2001 Echo Jerking Problem

[Serialcode]

Hello,

I have a 2001 manual transmission Toyota Echo with 128,000 miles on it. I have been noticing that when I put the car into second/third gear and accelerate the car inadvertently jerks forward slightly.

The jerk is so slight that I don't think a passenger would even notice it (what with how jerky manual driving is anyway :P). The jerking is very, very noticeable to me, though.


The coil pack in my third cylinder recently cracked (last week). I had it promptly replaced (the car was driven a total of 30 minutes max with the coil pack broken). The coil pack originally cracked while I was driving which caused an extremely rough idle and a bumpy ride while in gear.

Can anyone tell me if these two are related issues? Are my other coil packs going bad? Could there have been some error the mechanics made? Did I break my car by driving it too long while the coil pack was broken? Other issue all together?


Thank you all very, very much in advance!

[new echo owner]

Did you feel this jerking before you had problem with the coil? If the engine is misfiring cause this jerking, it would have set a code and turn on the CEL. What else was done beside replacing the coil? Was the spark plug checked when the coil was replaced? Does this condition feel like a misfire or the engine/transmission shifting?

N.E.O.

[Serialcode]

Originally Posted by new echo owner

Did you feel this jerking before you had problem with the coil? If the engine is misfiring cause this jerking, it would have set a code and turn on the CEL. What else was done beside replacing the coil? Was the spark plug checked when the coil was replaced? Does this condition feel like a misfire or the engine/transmission shifting?

N.E.O.

The jerking is entirely new since the coil pack problem. If I had to guess (not very educated on cars), I would say it's a misfire since it is happening frequently, but not every time I shift into second and third gear.

The CEL has not been lit, however. When the coil pack cracked last week, the CEL activated immediately, so I'm pretty sure it's functional.

I was quoted for spark plug replacements, but it ended up being cheaper than the quote. I will double check if they were checked/replaced as soon as possible.


(I don't know if this is of any consequence, but I noticed that when I drive "harder" [accelerating to 30mph before shifting into third, as opposed to 20-25] the jerking happens less often.)

[new echo owner]

Depending on what was cracked in the old coil, there maybe carbon tracks on the plugs which would inadvertently allow the high voltage to arc to ground when underload. If the condition didn't last long enough the ECM may not turn on the CEL, but may still have store a pending code. It may also be related to fuel, try another brand or higher grade if you haven't done that yet, and see if the condition improves or changes.

N.E.O.