engine dies when i come to a stop

The photo he had of the airbox is of an old flapper style airflow meter like they used on the 22RE and 3.0 trucks. If that airbox is in a Tacoma that would be the issue right there. The plugs are totally different between those meters and the inline air flow sensor the 3.4 uses. Hopefully there's still a plug in the truck for the correct sensor if this actually is a 3.4. And not having that plugged in at all would certainly have the check engine light on. If the light doesn't come on with the ignition in the "on" position but without the truck running the actual light isn't working. Still could be codes in the system though. The airflow meter being unplugged is a huge red flag but if it still doesn't run right the codes can point you in the right direction for a fix. But if it's a 95 Tacoma they are kind of funky. It's not OBD2 technically so a regular code reader for OBD2 doesn't read all the codes. I had a 95.5 V6 regular cab 10-11 years ago. I never had any trouble with it but about 5 years after I sold it I was trying to help the guy diagnose an issue. The CEL was on but the reader I had at the time didn't pull any codes.

 

The MAF sensor is still on it and plugged in. I thought that the flapper air flow sensor was for this truck. But it doesnt, so im going to just put a k&n intake on it since the airbox will cost me a $100 for a used one. It looks like the MAF is pretty new. Hopefully the flapper is causing the issue and i dont have to pay alot of money to figure it out. I want to say thanks to you all for your input, it gives me a good starting point. You think the local parts store can get me a throttle body gasket or only the dealerships?

 

With those mismatched parts there's no telling what else the P/O did to the truck. It is a good possibility that you have a huge vacuum leak somewhere which would keep the IAC system from operating properly. Check all the hoses under the hood that carry air very carefully. Any cracks, loose hoses, or just plain disconnected hoses could be the cause of the stalling. And yes get that old airbox out of there. It's not going to allow the proper amount of airflow with the flapper in there for sure.

 

I did check the hoses, there in pretty bad shape. Im going to get new hoses for it next week.

 

I drove the truck sunday and it was fine. Went to drive it this morning about 4am. Got to the end of my subdivision and all the light started to go dim and then back to normal and then it cut off. Put it in neutral turned the key off then back on and it started back up after a few tries. It acted like it lost electrical power as if the altenator died. Its wierd because it just clicked like the battery was dead at first then it started fine. I pulled the battery terminal off and the motor ran with just the altenator. I also checked the ground that goes to the motor and it seems fine. Im baffled!!

 

I'm glad someone mentioned this. If the valve is dirty, it will cause you a headache of issues.

 

Possible fuel pump. Is it hard to start, particularly after it's warmed up?

 

No its not hard to start. Seems like its way worse when the lights are on. This morning it did the same thing. On the way home it did fine.

 

Alternator? Weak battery? Bad ground wire?

 

i just put a new battery in it. I dont think its the altenator.

 

I feel like the truck looses voltage, will a bad sensor make the lights dim? The cd player cuts completly off also.

 

Are the battery terminals clean? Had a similar issue with my bike a while back. Dirty terminals = not enough juice to keep it going..

 

It's common for battery acid to corrode the black ground wire from the battery. Even a new battery can't overcome the poor connection. It may also cause the computer to act funny. Poor shifting, etc. start by cleaning both ends of the battery ground. Use a pastry mix of baking soda and water to neutralize the acid.

You can test the alternator by checking the voltage while its running. It should be greater than 14V if I recall correctly. Google it. The battery should have a voltage of 12ish with the motor off.

 

I just checked the ground wire and it looks fine. I checked the positive wire and it had it looked really bad. So I replaced it and its still doing the same thing. If its one of my sensors will the lights go dim and the cd player cut off like the battery is dying? It still fires right back up after I cut the switch off and turn it over.

 

Doesn't take much for electrical connections to foul. I'd wire brush the grounds and connections regardless to clean everything up.

Did you try the 2 feet on brake and gas mentioned earlier to test the IACV?

 

I havent tried the 2 feet test yet.

 

Sounds like alternator. When was acting crazy when it was on its way out

 

or 1 cell fried in the car battery. I've seen it happen before with my old Camaro. But It also wouldn't hold a charge for very long.

OP, you should get a voltage tester. Would aid you greatly in your diagnostics.

 

Will an altenator make the vehicle cut off like that? Every bad one that I had always killed the battery and then it would cut off. Never had one that would do what my truck is doing.

 

No. Its most likely your idle air controller. If you dont have enough time to remove the TB, try spraying some cleaner in it (lots of cleaner) and see what diff it makes. It should improve your idle but to completely clean the IAC, you need to disassemble the TB.