My 91 legacy (130K) has this on and off problem. The engine would start ok but as soon as I shift to D or R, it seems that the transmission engaging drags the engine to a stall. I've seen a very old message post describing a similar problem. Anyone else had this problem or have an idea what's wrong?

 

Mechanics I've gone to either couldn't find the problem or recommend a $$$ transmission rebuild. I somehow feel it may not be that bad, maybe just a sensor or maybe something with the engine. The reason is that 1) the problem is intermittent (most days I dont have the problem) 2) it only occurs in the morning or after some period of not driving it. 3) I can always get it to go after warming the engine up for a few minutes.

 

Appreciate any advice or info.

Could be your coolant temp sensor, if it is bad and the computer thinks the engine is warm, then it won't up the idle properly so the car won't stall in gear. If you rev the enine up SLIGHTLY before you put it in gear, does it still stall out??

I've tried revving the engine before shifting gear but it didnt help. Sometimes I can get it to run a few feet before it stalls.

could be coolant temp sensor, or possibly torque converter lockup solenoid.

How can I diagnose if coolant temp sensor is bad or torque converter solenoid is bad? Are these easy to access/replace?

Josh, I checked your website for reading transmission trouble codes. (Great site by the way!) However in step 5, I cant seem to shift to D with ignition OFF, even with stepping on the brakes. Am I missing something?

 

BTW, I never noticed this before. When I depress the switch used to change gear when the selector is on P, there is an audible click coming from under the steering column like some relay engaging/disengaging. I suppose that's normal, right?

there is a littel black button with a red stripe at the top left of the corner of the shifter assembly. Press that button and you can shift the selector out of park.

 

The click you hear is part of the shift interlock system.

Hey, I have the same problem with my 92, 221k,. As soon as I shift it into gear it dies. I got code 12 which is the lock-up solenoid "B". I also got 24 which is the "C" transfer solenoid.

 

I guess my problem is the TC is locked when I shift into gear.

 

How hard is it to change the solenoid?

Hey, I have the same problem with my 92, 221k,. As soon as I shift it into gear it dies. I got code 12 which is the lock-up solenoid "B". I also got 24 which is the "C" transfer solenoid.

 

I guess my problem is the TC is locked when I shift into gear.

 

How hard is it to change the solenoid?

 

Well my wife ran the car fro about 20 minutes and then it shifted fine into gear. I think the lock solenoid is sticking. I plan on changing the fluid and adding Lucus transmission treatment.

Sounds like a similar problem to mine. However on mine the check engine light doesnt flash. I checked the TCU codes and they were fine. I havent checked the ECU codes because I thought they'd be ok since check engine light didnt flash. Maybe I need to check that.

 

I dont know how hard it is to change solenoids. Keep me updated if you figure out something.

Here's the latest info on my problem. Check engine code doesn't flash normally, but I tried checking the code in any case and got Code 31 (Throttle Sensor) stored previously. Current TCU codes were also clean but previous code reveals Code 33 (Vehicle speed sensor 2). Could any of these be likely causing the engine stall? But how come they are not in the current code. Thanks for any help.

The vehicle speed sensor being out could cause some weird stuff to happen.....not sure if would cause stalling, but I'd suggest clearing the codes and go from there....to see if anything else comes back.