1996 Ford Ranger Jerks During Driving!!! HELP PLEASE!!!

[BenP]

I really need some help here. Recently, within the last week, while driving my truck has started jerking while at a constant speed. At first I thought it might be the gas (water in it) but that turned out to be a wrong guess. It has gotten worst over the last week. Whenever I attempt to accelerate my truck jerks (sometimes) and even while driving at steady speeds. I am worried that it might be something serious as while looking at my gauges in my truck my batter indicator jumps up and down slightly (just noticed that today). It almost seems like a fuel issue but I have no idea. I am thinking of taking it into a mechanic tomorrow to have it checked out. Does anyone here have any idea(s) as to what it could be? My friend suggested it might be the O2 sensory as he had issues with their car jerking too but only when pressing on the gas. Thanks for any help.

[EVH5150]

How many miles do you have on your truck? You might want to check the timing on it. Hopefully it isn't the injectors. It may just need a tune up. Another experience I had with my truck is that when th U-joints sieze up on the drive shaft, it'll cause the truck to jerk when the joint breaks free and it'll be fine until ti siezes up again, but you'll know it because you'll hear a sharp "clunk" when it does break free. Just giving you some ideas. Good Luck

[BenP]

I didn't get a chance to get to the mechanic today. Umm...my truck has a lot of miles on it (mainly highway miles). I think it was about 164k on it. I've never had any problems w/ it as I make sure to take good care of it. How much do you think it would cost for those repairs? I don't hear any clanks just a jerk now and then. Thanks for any help.

[freezin-mybunz-off]

i had a similar problem and found it to be the spark plugs. try replacing your plugs and wires, that can sometimes fix a multitude of problems.

[EVH5150]

Forget about the U-joints, that probably isn't the problem. Yeah, it could be faulty spark plugs.Maybe replace the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor if you haven't done so lately. Doing it yourself,shouldent cost too much. Also checking the timing wouldn't be a bad idea. you should be able to check out a timing light from Auto Zone and have someone help you out. Sure would save yourself on labor costs. As for the battery indicator, check the battery posts and make sure they're clean. You might be getting a bad connection. Good Luck!

[TheRangerOfDanger]

sounds like they know what they are talking about...i'd go with all of those, but as for the battery gauge, you may want to doudle check it....i feel dumb for even posting this but.. I noticed the same thing on my ranger when I stopped at a turn light one day...and later i noticed that the alternator doesn't charge the battery as much when the turn signal is on, and so you see a flucuating battery gauge when the turn signal is flashing... i just hadn't noticed because i don't actually watch the battery gauge unless i have nothing else to do..

[BenP]

Thanks guys! All this information is great! I am actually going to take it into this place around the corner from me in about an hour to get a diagnostic check on it ($30) and if those are the only problems that they discover then I'll probably just get it done myself. I never thought about the spark plugs and that could be the issue considering I don't know if they've ever been changed. Thanks again.