When accelerating the car jerks violently, hesitates, then jerks again. It's been driving us crazy. Neighbor who is a mechanic suggested replacing the spark plugs, which he did. I asked about the coils and he said they all looked good, as did the old plugs. Took the car out for a test run and it did the same thing. Same old problem, and it is not fixed.
Another mechanic told us it was the MAF-Mass Air Flow. We watched a Youtube video on how to clean it. It didn't look dirty but we cleaned and reinstalled it anyway. Also I saw a video saying to clean the throttle body. Pulled it off, and sure enough it was dirty. Spent a good 15-20 minutes making sure all surfaces and edges were clean and reinstalled it. Double checked all the fittings, ie. Air Filter, clamps and hoses, everything tight. It ran great for about two miles before it started jerking again. It's not as bad as before but does the same thing. We haven't taken it out on a long distance drive yet, but it appears to be the same problem, perhaps 10-20% better. Still seeking a solution.
Update from Jan 6, 2023: UPDATE: Tested and cleaned the MAF filter again. Seems fine. Decided to replace the throttle body, with great expecations, but failed to solve the problem. Still seems to be a vacum leak problem. Saw a video on how to clean the flapper inside the open fuel door, which could also cause a problem. Also looking to replace the fuel filter as we have so many miles on it. The next steps are to do a vacum leak test on the engine. I don't like using propane or the carb cleaner, but saw several videos on how to conduct a smoke test, which we will try. Same problems, no solution to date.
When accelerating the car jerks violently, hesitates, then jerks again. It's been driving us crazy. Neighbor who is a mechanic suggested replacing the spark plugs, which he did. I asked about the coils and he said they all looked good, as did the old plugs. Took the car out for a test run and it did the same thing. Same old problem, and it is not fixed.
Another mechanic told us it was the MAF-Mass Air Flow. We watched a Youtube video on how to clean it. It didn't look dirty but we cleaned and reinstalled it anyway. Also I saw a video saying to clean the throttle body. Pulled it off, and sure enough it was dirty. Spent a good 15-20 minutes making sure all surfaces and edges were clean and reinstalled it. Double checked all the fittings, ie. Air Filter, clamps and hoses, everything tight. It ran great for about two miles before it started jerking again. It's not as bad as before but does the same thing. We haven't taken it out on a long distance drive yet, but it appears to be the same problem, perhaps 10-20% better. Still seeking a solution.
Update from Jan 6, 2023: UPDATE: Tested and cleaned the MAF filter again. Seems fine. Decided to replace the throttle body, with great expecations, but failed to solve the problem. Still seems to be a vacum leak problem. Saw a video on how to clean the flapper inside the open fuel door, which could also cause a problem. Also looking to replace the fuel filter as we have so many miles on it. The next steps are to do a vacum leak test on the engine. I don't like using propane or the carb cleaner, but saw several videos on how to conduct a smoke test, which we will try. Same problems, no solution to date.
- Rh V., Boise, ID, US