Because of the EGR system on the 2.8L VM Motori, the manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor accumulates a lot of soot and oil buildup. In fact, exhaust gasses enter the engine’s intake tract nearly 100 percent of the time when it’s running. Keeping the MAP sensor clean (shown dirty here) will be a must in the pursuit of good mileage, performance, and trouble-free operation.
And then, I couldn’t resist. I installed a TS Performance MP-8 under the hood and cranked it up. Throttle response increased, there was a noticeable gain in power, and hopefully, their will be an improvement in fuel economy. We’ll know in the coming months.