surging / jerking problem when accelerating

my 2003 ford taurus surges and jerks when i accelerate up to 4000 rpms. at first i thought it was the spark plugs so i replaced them and the wires but the problem is still there. does any one know what the problem is?

my taurus has 98000 k

Welcome to the forum!

Does it do this just when in Park, or also when driving? Which engine does it have? Did all the spark plugs look similar when you changed them, or was one or two cleaner/dirtier than the others? Does it idle smoothly?

-Rod

well from my experience and the experience of others its likely the camshaft position sensor OR the synchronizer.

i would replace the sensor first as the ford part can be had for 20 something.

If that doesnt work worry about the synchonizer. but the sychronizer is a pain due to a wire loom in the way. but still only like a 20 minute job since you cen finagle the wires out of the way.

i just did this 4 days ago because it was like a govenor at 3500 once warmned up. im amazed at how smoth it runs now.

Rod's question about it happening only in Park is important. If that is the only time it happens, that is by design. The computer knows you are in Park and will not let you rev the motor up to high rpm's without a load and possibly cause catastrophic damage. So if that is the case, there is nothing to repair.

it does this when i'm driving. i don't know if it does this while in park cuz i don't idle it up to 4000 rpm. it has single ohc engine . u engine. it idles smoothly. i will check the spark plugs.

Okay, it sounds like you probably have a misfire. Since it seems to idle okay, I don't really suspect a vacuum leak. It could be a lack of fuel or a lack of air causing the issue. Since you've already replaced the plugs and wires, consider changing the fuel filter as well, which is another routine maintenance item. You should also check the air filter and make sure it is not really dirty or nearly plugged. If the filter is pretty dirty you might consider cleaning the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor as well. CRC makes a cleaner specifically intended for cleaning MAF sensors.

Before shotgunning any parts that are not maintenance items you could likely learn a lot about the likely area you should focus on by connecting a good scan tool with datastream mode and checking things like short and long term fuel trims, fuel rail pressure, and cylinder misfire counts.

-Rod