how would i tell if the MAF was turned around?

 

There's an arrow pointing in the direction of airflow on that blue sticker
Make sure it is pointed up toward passenger comparment...kinda at an angle.

I think maybe your throttle position is off on Throttle body...seems like only solution...?
You shouldn't have adjusted it when re-installing throttle body (you don't need to). But I'm not sure how to adjust it...try webtech or someone will help you.
Did you have an aftermarket one on before?
After you get the problem fixed let car idle for 15 minutes and reset ECU completely.
Good luck, I'll search around for ya on tp re-adjustment.

What did ya do with the coolant hoses? Did you do bypass or did you hook them up to nipples on stock throttle body?

EDIT: dude, you couldn't have turned the MAF around unless you completely took it out and fogot how it looked insatalled in the hour or so it took you to put in throttle body. You don't need to completely remove it during install, just disconnect from elbow joint and move aside (i.e. leave attached to intake tubing)...

 

when i first installed the aftermarket one i had to lower the idle.
so just pull the ecu fuse and let it sit for 10 mins?
the tp sensor is tightly screwed on, vacuum hoses seem fine...
yeah the MAF is not turned around.
when i installed the aftermarket one i did the bypass, and when i just put the stock one back on today i just left them, never reconnected it. that shouldn't matter though..

 

Did you adjust the throttle cable?

 

adjust it? what do you mean?

 

That's weird you had to adjust throttle (I've never heard of that...)
what brand was aftermarket throttle body?

 

Where does it say you need to bring the car up to operating temperature? Remove the ground from your battery and hold the brake pedal down for 30 seconds, you should be good to go.

 

You may have to tighten or loosen the cable with by moving the nuts (no pun intended) towards you to tighten it or away from you to loosen the cable (granted you are standing on the driver's side looking at the TB). Look at the bracket holding the cables, you'll see a nut on each side of the bracket on the throttle cable.

If you'r BBTB has a different size throttle wheel then the stock one you had, you may have to adjust it...I had to.

 

yes i was wondering about that nut, i've tried starting it with the nut really loose, really tight, and hand tight. same result everytime..although the time i did get it to idle it was looser.
how SHOULD this nut be? loose, tight, medium??

 

Ok, you're on the right track then, try unscrewing the screw to the point where it's almost off but leave it on there, look on the other side of the screw and make sure the end of the screw is not pertruding out..did you find the nuts that control the tightness of the throttle cable?