Q: dead battery plus jerking

asked by on April 11, 2016

my van jerks when accelerating and the battery does not charger via the alternator, however i took the battery to auto-zone to have it charged so i could get my van started but the jerking continued. can this be fixed with a simple alternator replacement? or is their something more to the jerking?

My car has 210000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Hi there. If the alternator is not charging the battery and not providing enough voltage into the system then you will get this jerking. If there is not enough power in the system, then the computer will have trouble shifting the transmission properly among other possible issues.

I would always start by repairing the charging system problem, which is typically caused by a bad alternator. It can also be a bad connection someplace, but that is not as common. If you need to have this looked at, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to diagnose your car’s battery and jerking issue.

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