Hello everyone!! I just got a 1999 Dodge ram 1500 5.2l V8! I went with the dodge cause I love jeep and have only owned jeeps and need to get a truck for my lawn business. Also I am only 19 and have owned a wrangler and cherokee. Anyways, love the dodge I paid 3500 for it and got it from an older man. I know they like to take care of their stuff and it look liked he took care of his truck..

Well driving home I start to get a jerking or like a bucking. It is a manual, and it seem to happen most in 2nd gear. If you take it smooth it would only jerk sometimes. If you shift it and start off slow and kinda gun it, it would a jerking.

I have ran for error codes and nothing.. The plugs, sparks, and cap have just been replaced before I bought it. I am thinking they may have ran the spark plug wires to the wrong spark plug or maybe the the cat is clogged because it has alittle exhaust leak by the cat and when iam in gear and let off the gas it kinda backfires from the leak.

Any help??? why iam getting a jerking?

 

to check clogged cat theory, pull the precat O2 sensor and see if that helps clear anything up.

is it the engine sputtering? do a search for the spark plug routing diagram TSb in the FAQ up top. the wires like to be routed a specific way.

is it the engine? or more of a linkage axle suspension problem? is it 4x4?

 

If you give too much throttle at low rpm in 2nd or 3rd, it will jerk. Mine does that too. It's not real bad but if you're kinda new to manuals, it does happen. Not saying that's all that's going on and I'm not saying you can't drive! Just wondering if that may be all that's happening.

Happened to me once test driving a diesel. It had so much power that when I gave throttle in a low gear it started bucking bad. Downshifted to get rpms up and it went away.

Give yourself some time to learn the rpms and shift points of this truck. I barely need to clutch anymore. Though I've had this truck for 9 years now.

 

If it wants to buck when you get on the throttle there's a good chance the clutch is slipping.

 

Update: Cut off the cat and now running dual flowmasters! Sounds real good. But now the idle is really rough. It seems to around about half way to the one and it will move up and down. Lately it will go down really low, like it is about to stall and it REVS ITSELF UP and kinda runs normal for a bit and then gets rough again!!

 

tps or check plenum