I have a 1997 Chevy Cavalier Z24, for many months now I've been having this issue that I'm unable to solve. When I attempt to accelerate hard at low RPM's (around 2000 and below) the car will start jerking violently. This can occur at any speed but it seems to only happen once the engine has heated up. At low temperatures it will easily come right up from 1500 in 5th gear but once its warmed up it will start jerking and stuttering when trying to do the same thing. So far I have replaced the fuel filter, spark plugs, coil packs, and the Throttle Position Sensor. None of these seem to have made any impact on the issue. There has been no check engine lights and no codes that i have been able to read from the computer. The Catalytic Converter does make a rattling noise as I drive so I believe that it has begun to fall apart inside but I feel like any back pressure that creates would result in a longer period of bogging down and loss of power; not the quick jerking that I am experiencing. This has become a major annoyance for me so I've decided to reach out for some advice. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

Since nobody answered you after a week, let me throw out 2 possibilities...

I had a similar problem where the car would often hesitate during lower0RPM acceleration. Over the course of more than a year, the problem got worse. After trying a lot of different stuff, I solved it by replacing the (typically white, plastic) ignition coil housing for about $45. (Delphi part #, GN10162, AC Delco part #: 19166100) That problem was not temperature dependent, so it may be different than your problem, or perhaps the temperature is a red herring. I have two 1996 2.4L LS Convertibles. The ignition coil housing failed on both of them around 60k & 80k miles. The housing develops invisible/hidden cracks in the housing that sometimes allows high-voltage pulses short circuit by arcing across the plastic to ground, thereby never reaching the spark plug(s). Only on one of my cars, was the problem initially limited to low-RPM acceleration. There is no way to test the housing with a volt-ohm meter or continuity tester because those devices operate at low voltage, whereas the arcing only occurs at very high voltages. The continuity on my failed housings tested perfectly on my volt-ohm meter. I suggest reading the following thread that I started when I had the problem-- especially the latter posts in the thread where you see a big green SOLVED! If you replace the ignition coil housing, I'd suggest replacing the cheap spark plug boots which become brittle and are easy to break when you remove the housing.

This sounds less likely but I'll toss it out for you.... One of my Cavs had a temperature-dependent problem caused by the coolant-temperature sensor (not the thermostat) providing inaccurate data to the computer. The sensor was telling the computer that the coolant was colder than it really was, so the computer fed a rich fuel mixture to the engine. That was fine until the engine got warmed up (from driving). Then it would run a bit rough, and sputter & stall at stop signs (or when you tried to accelerate from a stop). Replacing the coolant temperature sensor solved the problem. Delphi part #: TS 10075, AC Delco part#: 213-4396.

Thank you, I will certainly look into replacing the ignition coil housing, that is something I hadn't thought of yet. It seems possible that increased engine temperature could effect the size of any cracks and cause arcing and loss of spark. Another question I had is why is there no misfire code? If the cylinder isn't getting a spark for one reason of another, which is what it feels like, then why does the computer not detect a misfire?

I have the same issue on my 98. No problems with idle or cold driving, but when the engine warms up, it misfires in low rpm below 2200 rpm when i step on it. No check engine light is on. It started when i replaced the original spark plugs and put NGKs in. When i have some time, ill put the old ones back and see if there is a difference, or maybe somehow i damaged the coil or boots...what kind of plugs did you install?

Just changed out the ignition coil housing and the spark plug boots yesterday and have driven 70 miles without a single stutter. No matter how hard I load her up just keeps on going just like she used to. Pretty sure this finally fixed my year old problem.

Glad to hear it! Thanks for getting back to us.