Hello, first post 
I've bought a 1999 156 v6 not long ago and when I bought it it seemed slightly down on power (I've owned a 156 v6 before) but since the engine was running evenly and the rest of the car was OK and it was £1600 I bought it anyway.
The slight power loss hasn't got any better, and it sometimes appears to have flatspots appearing around 3000-4000rpm. It's hard to say if it gets better at higher revs. There's too much traffic where I live to go and study the engines performance. The idle is also poor. Because I paid so little for the car, and it's still quicker than a 2L I've been putting up with this, but now it's beginning to bug me because I now there is at least 5% more power hiding in the engine somewhere.
I've joined this forum and read some posts which look related and they point to the MAF. Some people have horrendous problems and mine aren't severe at all. People who haven't driven the v6 before might not even notice. I've unplugged the MAF and taken it for a blast on the local motorway and it does pull smoother, maybe slightly more powerful, difficult to tell.
I'm going to order a new MAF sensor, a vauxhall 0 281 002 180, since it's supposed fit. In the meantime I'd like to run with the MAF unplugged.
Is this sensible?
Since the engine runs fine without it (apart from the low rough idle which shakes the car) I can't imagine I'm doing any damage to the engine. I expect I'm just running lean or rich in different circumstances. Maybe this will fill my engine with soot? Am I wrong?
On another issue, I have had one power loss episode on a motorway when I was overtaking a truck in the heavy rain. Sudden powerloss at 3000 rpm, I only just managed to overtake the truck! The engine was running like some of the cylinders weren't firing properly. The idle was incredibly rough. I thought this might be moisture related so I revved the **** out of it until it cleared and was on my way again after a few minutes.
I happened to be on my way to Alfaman who did a diagnostic and the only fault was intermittent knocking which is likely unrelated and no big deal.
Anyway, my main question is about running with the MAF unplugged.
thanks
I've bought a 1999 156 v6 not long ago and when I bought it it seemed slightly down on power (I've owned a 156 v6 before) but since the engine was running evenly and the rest of the car was OK and it was £1600 I bought it anyway.
The slight power loss hasn't got any better, and it sometimes appears to have flatspots appearing around 3000-4000rpm. It's hard to say if it gets better at higher revs. There's too much traffic where I live to go and study the engines performance. The idle is also poor. Because I paid so little for the car, and it's still quicker than a 2L I've been putting up with this, but now it's beginning to bug me because I now there is at least 5% more power hiding in the engine somewhere.
I've joined this forum and read some posts which look related and they point to the MAF. Some people have horrendous problems and mine aren't severe at all. People who haven't driven the v6 before might not even notice. I've unplugged the MAF and taken it for a blast on the local motorway and it does pull smoother, maybe slightly more powerful, difficult to tell.
I'm going to order a new MAF sensor, a vauxhall 0 281 002 180, since it's supposed fit. In the meantime I'd like to run with the MAF unplugged.
Is this sensible?
Since the engine runs fine without it (apart from the low rough idle which shakes the car) I can't imagine I'm doing any damage to the engine. I expect I'm just running lean or rich in different circumstances. Maybe this will fill my engine with soot? Am I wrong?
On another issue, I have had one power loss episode on a motorway when I was overtaking a truck in the heavy rain. Sudden powerloss at 3000 rpm, I only just managed to overtake the truck! The engine was running like some of the cylinders weren't firing properly. The idle was incredibly rough. I thought this might be moisture related so I revved the **** out of it until it cleared and was on my way again after a few minutes.
I happened to be on my way to Alfaman who did a diagnostic and the only fault was intermittent knocking which is likely unrelated and no big deal.
Anyway, my main question is about running with the MAF unplugged.
thanks
