2001 chevy malibu jerks when driving - Executive Chrysler Cars & Trucks

The poor performance of the car makes these faults to come up and undermine the working of the engine. So to start off we need to check from the fuel tank. Check if the fuel contains impurities and specially water. If so this can come up with the pumping when the tank gets empty and produce misfiring, splutter and jerks. So a check on the fuel filter will confirm this as it will be seen, if so remove and clean tank and change the filter. We then come to the fuel pump/carburetor as the fuel mixing and pressure is determined in this section. You need to have the pump calibrated if the pressure at the injector is low.

Next we must check with the electrics. The spark intensity is most important .Remove all plugs to check gap and condition of plugs. The black plug indication will confirm that the performance is bad whereas a fully fired plug without deposits must be the ideal view. Check the HT coil and the HT wires, if the intensity is bad this must be swapped and checked to confirm. DO NOT CHANGE any part without a confirmation by trying with a replacement from another vehicle or friend. Finally the LT trigger to the coils must be checked be it from the platinum points or an electronic ignition unit. The voltage of the trigger must be high to give the best HT output.

Now use a strobe to check the Timing on the engine. If there is valve noise make sure that the tappets are set properly so that the valves seat firmly for the best compression. Also check compression of engine if there is imbalance on the engine or reduced power.

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