car bucking and jerking

My 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera has a new problem. While driving, it occasionally jerks, not like i shut the car off, but a sudden speed loss that feels like I hit a pothole. It seems to do it at almost any speed, maybe more often while accelerating, not always lined up with the automatic shifting gears (ie at 75 mph). Additionally, the SES light began coming on at the same time, although it only rarely occurs when speed is above 45 mph. It seems to go away after a while, especially if I am not in stop and go driving. If anyone has some usefull idea on what this might be, I would appreciiate it. I have had so many problems with that car in the last 8 months that I am within an inch of taking it out back and putting a bullet through its head.

I would say it is the O2 sensor given the information you gave. Find someone with an ODB1 reader and find out.

I had a similar problem with my Cherokee recently and it turned out to be the #2 O2 sensor, behind the Cat. Yeah, tieoneon22 is right with the ODB1 reader, thats how I found my problem. They're nice to have and you can get a decent one pretty cheap.

thanks guys, will check that

would dying at lights and extreme hesitation after lights be a symptom of O2 sensor as well, because it is also doing that occasionally as well.