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Q: Car revs high and jerks when first starting to drive car, while driving.

asked by on January 18, 2017

I have a 2004 Honda Accord EX with high mileage and I typically stay on top of repairs needed for the car. Whether cold or hot outside (I live in Florida) at the initial cranking up of the car and reversing, the car will reverse then when I switch it to Drive, remove my foot from the brakes to give it gas to move forward, the car will stay idle for about 5 seconds then jerk forward. Then after the jerk I proceed to drive forward and then the car sounds as if its revving high but I m barely pressing the gas. As I pull out of my parking lot, sometimes it will just abruptly go idle on the main road and aggressively jerk at any stops. I would have to drive like this for about 5-15 minutes then cut the car off and back on then it will drive normal the rest of the day until the next then starts this process all over again. Any mechanic shops near me want to charge a arm and a leg just to "take a look" and long story short, I am a woman who can work on my own car. I just need honest advice.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hi There, It sounds like you may have low transmission fluid or a faulty transmission control solenoid. As you know, automatic transmissions use pressurized hydraulic fluid to change gears. Every time a gear change is required, the car’s computer activates a transmission solenoid, which directs transmission fluid into the valve body to engage the correct gear. When this is faulty or not working properly, this can cause a delay in gear shifting or in some cases cause the car to not shift at all. This type of problem is amplified any time the transmission is low on fluid creating a drop in hydraulic pressure. I would recommend having a professional from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and inspect your vehicle.

Honda
Accord
2004
L4-2.4L
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