Car jerks when releasing throttle *only when hot*

[sohcmyevo]

Hiya, greetings from New Zealand!

I have a 2003 Mitsubishi Galant with GLS trim -- has a 4G63 SOHC motor paired with a 5 speed transmission (as far as I can tell, the car was imported specifically for NZ, Singapore, and Hong Kong markets.) I know this is a VR4 forum but hey, gotta give the poor spec models some love too right? I've been having a problem related to the throttle, specifically at low speeds. The car likes to jerk quite aggressively when releasing the accelerator especially in first gear and the only reason why I know this is a problem (and not just because of mitsi style), is because it doesn't do it when it's cold. No matter how gently you release the accelerator the car will jerk once you reach a point of around 2 mm of travel on the pedal. On off On off On off is the only way I could describe it, as if there's like a deadspot on the accelerator pedal. It's especially irritating in stop and start traffic, but otherwise it's not really a problem although it still can be felt in all gears. I also get really poor fuel ecnomony, totally off from what it should be (not sure if it's related however). Except from all of that, the car runs perfectly fine.

I have tried to diagnose it to the best of my ability. I tried changing the fuel filter in combination with fuel filter cleaners, replaced the air filter, and I've checked if there are any engine codes using the paperclip method on the MUT-II/OBDII port which there are none. I've pulled the MAF sensor to see if it's affecting anything which it isn't. I'm just not really sure and would really appreciate the help or advice if anyone could offer any. I've checked the linkage on the throttle which is fine, including the throttle plate which looks completely normal with no play in the mechanism. I was thinking there may be something wrong with the TPS but the car seems to happily rev in neutral and otherwise works fine when cold, which makes me think there's something that's changing (or not changing when it's supposed to) when the car runs hot -- I don't think a component disconnected from temperature or that is non-pneumatic would affect anything.

Cheers guys I'm open to literally any advice rn lol. (Oops just realised there's a section for non-vr4s, move post at your will haha)