1985 Plymouth Horizon engine jerks badly when accelerating

Tiny
AK_SPRAYBERRY
  • MEMBER
  • 1985 PLYMOUTH HORIZON
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 81,725 MILES
I have an '85 Plymouth Horizon that has just recently began to "buck" severly when I accelerate from first thru 4th gears. It feels like the enmgine is trying to cut-off. I have replae the distributor cap and rotor and the plugs and wires. Any suggestions?
Monday, October 26th, 2009 AT 6:52 AM

1 Reply

Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Check and test the following:

Oxygen sensor
Dirty fuel injectors (cleaning the injectors often fixes this).
Bad MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor
Bad TPS (throttle position) sensor
Bad or dirty MAF (mass airflow) sensor
Low fuel pressure (leaky fuel pressure regulator or weak fuel pump)
Vacuum leaks (intake manifold, vacuum hoses, throttle body, EGR valve)
Bad gasoline (fuel contaminated with water or too much alcohol)

Sometimes, what feels like a hesitation is actually ignition misfire rather than lean misfire. The causes of ignition misfire may include:

Dirty or worn spark plugs
Bad plug wires
Weak ignition coil
Wet plug wires
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Monday, October 26th, 2009 AT 7:22 AM

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