Chevrolet Repair: 1993 Chevy Cavalier 2.2 automatic, TCC, solenoid

Question
Drive for 20 minutes, stop at stop sign and the car shuts off. I put it back in Park and it started fine, however, when I went to put it in gear, either R or D the engine dies.  I tried over and over. Start fine, die as soon as I put it in gear. Finally I started in in N, jammed in down into second and drove off. When I got home, I tried all the other gears and everything was working fine.  Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Answer
Rod,

This sound typical of a malfunctioning torque converter clutch (TCC) solenoid. The transmission goes into overdrive, the TCC locks in, then when you come to a rolling stop it malfunctions and does not release, causing the engine to "lock up" and stall. And yes, it will restart again in park or neutral but usually die again when put into gear. The solenoid usually malfunctions due to heat; when the vehicle cools down the problem often goes away until the next drive cycle.

The TCC solenoid is inside the transmission and replacement should only be attempted by an experienced/qualified mechanic.