Hello,

I have a 2001 Dodge stratus(2.4 DOHC 4dr). I recently had the timing belt replaced after it broke. Some background on the timing belt replacement: At the time it went out, I tried to start the car several times not realizing the belt was the issue. This apparently caused oil to get inside the engine area. They spent a significant amount of time cleaning out this oil. After getting the car back I noticed a jerking at low speeds. It happens when I start moving from a stopped position. As I ease of the brakes, the car begins to jerk until my foot is completely off the brakes. I took it back to the shop and they made an educated guess that it might be the plugs or the wires. The technician described it as a "partial miss." I replaced the spark plugs and noticed that the problem disappeared for about an hour and then re-appeared. I began to make a connection with the problem disappearing and disconnecting the battery. I would imagine this indicates a reset of all the sensors allows the car to start "fresh" before an issue with the sensor occurs. Could this indeed be a bad sensor and is there a way I could isolate which one it might be? I haven't noticed any siginificant drop in gas mileage and this problem only occurs in the scenario described.

 

Have you hooked that baby up to a code reader to see if its throwing out any codes? Lets us know...

 

I have not had the computer checked for codes. Is it possible for codes to be present even if the check-engine light is not on?

 

Dang. The computer for the most part should pick up a faulty readings in all the sensors. Its hard to believe you don't have a check engine light on! Its tricky to check for bad sensors. You have to test them electrically with a meter...