Car jerks at over 60 mph while shifting from third to fourth gear
Hi. Recently, my car has been having transmission problems. The transmission fluid was changed at 40,000 miles and it still looks fine. The car has gone around 90,000 miles. Now, if I drive around 60 mph and above and shift from third gear to fourth gear, the car starts jerking badly. Then, I have to let go off the gas as the engine is revving up and down. This only happens at highway speeds and never at 50 mph and lower. Also, there is no issue, if I lock the third gear on the shifter. How can I fix this problem? Thanks.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Hello. Most of the time, when this vehicle starts doing this in higher gears it is because the transmission is failing internally. The clutch packs begin to fail and slip and this occurs. It can also be a pressure issue caused by a sticking solenoid or pressure control valve. Both of these are also common and a pressure control check be done to diagnose this. If you are going to have this repaired, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to diagnose your car’s shifting troubles.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
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What could the problem be? There are a range of reasons why your car is juddering when you accelerate. Your vehicle could have dirty fuel injectors, a damaged fuel pump, a blocked catalytic converter, a faulty mass airflow sensor, broken spark plugs, or even an accumulation of moisture.
This kind of reaction is often a sign of low transmission fluid or a faulty transmission control solenoid. As you know, automatic transmissions use pressurized hydraulic fluid to change gears.
This is a common problem when the throttle body sensor is faulty or dirty. There should be just 4 bolts holding this in place. I would recommend cleaning and checking this first before diving into transmission diagnosis. Also check the mass airflow sensor as this can also cause the same type of problem.
Old Or Incorrect Transmission Fluid
Using the wrong transmission fluid may result in some hard car jerks, especially at high speed.
Clogged Fuel Injectors
A clogged fuel injector can prevent the fuel your car needs to accelerate, thus causing you car to jerk in the process. If you hear your car engine stuttering, then the injectors may not be providing an adequate amount of fuel. To fix this, you should clean the injectors on a regular basis.
Typically, a surging or jerking motion can be caused by an unbalance of air and fuel in the engine. Your engine needs the exact amount of an air and fuel mixture to properly perform the combustion process.
This may be a result of low transmission fluid or potentially a faulty transmission control module. A faulty transmission control module may cause a delay in acceleration or erratic shifting of gears.
In most cases when the car lunges or jerks when you shift into gear, it`s due to mechanical gears not properly aligning or components in the driveline system (such as driveshaft, input and output shafts) being loose or worn out.
The Vehicle Speed Sensor measures vehicle speed. When it fails the transmission can stop shifting or shift late and harsh. A bad VSS may also inhibit overdrive and the converter clutch.
If your transmission fluid is old, contaminated, and/or too low, it will speed up that wear on tear on your gears. This can cause them to not engage properly, leading to a slipping transmission. Both manual and automatic transmissions require some sort of clutch system that`s integral to changing gears.
Lurching is caused by a mismatch between wheel and engine speed as the clutch engages. Release the clutch more slowly so their speed is synchronized gradually.
Due to oil in the intake air, carbon deposits or carbon fouling are caused which eventually the force of the valve can no longer cope with ñ the EGR valve can then no longer open, or it remains in its open position. This results in jerking, irregular idling or insuffi cient engine power.
March 2020. In physics, jerk or jolt is the rate at which an object`s acceleration changes with respect to time. It is a vector quantity (having both magnitude and direction). Jerk is most commonly denoted by the symbol j and expressed in m/s3 (SI units) or standard gravities per second (g0/s).
Typically when the car will not accelerate past 60 MPH, it`s due to either the ECU activating a limp mode or other mechanical (fuel or ignition system component) failures.
When your car jerks, stumbles or stutters while driving, it usually means something is interfering with the proper distribution and transfer of power from your transmission. Another example is if you`re driving a manual transmission and haven`t gained the feel of shifting for your particular vehicle.
Fortunately, fixing a shuddering transmission is often as simple as getting a transmission flush to replace the contaminated transmission fluid with clean, fresh fluid.
The transmission fluid in an automatic transmission is essential for lubricating and cooling the components inside. However, over time, the fluid can become contaminated with debris, dirt, and metal particles. Contaminated fluid can interfere with the operation of the torque converter, causing it to shudder.
Typically with transmission slipping, it may feel as if your gears are changing for no logical reason. Your engine may start to create a whining sound or pitch when it occurs. Alternatively, it may feel like you haven`t got enough power to drive at the desired speed.
What`s the secret to changing down gear smoothly? Maintain light pressure on the accelerator pedal as you press the clutch down, change gear and then clutch up gently (or the car will jerk). Using the accelerator will raise your engine speed to match your road speed, ultimately giving you a jerk free gear change.
Common signs include harsh or improper shifting, cruise control not working, and the Check Engine Light coming on.
When there`s no speed signal coming from the sensors, shifting of gears will be a problem because the powertrain control module won`t control them correctly. This will make the transmission not work properly. It will either shift more quickly or roughly than expected.
If your gears are slipping, it`s a clear sign your car`s running low on transmission fluid. When experiencing sudden up and down shifts, high RPMs right before shifting, or erratic shifting, seek assistance from your local service center to prevent your transmission from overheating or becoming damaged.
Low automatic transmission fluid can cause shaking. If the shaking is accompanied by the check engine light, it`s time to visit a mechanic.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Car jerks at over 60 mph while shifting from third to fourth gear
ANSWER : Hello. Most of the time, when this vehicle starts doing this in higher gears it is because the transmission is failing internally. The clutch packs begin to fail and slip and this occurs. It can also be a pressure issue caused by a sticking solenoid or pressure control valve. Both of these are also common and a pressure control check be done to diagnose this. If you are going to have this repaired, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to diagnose your car’s shifting troubles.
Read Full Q/A … : Car jerks at over 60 mph while shifting from third to fourth gear
I got sound when I shift to 3rd gear and it’s get hard to put shift to second gear when car is in 3rd gear.
ANSWER : Hello. It sounds as though the synchronizers in the transmission, which are used to adjust transmission internal gear speed when upshifting or downshifting are possibly worn out or you are shifting a bit too fast. It is also possible that the clutch is not releasing fully when you press the clutch pedal. In some conditions, utilizing synthetic gear oil in the transmission can help the quality of gear shifting. If the clutch is not fully releasing an inspection of the clutch hydraulics is a good idea. I would recommend having an inspection of the hard shift completed by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost for repairs.
Read Full Q/A … : Car jerks at over 60 mph while shifting from third to fourth gear
The car doesn’t shift into first gear while it works fine in reverse
ANSWER : The problem could be that the internal transmission pump is weak, or the transmission clutch seals are leaking. It sounds like the transmission will need an overhaul.
I recommend having a transmission mechanic test the pressures and diagnose the problems to verify whether you need an overhaul with a new torque convertor.
Read Full Q/A … : Car jerks at over 60 mph while shifting from third to fourth gear
I have a Mitsubishi 660cc mini pajero duke version automatic gears. My cars gears is jerking and not shifting properly especially drive.
ANSWER : Hi there. First check the transmission fluid level and make sure it’s full and red in color. If the fluid is normal and red in color, then there can be an issue within the transmission not engaging the clutch packs within the transmission. I recommend seeking out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you determine what is going on within your transmission.
Read Full Q/A … : Car jerks at over 60 mph while shifting from third to fourth gear
My car is hesitating / jerking at speed intervals of 20 mph, 30 mph, 35 mph and 40 mph.
ANSWER : This may be a sign of a dirty or failing mass air flow sensor. The mass air flow sensor is a unit in the intake system that monitors air intake as it is mixed with fuel prior to being injected into the motor. When this fails, this can cause an imbalanced air/fuel load to be supplied to the motor which results in an over fueling or under fueling situation depending on the conditions. This may cause a hesitation, loss of power or jerking reaction when this sensor is malfunctioning. When this is not working properly, you may also notice a strong smell of fuel. I would suggest having a professional from Your Mechanic come to your home to diagnose your mass air flow sensor.
Read Full Q/A … : Car jerks at over 60 mph while shifting from third to fourth gear
When shifting into 1st gear and attempting to take off, car shakes and then stalls. Car also won’t let me shift into reverse.
ANSWER : Hi there. Either the shifter rail is damaged inside the transmission keeping the gears from going into reverse and the first gear from connecting all the way, or the transmission first and reverse gears are damaged causing the transmission to have a hesitation on the forward 1st gear and no reverse. I recommend seeking out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you diagnose your transmission shifting issue.
Read Full Q/A … : Car jerks at over 60 mph while shifting from third to fourth gear
the car will not shift into any gear, but the gear shift moves
ANSWER : transmission shifting
Read Full Q/A … : Car jerks at over 60 mph while shifting from third to fourth gear
Car in park shifter will move through gears but wont shift through the gears its stuck in neutral have emergency brake on so it wont roll
ANSWER : From what you’ve described, it sounds like the shifter cable came off at the transmission or the shifter. I’d suggest checking the shift linkage on the transmission to see if the cable came off. This is due to the connector end bushing falling apart and not being able to hold the cable on any longer. Some cables have to be replaced as a whole and as with others the bushing can be replaced to fix the cable. I’d suggest contacting a certified technician, such as one from YourMechanic, who can come diagnose your shifting issue and make the necessary repairs to your vehicle. Good luck.
Read Full Q/A … : Car jerks at over 60 mph while shifting from third to fourth gear
