I just got a replacement MAFs for my 3.0L , the assembly has a metal net which i think would restrict the air flow. This is an oem part. Can someone tell me if it would be a good idea to remove that net????
thanx alot

 

leave it on

its there for a reason

 

I always remove them.

 

i removed it on my old altima and never noticed a difference but when i saw it again on the maxima i just went by this

 

Huh, that's really interesting! Looks like mine's staying on

 

thanks alot everyone, very helpful, but since there weren't any major issues by taking it off. Ill just take it off and hope for an extra 1/4 hp

 

The screen removal is not a good idea. It will not help your performance. THe screen is there to calm the air flow coming into the motor. The air is very turbulent when it hits the MAF and this will combat that. It is not a good idea to remove that screen.

 

last time i checked my maf, there was some small debris on it like a small leaf... it cant be good having that leaf reach the engine... maybe it catches anything that may have slipped thrugh

 

Yeah, it definitely does that too.

 

What power increase could you possibly hope to gain by removing this screen. All you're doing is removing a second line of defense against damaging your MAF and engine. Is the pseudo performace gain really worth it. I don't think so.

 

The screen is there to smooth the airflow into the MAF. The MAF takes only a sample of the incoming air-flow, it is very important that the air enters the MAF as smoothly and evenly as possible, or the MAF will not get as accurate readings. Every MAF I have seen has these screens, they are not just there to look pretty.

 

Oh dang.

I just had mine powdercoated. They told me it would smooth the flow even more and giv me +10hp.

 

i have a stillen intake on there and it has a metal cone inside it which is suppose to make the air smooth, so i dunno if i need it. As for it being a second line of defense, if you clean your filter regularly It wont be used. Only some dust settle on that which can get through it anyway. In my setup anyway. What do you guys think?

 

As others have said, the screen is there to smooth the airflow out so that it can get accurate readings. There is a technical term for it but I can't think of it right now.

GM dudes remove their screens as well. They just refer to it as "screenless". Your car probably will make a bit more power, not by air flow, but your car will run a tad leaner and have a hotter burn.

 

Screen before MAF is generally desgined in so that in case nuts/bolts loosens in inside intake box, they will not get sucked in and kill engine. Nissans reason may vary, but this is the general reason in the industry.

 

The floor of an airbox on most cars is below the inlet of the MAF, the screen wouldn't get much of a chance to prevent that from happening since the bolts would just roll around on the bottom of the airbox. Not to mention, if that was the purpose of the screen, it should be placed in the inlet of the intake manifold. And you only see the screen on MAF setups, not speed-density...

just my .02

 

Some actually have honeycombs like this:




All the discussion I've seen over doing this mod is that the MAF will simply measure less air than is actually getting in, that will cause a leaner burn, Especially for a honeycomb equipped MAF. I don't think a screen would have as-much air straightening as a honeycomb so removing it is probably not going to have as much effect.

It's also done on certain turbo charged cars to help prevent a MAF overrun and fuel cut when you up the boost.

Someone posted about a leaf getting caught there....You should find out how the heck a leaf got past the air cleaner.

 

The screen in my Z28 was a honeycomb like that. It was about a half inch thick. I haven't looked at the one on the Maxima but I just assumed it was the same.

 

the last pic of my homepage is a pic of my new maf. all 5th gens have the same screen just for informational purpose.

 

Wow, some in-depth info here. Makes me wonder, thanx all

 

The G35 and 350Z however don't have screens. They MAF is also totally different than ours.

Here's a snap:

 

Probably because they are rear wheel drive, the intake is completely different...