Rough jerking when shifting It might feel like a jerk, clunk or thud. This is usually caused by troubles with the vacuum, transmission fluid or a faulty sensor. The vacuum modulator valve helps older vehicles determine when to shift gears. There's a hose that connects the valve with the intake through a hose.
Malfunctioning Transmission Control Module
The transmission control module controls the shifting as you accelerate, so you may experience delays with shifting, which can cause your car to jerk. While this is not as common of an issue as others in this list, it can certainly be the culprit behind your car jerking.
When the transmission jerks between gears or the transmission is shifting hard, it should be taken as a warning that your transmission needs repair. When a transmission is shifting hard or slipping it's time for an inspection.
If you're experiencing this unsettling problem, a variety of potential causes could be responsible. More often than not, hard transmission shifts can be attributed to an inadequate level of transmission fluid in your vehicle, or the fluid's effectiveness is failing because it's old, dirty, and needs replacing.
Rough jerking when shifting
It might feel like a jerk, clunk or thud. This is usually caused by troubles with the vacuum, transmission fluid or a faulty sensor. The vacuum modulator valve helps older vehicles determine when to shift gears. There's a hose that connects the valve with the intake through a hose.
The fluid's frictional properties play a vital role in ensuring the clutch plates bind together properly and gear shifts occur seamlessly. Over time, the fluid's frictional properties can degrade, leading to hard, jerky or inconsistent shifts. In this case, it's time for a fluid change.
The cost of carrying out transmission repairs or replacement varies between make and model. With basic repairs costing between $200 up to $500+ and extensive repairs costing anywhere between $1000 up to $5000+, especially if the transmission requires complete overhaul or replacement.
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.
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.
If you drive manual, most manufacturers will recommend changing your transmission fluid every 30,000 to 60,000 miles. If you have automatic, you can typically boost that range up to 60,000 to 100,000 miles. There's no harm in changing your fluid early.
Dirty fuel injectors are among the most common reasons for why an accelerator becomes jerky. The dirty injector leads to your car losing power when you attempt to accelerate while at a stop and when you try to drive at a consistent speed. This is the result of an engine misfire.
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.
If your car is juddering when you accelerate, then there's likely an issue during the combustion process. This may be as simple as not having enough fuel, so check your tank and be sure to top up if needed. If you've got fuel, then it may be that your spark plugs, or their high tension leads are faulty.
These factors include if it is automatic or manual, the age of the transmission and its parts, the extent of damage, and the type of vehicle. A transmission rebuild cost averages $3,000. In comparison, a transmission replacement cost averages $6,500.
If your vehicle feels like it's trying to change gears on it's own and you can't stop it, that's a classic sign of a bad transmission. Shifting is rough. This common symptom of a failing transmission is easily noticed.
Clunking, humming or whining sounds are signs of automatic transmission problems. Faulty manual transmissions will also give off loud machinelike sounds that seem to come out of nowhere. A clunking noise when you shift gears is a telltale transmission situation. Have a mechanic look it over.
Transmission Mileage
One of the most important factors is the age and mileage of the transmission. Automatic transmissions often fail between 80,000 and 150,000 miles. Manual transmissions can fail even sooner than that, especially when routine maintenance is neglected.
If you don't replace your transmission fluid, it will break down much like engine oil and lose its lubricating and cleaning properties. This leads to high temperatures, sludge buildup, and excess friction, which can damage the internal clutches that shift the gears.
Drivers can expect to pay $125 to $250 for a transmission fluid flush service. This is approximately twice as much as a transmission fluid change. This is due in large part to the additional fluid required. A flush will take 12 to 22 quarts, while a fluid change requires 5 to 7 quarts.
The cost for the parts on average ranges between $50 to $100 but with labor costs involved it will be $300 to $400 dollars. Prices vary by the quality of the transmission fluid you choose to use, how much the shop charges per hour for labor, and how difficult it is to access, flush, and replace the clogged filter.