This morning my transmission started acting strange.
I could feel some studdering on the pedal and some loss of power in... 2 or 3rd. I don't think it was the kind of studdering you feel when it cant get into gear correctly (wasn't going back lower/higher/lower/higher my last car did that), because it would shift ok into the gear and then start doing it. If I accellerated into a higher gear it was ok.

The tranny fluid is red and there are 96k miles. I'm guessing original tranny. The check engine light is on now. I noticed there was no antifreeze in the bucket so I added that and test drove. It did it again one time and the CEL blinked, but seems to have cleared itself up for now. (Does antifreeze cool down the trx fluid???)

probably unrelated, i've had the fuel pump ground problem that kills the seat as well.

also, when starting my car, most of the time it warms up normally, but occasionally it climbs the rpms to 3000, 4000+...

Let'* focus on the "transmission" problem for now. I suggest you post the other issues seperately, later.

Do us a favor and check your oil. Is it the right color? Does it look milky or light colored? Is there any evidence of coolant sitting on the engine anywhere?

Really do check this. You may not have a transmission problem. It may be the very common UIM (Upper Intake Manifold) failure.

oil color is dark brown.

What model is your car? Some had transmission coolers.

Do you have an AutoZone nearby that you could go to to get the code(*) read from that CEL?

no antifreeze leaks anywhere that I could see. My 93 has that problem. This is my 96 SE.

I'll try autozone.

Oh boy - P0300 "Random multicylinder misfire"

Whoops - Guess its not the transmission.

i'll start with new plugs and wires.

Let us know what the plugs look like when you pull them.

If you are having an electrical problem that effects your fuel pump and seat....

You should check the grounding buss connectors on the driverside floor for wetness and or corrosion. Your problem may be more electrical than mechanical.

Here'* is our favorite picture of it


Pull the carpet back and look for issues and corrosion. This could be your biggest problem.

I thought i fixed that problem by soaking up all the water in there, but maybe I didn't resolve it completely. I'll be sure to clean that up.