My truck has a skip in it. What exactly is a skip? What causes a skip?How do I find it and fix it?

Question

I have a 1993 GMC Sonoma pickup. I just got it out of the shop yesterday. It was running fine. I was installing a new CD player today. I disconnected the negative battery cable so I would not have a short. Now my truck is not running so good. My neighbor told me that I had a skip in the engine. Does the computer have to reset itself. What could have happened to cause the skip. How can I fix it?

Answer 1

Skip is usually caused by one of your Spark Plugs failing to fire, resulting in one of your cylinders not firing. This causes a loss in power, fuel economy, and an unbalanced engine which you can feel when you drive it.

You may need to replace the spark plugs, maybe the spark plug wires, or if you don't have spark plug wires, you may have an ignition coil which needs replaced.

Answer 2

Could be just the computer relearning it's settings---drive it for a few days and see if it clears up. Disconnecting the battery will clear the computer memory and it may take a little while for it to return to normal. If the skip or misfire is still there after a few days, it's probably a bad plug or wire---just change the plugs and wires. High miles = probably due.
You can buy a device that plugs in your cigarette lighter socket and runs off a 9 volt battery that saves computer and other memory codes whenever you disconnect the battery---good tool to have....parts stores or online shops have them.
http://www.drivewerks.com/catalog/shopcart/TOOL/POR_TOOL_CAT439_pg3.htm

Answer 3

Most vehicles, including trucks, have a hop, skip, and jump.

The hop is what happens when you go over a bump or dip too fast.

The skip is what happens when the fuel/air mixture is too lean and a spark plug misfires.

The jump is what you do when you have battery problems.

After the hop, skip, and jump, you will have gone a short distance.

Answer 4

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