I intermittently get some shuttering in my truck when I start from a dead stop and then accelerate. It seems to only occur in that situation. It lasts only for a second or two. I cant seem to ever get it to do it when i take it to a mechanic. I can live with it as it doesn't seem to lose power while this occurs but i dont want it to be a problem that could get worse and become more expensive to fix if gone unchecked. I recently had my plugs and wires replaced and the gas filter changed. I have also had my brakes done recently. Any ideas? Thanks.

Pat

 

Year and engine of your truck(I'm guessing 4.6)? What plugs did you use when you changed them?

 

Right. 1999 4.6 L. I will have to check the receipt for the plugs the mechanic used. I assume he used ones that met the Ford spec, but I will double check that after work. I took it back to the same mechanic (when i started getting this) and he ran a diagnostic and found no errors.

 

Does it seem engine related or drivetrain related? Meaning do the RPM's jump around, or is the truck bucking because of the trans slipping. How many miles on it? Jbrew should be along soon enough, he's probably got some good answers for you.

 

limited slip kicking in or unlocking?

 

117,000 miles. Good question. I will try to look at the rpms next time it occurs. It occurs for such a short time that i have never looked. If i give it gas, it snaps right out of it. It seems to only occur when i slowly accelerate. It doesnt happen frequently and i cant seem to do anything to force it to do it. It does occur in reverse as well. So, I will do my best to answer your questions. Thanks.

 

I have a standard differential.

 

I have a 97 with 4.6 had that going up hill, need to use good gas and motorcraft plugs and maybe a bad plug wire.They hate all other plugs

 

I looked at the rpms while it shutters. They do not jump around at all.

 

Ever changed the trans fluid? It sounds drivetrain related, not in the engine.

 

I have about 30k ago. It is shifting smoothly, should I get a transmission tune up or just get the oil change?

 

Sounds engine tune related to me. A diagnostic could miss a minor missfire. I'm betting wire plug coil issue.

 

He just had the plugs and wires replaced though. I'm guessing Motorcraft since they were done by the mechanic. Although, looking back it doesn't say they were done at Ford. Pat??

It's still tough to say, seeing as how you can't seem to reproduce it to the mechanic and it is an intermittent issue, you might want to wait until it throws a code.

Try disconnecting the battery for 10-15 minutes to clear the KAM.

 

It wasnt done at Ford. I haven't found the receipt yet so I don't know what kind of plugs were used. When I went to pick up my truck. He showed me my old plugs and wires and explained why they needed to be replaced. He did mention the new plugs were quite expensive ($12 a piece) because the Ford Specs require this and that..... Im not a mechanic by any means. Ill keep looking for that receipt. Thanks for your help.

 

When is the last time you had the transmission serviced? Ford uses an anti shudder additive to combat that problem. It is more of a nuisance than anything and can be rectified with a simlpe transmission flush at the stealership. You may notice this shudder when rolling through a drive thru or parking lot as well, or an other low speed/idle rolling situation.