2000 Pathfinder SE Standard: Jerks upon acceleration

[famousredhead]

HI All: just drove back from the mechanics...had a new water pump and timing belt installed as well as replaced the seals on the Steering shaft. Drove it home perfectly (40 mi). Next day I took it into town and it suddenly would do the following:

Shifting into 1st, and I would accelerate and sometimes in first or when shifting and accelerate into 2nd (no problem), but then when I start accelerating more, it suddenly feels like when you take your foot off the gas and then...BAM...it jerks forward. Scares the heck out of me. It's like it loses power for a second and then jerks me back into acceleration.

It didn't do this once when I drove it back from the mechanic's.

So my Qs are these:

1). Any idea what could have happened all of a sudden? I.E. where should I check?

2). Is this safe to drive back to the shop (40 mi)?

Any advice would be appreciated as other forums have been silent when I posted. And this little redhead is not automotive saavy.

Thank you!

[smj999smj]

Well, the first thing I would do is check the transmission fluid level. When a timing belt is done, the radiator is removed, which requires removing the transmission cooler hoses from it. You do lose a little fluid doing this but I wouldn't expect enough to do what you describe, but it's still worth checking to be on the safe side. Otherwise, I really can't imagine what they could have done (and, of course, it's possible the mechanic didn't do anything wrong that caused this new problem) to cause what you are experiencing. As far as whether it's safe to drive 40 miles, I also cannot say without knowing what is actually causing your concern. So, I would get it looked at ASAP.