DSM Translator / GM MAF Sensor Conversion

BobTurbo · Apr 18, 2003

Re: maf

Midnite Stalker said:
Hey again
How can you find out for sure which is the right maf?

I got this maf from a 98 malibu. The number on the plastic
is 97177 9556 1 and the number on the bottom of the maf
is 05550374944.

Again, maybe you guys help me out on this.

Tnanks dudes

If the malibu had a 3.1 L motor then that's the right part. The numbers stamped on the MAF don't match the 'real' part number. This is normal.

Bob

lithium · Apr 18, 2003

And once again, what's the compatibility with a 90? ANYONE? I want to know if you need some sort of tach adapter or anything... will this bolt right in and be fully function? Also, if doing a blowthrough setup, is it still better to use a 3.5" MAS over a 3" even though the 3" has been said to be a little less accurate?

-Craig

BobTurbo · Apr 19, 2003

lithium said:
And once again, what's the compatibility with a 90? ANYONE? I want to know if you need some sort of tach adapter or anything... will this bolt right in and be fully function? Also, if doing a blowthrough setup, is it still better to use a 3.5" MAS over a 3" even though the 3" has been said to be a little less accurate?

-Craig

The Translator is compatible with the 90 DSM without an adapter. The choice of MAF is strictly a matter of HP, higher than about 350, I start recommending the 3.5" sensor.

Bob

cazual · Apr 19, 2003

Well guys I went to the dyno today to see what I could do with the translator. After 2hours or so of playing around I manged to get 301.9 whp and 291.6 torque on pump gas, 18psi and a stock block and head.

The car, however, was really rich after 5500rpm I mean the air/fuel ratio was below 10. I did not have enough time or money to try and lean her out, but I will be going back to the dyno this friday to see if I can squeeze out some higher numbers and maybe do a pull on race gas and 22-25psi.

So far the translator seems to be working very well. The guys at the dyno shop were impressed with my numbers considering my mods.

flubyux2 · Apr 19, 2003

So, the 3" LT1 style MAF is good for about 350 HP, is this at the Flywheel or WHP?

I guess if i want to hit 400 whp, i need the 3.5" LS1 maf??? cuz i wanna hit that 400 AWHP mark and bust 12's.

Ive found a way to get from 2.5" IC pipes up to the 3.5" MAF and back down nice and smoothly, but its about 20" overall length once assembled. this is opposed to reducers that have steps inside them.

Van · Apr 20, 2003

flubyux2 said:
So, the 3" LT1 style MAF is good for about 350 HP, is this at the Flywheel or WHP?

I guess if i want to hit 400 whp, i need the 3.5" LS1 maf??? cuz i wanna hit that 400 AWHP mark and bust 12's.

I don't think so.
I believe that the 3" is good for around 600hp.

flubyux2 · Apr 20, 2003

Vern, i thought i read a few posts up that the LT1 was good for 350 hp, i thought it was a tad low, but i wanted a little clarification. but cool, thanks. Maybe ill go w/ the LS1 maf just to be safe and overkilly

Share the wealth!

-Craig

Ok, heres the scam. its gonna be tricky, its never been done before. You need a pair of tail pipe tips. They are used on Muscle cars. The name of them is "Megs". they are megaphone style tips. The inlet end can be like 2.25", 2.5", and 3.0" diameter, and flare all the way out to 4" or maybe even 5"... they are anywhere from 12" overall length to 17" IIRC. So, what we will need to do, is find the tip that has the inlet that is the size of our IC piping, then weld on a 1" long collar w/ a bead on it so we have something to clamp onto. then, on the outlet where it is 4.5" or bigger, just cut off the excess flare so that you end up w/ either 3" or 3.5" dia. then get a 1" collar welded onto that end w/ a bead on it so you have something to clamp the connector to the MAS. Repeat the procedure for the outlet of the MAS to the TB.

Like i said, if we are using 2 Pieces that are about 12"-15" overall length, then like 4" for the MAF...we are talking about a big chunk of IC pipe, im not sure if most of us will have the luxury of making a piece this big...cuz i dont think i have a piece of straight tubing that i can swap for this dealy, but im sure i can make it work w/ a couple of 45* couplers

Im crafty like that

EDIT: make sure you get the weld on tips, not clamp on. The clamp-on dealies have grooves cut on opposing sides of the inlet like most tips. the weld ons have clean cut inlets good for welding. also be sure to get the stainless ones. If you get the chrome ones, they will slowly rust from the inside out, and the last thing you need is your engine ingesting rust scale. Stainless may be harder to weld, but at least itll hold a polish and wont corrode like chromed mild steel.

BIG Ted · Apr 21, 2003

ok...I will try to keep this as short as possible.

I have a 3in. gm MAS in BLOW THROUGH form. about 7 inches from the TB and about 6 inches after the BOV. The car is misfiring at idle and it feels like it doesnt have much power up top(due to knock 30+ counts). I am running 550cc injectors, all supporting mods(see profile) and hit a 12.85@105 in sacramento the weekend before I installed the translator. I was running a hacked mas with a dejon 3 inch intake pipe and it idled pretty good. It threw a TDC sensor error-changed that. It has new plugs and wires. No difference. Most of the time it misfires at idle when warm. I am going to change coil packs and the transistor. I hope these are the problem. I will update...

nukefission · Apr 22, 2003

I've paired this thread down A LOT because the BS level was going off the charts. It was way too long an unnecessary at 20 pages and it's still too long now at 6 pages.

I don't want to see any more posts in here unless you are mikelicht or BobTurbo, OR you ACTUALLY OWN one of these units and are reviewing it for the public. No more speculation posts or "I can't wait till I get mine" posts that waste time and bandwidth.

For more specific inquiries please defer to the DSMTranslator YahooGroup that Mike L. has set up, or better yet email or call them so they can set you straight.

Thanks.

mikelicht · Apr 22, 2003

Thanks for the trim. I am writing up a VFAQ of sorts for tuning I will post itn in a couple days
Mike

44pirate · May 6, 2003

Where is the Vfaq. Were you able to write one?

HYPED-1 · May 7, 2003

I ordered mine on 4/22/03 and it still hasnt shipped yet. This feels like an eternity! My mas is dead so this unit will kill 2 birds with one stone!

Keaka26 · May 7, 2003

Then it will feel all the better when you finally get it =) ...Anytime I get a package in the mail, I swear, I cant stop grinning!

flubyux2 · May 11, 2003

Here is some FYI on MAF's, how they work, what they consist of, where they came from, who uses them, etc.

I think everyone would be a better person after reading this and the world would be a nicer place to live in

Mass Air Flow; measuring chunks of atmosphere

check it out, itll 'splain out alot of it works and make it more clearer for you folks who are Lamens

kris · May 12, 2003

I did something similar to what flubyux described when I redid my blow through maf install. Here's the pics, click to get a bigger image.

I'm working on an even better blow through design that will completely eliminate the couplings holding the maf in place as well as the need to use a ported 2nd gen tb elbow. I'll have pics of that setup by the end of the week with any luck.

Right now I'm running 18psi on a big 16G and this thing is working great. For tips on tuning, I wrote this page.

FastGSXauto · May 19, 2003

One problem that I see with this setup in BLOW THROUGH, is that if the air temp coming out of your intercooler is higher than the temperature that the MAF heats the filament to, there will be no corrections based on temp. I've heard that this temp is usually around 180 degrees, and it is not unusual at all for post intercooled air to be way above this. This will cause metering problems because the hot wire MAF needs the incoming air to cool the filament to get an accurate measurement of air mass. This problem of course does not arise in suck through setup.

Keaka26 · May 19, 2003

This has already been discussed, the GM MAF measures the actual volume (correct me if im wrong here) of air, which density has no bearing on (more dense after intercooler). If the translator measures 50 units of air, thats 50 units of air no matter how closely packed they are.

FastGSXauto · May 19, 2003

Yes I know this, but it's more complicated than you think. The sensor heats up a wire and measures the amount of current requred to keep the wire at the set temperature. By doing this, it compensates for different air temps. But if the air flowing through is hotter than the wire, it will not be able to measure the mass correctly. Read flybux2's link:

http://www.parttrackers.com/library/1/24/31/

Keaka26 · May 19, 2003

if the problem is temperature, then obviously the problem would still occur in a draw through setup since the air charge prior to the intercooler will be hotter than after.

FastGSXauto · May 19, 2003

umm, no. In a draw through setup, the temperature will be ambient.

DSM Translator / GM MAF Sensor Conversion

BobTurbo

lithium

BobTurbo

cazual

flubyux2

Van

flubyux2

BIG Ted

nukefission

mikelicht

44pirate

HYPED-1

Keaka26

flubyux2

kris

FastGSXauto

Keaka26

FastGSXauto

Keaka26

FastGSXauto

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