Q: Car sluggish and jerky in only first gear
I own a 2002 Hyundai Elantra GLS and the car is pretty sluggish when accelerating, but only in first gear. After I get the car going past 20mph or so there isn't a problem. When I press the gas pedal from stop, there's a 2-3 second delay before the engine engages and then it jerks forward 3-4 times before the problem disappears. I recently bought the car and had it inspected (3 weeks ago). They said the fuel pump and fuel lines were fine. I added a bottle of STP Complete Fuel System Cleaner to a tank of gas a couple of weeks ago. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
My car has 136000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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Among the possibilities are faults in the throttle position sensor, mass airflow sensor, vacuum leaks, a clogged fuel filter, defective EGR valve or control circuit, and worn out spark plugs and wires. A mechanic would simply investigate these possibilities sequentially and also check to see if any diagnostic trouble codes can be downloaded from the PCM. If you want these steps performed by a certified Mechanic, dispatched by YourMechanic right to your location, please request an engine hesitation diagnostic and the responding certified mechanic will get this resolved for you. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.
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