When I shift into any gear, it feels as though I’m trying to go into 2nd from a standstill (big, lead-weight lag), and then the engine stalls out. It stalls without lurching. Is this what a slipping clutch feels like?
--Also, how can you check the transmission fluid on a '96 Tacoma?
I am puzzled by your description of the problem, but a slipping clutch will not cause the engine to stall. Either something is dragging so the vehicle has resistance to moving, or the engine has very low power at low RPM for some reason.
Can you tell us more about what it acts like?
When I shift, the clutch depresses normally. However, when I try to push the stick into whatever gear, it feels like it’s hitting thin air. It is not difficult to move the stick. The car feels like it has suddenly begun to tow a large amount of weight. It will kind of buck, as well. Not like a car bucking when it’s in too high of a gear, though. It’s like the big dead-weight lagging kind of pulsates. This can go on for a time, as I continue to travel forward. Giving more gas does not rev the engine. Eventually, I will lose all momentum, and the engine may cut out altogether. It’s like I suddenly drive through a pool of peanut-butter. Also, the check engine light has just flashed on.
If your clutch was slipping you’d shift, get back on the gas, and the engine would rev way up - or in other words, the opposite of stall out. The forward momentum would hesitate or fall until slipping stopped, and I suppose that could feel like a lead weight, but your problem is different from the clutch.
Now that you engine light is on you can get a clue. Go to an auto parts chain store (e.g. Autozone) and ask them to read your codes. Write down the exact codes (like P1234) and post them.