# Car jerking after pressing accelerator **URL:** \ **Category:** Power/Fuel\ **Tags:** pedal, gasoline\ **Created:** [May 11, 2008, 3:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-jerking-after-pressing-accelerator/13869 "2008-05-11T03:49:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![radovauto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@radovauto](https://community.cartalk.com/u/radovauto)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 3:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-jerking-after-pressing-accelerator/13869/1 "2008-05-11T03:49:31Z")
1995 Fort Taurus, 3.8, pressing gas pedal does not do anything, then car jerks and accelerates. Sometimes, does not do that even and in that case further pressing it, induces a squeaking noise on the passenger side of engine like an axle turning and squeaking. Gets worse going uphill when it does not pull, I retract gas pedal then press again, eventually works. Sometimes gets worse if I turn by car starting to shake and give rattling noise when I press accelerator. Withdraw it then O.K. Is this going to explode or what ? ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 5:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-jerking-after-pressing-accelerator/13869/2 "2008-05-11T05:51:43Z")
Have you checked the level of the transmission fluid lately? ---
**Author:** ![radovauto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@radovauto](https://community.cartalk.com/u/radovauto)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 2:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-jerking-after-pressing-accelerator/13869/3 "2008-05-12T02:11:26Z")
Thanks for your response. I thought I check this regularly and I did. Now that you said it I will check it again – that’s how desperate I am. Somebody said that it may be due to a gas (accelerator) electronic sensor. Does it make sense (excuse the pun) ---
**Author:** ![hellokit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hellokit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hellokit)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 2:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-jerking-after-pressing-accelerator/13869/4 "2008-05-12T02:28:50Z")
How do you RETRACT the gas pedal? DO you pull it up with your foot, or hand? A dirty fuel filter will keep the car from accelerating or hill climbing. It could use fresh spark plugs for that misfiring condition. ---
**Author:** ![JLeather](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/jleather/32/785_2.png) [@JLeather](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JLeather)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 1:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-jerking-after-pressing-accelerator/13869/5 "2008-05-12T13:15:32Z")
Is the check engine light on? Sounds like it could be a bad TPS (throttle position sensor). The car might not realize you’re pushing the gas pedal down. If the throttle opens and the car doesn’t realize it it’s like having a bid vacuum leak which will make the engine shudder and run rough, and not accelerate. Just a thought. A bad TPS will usually set off a check engine light though. ---
**Author:** ![radovauto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@radovauto](https://community.cartalk.com/u/radovauto)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-jerking-after-pressing-accelerator/13869/6 "2008-05-17T23:19:39Z")
See my comment re transmission fluid. The check engine in fact did come out several times and even stayed for a while. Not for the past couple of days. Your TPS clue may be worth examining as this may be a compounding of problems too. ---
**Author:** ![radovauto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@radovauto](https://community.cartalk.com/u/radovauto)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-jerking-after-pressing-accelerator/13869/7 "2008-05-17T23:27:49Z")
And so you might be right and I of course feel dumb: I was a) relying on car’s manual claiming that transmission never needs adding/checking, b) Notwithstanding that advise I was checking transmission fluid when car was turned off and cold and the fluid was in cross-hatch. Well after I checked in when hot I saw that the level was below bottom hole, better yet tiny amount at the tip. I added one quart and looked. The situation improved a bit, then I added another quart and surely engine noise stopped, jerking is less and pull uphill is better. It may look as if I need to add a bit more, for now the fluid is still below the second hole from bottom and certainly below the crosshatch (when hot). So will see what happens. But certainly a good advise… Will see whether it is compuonded with the TPS problem ---
**Author:** ![radovauto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@radovauto](https://community.cartalk.com/u/radovauto)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-jerking-after-pressing-accelerator/13869/8 "2008-05-17T23:29:53Z")
No pedal comes back O.K. by itself. It may be worth checking the fuel filter as well. But how do you do it without much fancy equipment? ---
**Author:** ![Roadrunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@Roadrunner](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Roadrunner)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-jerking-after-pressing-accelerator/13869/9 "2008-05-18T23:57:51Z")
Was the tranny serviced and the fluid level NOT checked afterwards? If you are losing tranny fluid there has to be a leak somewhere. Tranny fluid does not evaporate. ---
**Author:** ![radovauto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@radovauto](https://community.cartalk.com/u/radovauto)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-jerking-after-pressing-accelerator/13869/10 "2008-06-22T02:49:45Z")
Oh, what’s a tranny (fluid). Is it transmission fluid? The car actually still jerks ocasionaly but not as severely. It even got that rattle and rattling noise in usual situation when I turn and go uphill (going slowly). So my thinking it was over was to premature…