Oh, yeah. I'm focused on the maf because that's the only thing that was removed and the only thing that can really do anything to cause your car to act the way it is.
I would remove the entire thing and look at anything pertinent, like the maf. I would check everything in the area that could have been knocked, shorted, grounded, or anything. That's just how I troubleshoot though.
I would suggest you do the same since that's there is something going on now that wasn't before you guys installed the RAM intake, again, my .02.

 

I agree with the mas being the problem. Because the car will do exactly what your talking about if its unhooked or broken

 

there is a junkyard here that has one for only 35 bucks, i think i'm gonna go grab it. well, on their website it says "air flow meter" is that the same thing? becuase i looked it up online and got the same picture as a MAF.

 

yea i guess it could be called that. Thats a pretty good price for it to. Even if it doesnt fix the problem at least you only wasted 35 bucks

 

ok nothing. it was from a 4 cyl. but they have the same part number. regardless i put the stock intake back on with the original MAS, still nothing... i'm about to ****ing give up. i can't see how an intake can mess all this **** up. it turns over, but will not start. if it does it starts for like 1/2 of a second, doesn't even get a full start. and if i catch it with the gas it will run but the second i let go its dead.

 

i pulled one of the spark plugs out and it was black with a gas smell.... obviously it ran rich... how could this be?

could that be why its not running?

 

it must have to do with the mas because thats exactly what a car will do when the MAS is bad, it wont know how much air its getting and it will over compensate with fuel. But you said you tried the other MAS. So something must not be plugged in right. Thats all i can think

.....wait, check the couplings at the intake manifold and make sure that they are tight, check all connections, and make sure you didnt get a crack in the manifold (especially right at the point where the intake goes on. Couuld you maybe get a pic of this

 

are the couplings the fittings and such? if so everything is tight, i know the manifold is not cracked.... i tried the other MAF, but it was from a 4 cyl... will it still work? or do i need one from a 6 cyl?

 

I would imagine that the two motors need different MAFs. Resistance on the sensors may differ.

 

well, the junk yard said if the 4 cyl one didn't work they would replace it. there is another junk yard here they do business with with one from a 3.0 monetro that i could probably get them to trade... would that one work? its a 2001