AFM is confusing me
 

I just got a couple of fittings for the oil feed for my turbo after a while of patiently waiting, so this has been the first time I started the car in a couple months. I got everything ready and tried starting, it took a few attempts but did start. And then it died. So I kept trying to start and it did then kept dying. The engine hasn't run for more than 5 seconds in the past 2 days without shutting off. I press the throttle and it revs but then dies. My friend took off the cone air filter attached to the maf and held the flapper open and the car kept running until he let go. So how do I try to keep that flapper valve open? Will tightening or loosening that clock spring do the trick?

did you try borrowing another AFM to see if that is where the problem is?

+1, that should be the first thing you try if you suspect the afm.

Wow where would I find another one of those near Toronto... is there a way to test this one I have now?

Assuming the AFM hasn't been modified, this sounds a lot like a massive intake leak to me. Something after the AFM is letting air into the system.

+1

Whenever I press the throttle at all the engine dies, it doesn't raise RPM at all, just cuts out. I attached an actual vacuum gauge in the spot of my boost gauge and it read around 22" stable... for a few seconds until the car died again.

afm is messed up. ground the fuel pump on constantly and i bet it runs again.

you can get afm's for around $60 shipped.

How do I ground the fuel pump?

It's a 90 btw. In the connector on the wire to the MAF, there are 3 pins that are pushed back and not making contact. I assume that's where I should start, unless the car's came like that as if there was another option vehicle where all the pins would be used and the miata's didn't use them all. It's sorta hard to see(even though the picture is so big, sorry) but the 3 empty spots does actually have pins, they are just recessed.

Pushed them back in, car runs fine. Thanks for your help.