Jerking / Stuttering problem
 

Hi, I have an '02 Protege ES, 5 spd. I bought it in July and it has about 7500 miles on it.

The problem I am experiencing is a jerking and/or stuttering. It happens when I am accelerating - if I am pressing down on the gas, then I take my foot off or let back on the gas a little, then re-apply my foot to the gas, I get a jerking/stuttering from the car. It is more pronounced in lower gears (2nd + 3rd).

Does anyone know what might be going on? It has been going on for quite some time now, at first I thought it was due to this being my first car with a stick, but I'm pretty proficient at it now so I don't think it's that. Also, when I take my foot off the gas a little, and then re-apply it, it's not like I'm stomping on the gas. No matter how lightly I re-apply pressure to the gas pedal, it almost always gives me a jerky motion.

It also seems to have gotten worse with the colder weather, it's been about 0-20 degrees Fareinheit where I live, that might have something to do with it.

Let me know what you guys think, I will be going in for an oil change soon and I'll probably have it looked at. I seem to recall seeing threads about "clutch chatter" (not sure what that is), flywheel problems, and problems in cold weather so any help will be appreciated, thanks!

EDIT: Could anyone point me to the TSB that deals with this clutch/flywheel problem?

I may be wrong here but I think what you're experiencing is simple drive train lash/motor mount flex.

I started to write out an explanation of the drive train lash and motor mount flex but it was getting stupid - especially with no pictures. Basically, the lash is the total of the tolerances in all of the gears after the clutch. The motor mount flex - well - open the hood and watch the engine at idle while a friend blips the throttle that motion does make its way to the drive wheels when you're goin' down the street.

I'm sure you can find a thread with info that is more detailed by doing a search but I don't think it is clutch chatter.

It can be very difficult to modulate the gas peddle so that you do not get this "jerking" motion but it is possible - just takes some patient practice.

Yup, I got the same problem. It has been quite cold in Montreal the past few weeks... I'll wait till the spring to see if it's temperature-related or not.

I've been having a hell of a time modulating the throttle at low speeds to try to prevent lurching/jerking/stuttering. All it takes is a slight bump or pothole in the road (the streets in Montreal are lousy with them right now), and my foot just moves even slightly, and it's all over... bouncy, bouncy, LOL.

I can accept that it's normal for a 4-cylinder to do this... I just can't believe how pronounced it is.

This is a problem? I've found this to be the case with every manual transmission car I've driven. I never thought anything of it. If you have to reapply throttle after having lifted your foot, you have to do it very gradually, or reintroduce the clutch for a quicker transition.

It may be normal for this to happen to some degree with a manual transmission, but the degree to which it occurs in the Protege is abnormal. I've never driven a car with so much driveline bounce or with throttle tip-in this sensitive. On the upside, I had read other posts where some said installing new plug wires reduced this behaviour, and I found this to be the case for me.

I have had this same problem in my '99 ES as well as a '91 Escort GT (which had the BP engine). You would not believe how flexible the engine mounts are. The #3 mount is collapsed on my ES and looking in it, it is amazing it can even hold the engine in place! The rubber is so thin and I can't believe a new one costs $150+! I have seen stronger rubber bands! I'll take some pics of it when I replace it... it is quite shocking! I think Mazda could have used some thicker rubber and still not have had a pronounced problem with engine vibrations. The '99 and '00 ESs are absolutely terrible... when the AC compressor kicks on at a stop, the engine jerks so bad it feels like you have been lightly rear-ended.

I have the same problem too .. I'll wait for spring to see if it still does ..

well
 

I have an appointment with the Mazda dealer here tomorrow morning at 8am (EST). I will have them address the clutch chatter, engine rattle when cold (which I know isn't too big a deal but might as well bring it up/fix it while I'm there), and the jerking issue.

I will let everyone know how it goes.

yeah. decelerating in gear sucks when you have to re-accelerate.

my solution:
stomp on the clutch, blip the gas for a proper rev-match, then quickly re-engage the clutch while applying gas to maintain or increase speed. works for me after lots of practice.

:withstupi
Same here. That's what I was talking about with "reintroducing the clutch..."

COOL!! I'm not a passenger too often and when I am it's usually someone driving a slushbox so I don't see other people's driving style too often.

I'm curious to see how many people have some form of "clutch re-introduction" technique when decelerating in gear.

It looks like a choice between the lesser of two evils:
1) clutch wear from an improper rev-match
or
2) wear and tear on the driveline from all the jerking

This is normal. Re-introduce the clutch - rev-match and continue.

I have athe same problem as all of you. I also solve it by being constantly on the clutch. I used to have a V-6 5spd 626 and it did the same thing all the time. I pisses me off in traffic!

had my tranny rebuild, 99 pro lx(automatic) with only 76 miles on it. pro was doing the same thing. mazda dealer said i needed a new tranny, 2500.00 bucks. :mad: