I recently installed an SLP intake lid (new) onto my Z/28 LS1. Everything seems fine but eventually a couple hours later I got a "Service Engine soon" light and you can smell a rich burn from the exhaust. I disconnected the battery and PCM Batt fuse for 5 minutes, and reconnected it. However it still smells rich and the service light it on (I'll go get it looked at by Autzone tomorrow for the code). My mechanic friend said that the extra airflow from the lid cusses the MAF to freak and start burning rich to compensate for the extra airflow. He said I might have to disconnect my battery for a few hours and let it fully reset. If that doesn't work he says to just put the stock lid back on.

What do you think, could it be the lid and do I just need to disconnect the battery longer?

 

did you check and make sure the connectors to the MAF are tight? If they came loose that can cause a issue, and also make sure that you have no air leaks on the hoses.

 

I think the connectors are tight but I'm not sure about the leaks, the rubber gasket for the air hose that came with the lid seemed to wiggle too much. Same with the temp sensor.

 

You plugged the IAT sensor back in, right?

 

Yes, it's all plugged in, I don't think the rubber gaskets that seal the air hose and temp sensors are tight enough though, the sensors/hose seem to wiggle too much.

 

This is definitely not true at all. An aftermarket air lid will not cause any kind of "freak out" or SES light. No battery reset is required. Something else must've gone wrong in your case, such as a poor connection or damage to a sensor (IAT or MAF) during the disassembly/reassembly.

I'd get the code checked and then go from there. But I can tell you from first hand experience, after installing lids on dozens of LS1 F-bodies over the years, this won't cause any codes or freak out of the MAF.

 

Well the code is totally unrelated, still burning rich though.

I'll just go back to the stock intake lid and see if that improves things.

 

What is the code? If it's truly unrelated, then how can you be sure there's even a problem? Or that any problem is related to the lid? Perhaps the exhaust smell is due to hard WOT driving that was done to test power gains after installing the new lid....maybe the cats were marginal and are now on the way out. Lots of possible causes for perceived change in the smell of the exhaust, but without other driveability manifestations and/or a code to direct you towards an issue, I wouldn't worry about it unless you notice a big change in MPG under same driving conditions.

The lid certainly didn't cause your problems - if it did, then thousands of other LS1 owners would have experienced the same thing as a lid is the most common modification done to these cars. However, there may have been a marginal connection or wire, or sensor damaged, or some other factor (such as a crack/hole developing in the air bellow during install, or something like this) that occurred during install to now be causing issues with A/F ratio and/or the SES.

 

if anything the added cold air would lean it a bit although the maf sensor if clean will detect the colder/denser charge and enrichen based on the data collected by the sensor. Cleaning the maf sensor with CRC maf sensor cleaner is always a good idea if you have no idea when it was done last , it gives the sensor the best opportunity to collect accurate intake charge data and from there the tune will reference how much fueling to supply for the collected intake charge data.

The more changes made the more likely any car could benefit from a tune but for just a lid if your having issues its not the lid causing it but as others have mentioned it could be related to the install of the lid damaging a sensor or allowing it to collect in accurate data due to a tear , leak ,etc...