2004 LS Jerks in Snowy Climates

[briasmit91]

Hey guys, today is the first snow fall in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area. Since I've only had the car for a few months, it's still sort of new to me. Today, while I was driving on the highway at about 45-50 mph, the car would randomly jerk, as if someone hit me from behind. On my 8 mile trip, it probably did it 10 times if that.

I saw a post from last year with a similar situation as mine, but the car was a ~2000 LS manual V6. I've got a 2004 LS V8. I've changed all of the COPS, spark plugs, etc. A few days ago, I replaced the 3 plastic cooling system parts, along with the degas bottle. This resulted in me removing the throttle body, and MAF. I drove the car all day yesterday, and it performed like a top! Now, I'm hit with this "issue". What could it be? The other listing had said something about the transmission relearning process. Did I mess with anything related to that? I initially thought it was the wheels losing traction and just regaining, but didn't see any lights flashing while this was happening. What can be the issue?

 

[joegr]

Do you have AdvanceTrac, or just traction control?
Have you tried turning whichever you have off as a test?
Do you have snow tires?

 

[1LoudLS]

first thing that comes to my mind is that your temporarily losing traction and then when the tires catch again, you feel a jerk.

 

[briasmit91]

Do you have AdvanceTrac, or just traction control?
Have you tried turning whichever you have off as a test?
Do you have snow tires?

joegr, my car is equipped with AdvanceTrac.
I do not have snow tires, they're A/S Yokohama.
I have tried it with the AdvanceTrac off, but I didn't get up to 45+mph. I didn't notice any jerking either. I'm not sure if it's the transmission or what.

1LoudLS, I initially thought that too. But then I started to think otherwise since the roads were just paved smooth a few months ago, and there wasn't too much snow built up on the ground. It was almost a little more than a dusting of snow.

 

[1LoudLS]

I do not have snow tires, they're A/S Yokohama....

...1LoudLS, I initially thought that too. But then I started to think otherwise since the roads were just paved smooth a few months ago, and there wasn't too much snow built up on the ground. It was almost a little more than a dusting of snow.

nice glass smooth road, little molecules of frozen water, add all that up with a tire compound that basically turns to plastic at the temps that water does freeze...


if the roads have a good amount of snow on them, you will never get jerking because you have a constant amount of low traction, its only when you get a little areas of low traction that this can happen... just saying





I will also say that while my Advancetrac light will flash most of the times the wheels lose traction (and even a couple of times when it doesn't feel like traction has been lost) but there have been a couple of times when I have felt it slip a tiny bit and grabs back very quick without the light flashing.

 

[briasmit91]

That does make sense. I'm pretty sure we'll have a steady snow fall overnight, so I'll have to do some more testing tomorrow. I definitely want to try it at highway speeds with the AdvanceTrac off. So with my understanding, even with AdvanceTrac off there is still some sort of limited traction control enabled?

After I put the car back together from tearing it apart to fix the cooling system, I got a new code. P0113. I've never had this code before. Would this affect anything?

 

[1LoudLS]

So with my understanding, even with AdvanceTrac off there is still some sort of limited traction control enabled?

not with my car, with the button pressed there is no babysitter riding shotgun. I have the ABS and thats it.

 

[joegr]

...After I put the car back together from tearing it apart to fix the cooling system, I got a new code. P0113. I've never had this code before. Would this affect anything?

Probably not related to your symptoms, but certainly you want to fix that. It's important for the PCM to know the temperature of the air the engine is breathing in.

 

[FDR]

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/fo...ck-Jerk-Only-When-Driving-in-Snow-Dust-Powder

 

[Telco]

That does make sense. I'm pretty sure we'll have a steady snow fall overnight, so I'll have to do some more testing tomorrow. I definitely want to try it at highway speeds with the AdvanceTrac off. So with my understanding, even with AdvanceTrac off there is still some sort of limited traction control enabled?

After I put the car back together from tearing it apart to fix the cooling system, I got a new code. P0113. I've never had this code before. Would this affect anything?

First rule of troubleshooting is to ask what has changed? In your case you tore into the engine, now you have a new code. I think you left a connector off somewhere. And, I would be asking Joe in this case where the coolant temp sensor is because he likely knows off the top of his head whereas anyone else on here would have to go looking for it.

 

[joegr]

P0113 is the intake air temperature sensor, not coolant temperature.
IAT on gen II is part of the MAF sensor assembly.

 

[briasmit91]

I had the codes reset and that code hasn't popped back up. I think it was because the car was started without the sensor connected. But so far, I believe that problem is solved. As for the snow, we haven't gotten any since then. Will let you guys know how it performs.