kangerooing/jumping, WHY?

[corollaOOH]

corolla SE 16V Hatchback 1.3Lt UK V Reg

Just bought this beautifull car and it has been reasonably well looked after but now need your knowledge on how to fix and tune to make it perfect again!

This car drives smoothly with gentle acceleration however when higher acceleration is needed for increase in speed on occasion the car will start kangerooing (jumping). Made a terrible mistake the other day and put it into the wrong gear and it was jumping so bad it felt like the car was going to throw me out as punishment!

Going to check the sparks tom and wondering which leads to check aswell. Only a beginner under the hood so I want to check and clean engine bay and understand the car as I go along.

Anyone with any ideas as to what is wrong and how to fix this problem?

Would also love any general knowledge, tips and advice on looking after my new friend as I want to keep this car for a long long time.

[gold94corolla]

wow, kangarooing?? Never thought I'd hear my favorite animal mentioned to describe a Corolla hahaha!

But I think it is lost in translation.... what do you mean jumping?

[corollaOOH]

Well "OOH" (my cars name) jumps backwards and forwards and it's rather funny looking for others to see. It doesn't happen all the time and only does it if I'm in a hurry leaving the traffic lights or starting up a steep hill.

Maybe I should get a sticker for the back window saying 'Warning excited Kangeroo on Board!' I'm glad that it doesn't jump up and down cuz the looks that I would get!

Anyway, off out into the freezing cold to start playing with my OOH now.

Thanks for the reply!

[Bitter]

sounds like either a misfire or a clutch issue.

[Phlingwinger]

If it's an older rolla ( I didn't see the year model in your description) with a manual transmission I'd suspect a worn clutch plate coupled with a bad throw out bearing...spark plugs (whether fouled or badly gapped, or just plain old and corroded) usually won't cause a drive train to "lunge"...if, however, you have an automatic transmission, I can offer no suggestions...

[boxer4luvr]

EGR valve or vaccuum leak?