94 Cavalier shuts off when put in gear

I just bought a used 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier RS/VL Coupe 2 Door with 2.2L I-4 MFI and it shuts off when I put it into drive or reverse. It makes a clunking noise and turns the motor off. It doesnt do this all the time. Sometimes it will run fine with no problems. Any suggestions as to what the problem may be?

i would hav 2 say to first check ur iac valve,...just asking but does it still stall when a/c is on? thats usually a pretty good give-a-way if it doesnt stall that it is ur iac

I would guess it's a stuck tcc solennoid. Does it lurch like a stick shift left in gear, then die? if so, unplug the tcc solenoid connector at the trans, if it stops ddying, you found your problem.

thank you for your replies, my brother is checking the things you've suggested now. and yes it lurches and dies when put into gear.

for sure it is the selonoid, i had the same problem with my 94 cav, take it to a garage and tell them to unhook the torque converter, u might loose a bit of mpg but its better than having to pay to fix it, i`ve had my torque converter off for about 6 months now and honestly i haven`t seen a decrease in mpg or anything wrong with the car.

Ditto the TCC Solenoid. Just unplug it. It is right under the air filter on the front of the tranny. You will notice improvement right away. Mine has been unplugged for a long time now. The IAC valve CANNOT cause this problem. Good Luck.