Q: Jerking reaction when accelerating

asked by on December 21, 2016

my dart has what feels like a misfire, is backfiring out of the exhaust and is like bucking on acceleration but no cel or underlying codes. i was please hoping to get an answer as to whether it just seems like a misfire like coil or spark problem, the turbo is going, or because of the non cel if the pcm is not acting as it should

My car has 71250 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.

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What you are describing sounds like an ignition problem or a lean fuel issue. I would start with checking items like the mass air flow sensor, O2 sensor, etc. since these types of items can affect air/fuel mixture controlling the leaning out or richening up of the motor. As you may know, misfires can be caused by many different things. Spark related problems generally will result from things like ignition coils, crankshaft position sensor, spark plugs, spark plug wires or ignition modules not working properly. When the misfire results from a fuel related issue, this is commonly related to a lean fuel condition (lack of sufficient fuel supply to the motor). Fuel related misfires can be caused by many different things such as low fuel pressure, faulty or dirty fuel injectors, a faulty O2 sensor, a dirty or failing mass air-flow sensor, a faulty or dirty idle air control valve or a vacuum or intake leak. When the fuel supplied to the combustion chamber is insufficient, this results in an ignition (spark) that is igniting a less than balanced load of fuel and air. This results in a misfire or an explosion in the cylinder that is much less powerful than the other cylinders. This creates a loss of power that resonates throughout the motor additionally causing other problems with ignition and fuel timing. Due to the number of different things that may cause an engine misfire, the quickest and easiest way to diagnose this type of problem is to hook the vehicle up to a scanning tool which will download any potential fault codes that may have registered in the vehicle’s computer as a result of the poor running condition. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose your misfiring problem.

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