any ideas tech why it would be jerking
"Jerking" sounds pretty harsh. If this feels much more severe than a misfire, I'd suspect a transmission issue. If you're not sure if you're feeling a misfire, you should probably have it checked.
the clutch etc engages fine etc no slippage, i think it is a missfire.. its like the engine bucks n stutters for a few seconds
I was thinking about an automatic tranny. Being a manual, it'll magnify the harshness of engine performance issues. Yeah, you should probably have someone look at it. There's lots of little things an experienced tech can feel in his but that will point him in the right direction quickly. Unfortunately, these are the same things that are usually difficult to communicate.
