2001 Tundra Dies when shifting into gear

My grandpa bought this new and it now has 148,000 miles. It has never had any issues, besides peeling clear coat, until now.

This week, I noticed a CLUNK every once in a while when driving and now today when I put it into gear it lurches forward and then dies. It does this in drive and reverse. It feels like maybe the torque converter seized up, but I don't know if that is even a thing on these trucks. The trans fluid is nice and red and is full.

Any ideas? I would appreciate any help getting this truck serviceable again!

 

Hey had a similar experience a few months ago on my ‘02 (276+k). Started dying on me coasting down to stop signs and I’d have to restart, but then would have the same problem sometimes mid-ride or backing out of the driveway.

To be honest I can’t remember what fixed it exactly, but I’ll think on your problem a bit this week, but will say it hasn’t done it since the oil change I did around the same time. It was low 1+ qt due to both valve covers leaking, and while I suspected lack of pressure helped in the engine death I feel there was another component but don’t remember if it was isolated. Definitely did a thorough check of the wiring harness and broke out the electrical tape. Fixed a line but don’t remember which, but might tomorrow.

as for the clunk, my transmission is a bit rough shifting into 2nd, and though I don’t recall this correlation, is this the possible source of noise?

 

Could be an ECU learning issue. Perhaps a long shot, but you could try disconnecting the battery for half an hour, then reconnecting, and seeing if that changes anything.

 

Check engine light on?

 

Please go into your user profile and change "2001 White Tundra" to something that helps us help you a little better. Is it a V8 or V6? Is it 2WD or 4WD? Is it AC or RC? (access cab or reg cab)

148k miles is low for these trucks, but there are a few things that could be going wrong. And there are some things, like timing belt, which - if you haven't done by now - are a ticking time bomb. (more info)

 

Fwiw my check engine would come on when it happened and then clear immediately… never checked with a scan but I’ll swing by someone who does when I have the time to check the history since it was my last issue

 

Oh 90% sure the other related issue was I needed to fully clean my battery terminals of corrosion: both had just the thinnest layer in some spots on the inside (besides the usual outside funk) but it was enough I think to affect performance afterwards.