do harm to the engine?Thanks for any responses.:confused:

having the MAF disconnected is not going to effect drivability. it will throw fuel trim off a little, and you will notice a loss of MPG. wouldnt suggest driving it like that forever though

:werd:

Add to that a little erratic idle until the engine warms up. I ran with the MAF sensor disconnected in my GTP for over a week until the part came in.

Not that I would recommend it, per se, but I had to drive mine without the MAF connected for almost six months. Once I put a new one in, it started up and drove perfectly. The Check Engine light even went out on its own after a short while.

Now if I can only figure out what the hell is up with all the rust at my jacking points!

Thanks so much guys. I ahve had the car since new and plan on keeping it for hopefully at least 5 more years. I want to put an AC Delco MAF sensor in and need some time to get enough money since its more than double the Cardone.Read alot about people having to replace aftermarket ones several times.

Good Decision.

Just a tip, don't buy the AC-Delco remanufactured version (part# 213-3428), as it is a Cardone in a Delco box, stick with the new AC-Delco part #213-4337.