Ok well i searched through the different topics and ive basically come to the realization that its just about time for a tranny rebuild, but im hoping that this can be prolonged by what my father has told me...

but anyways heres the problem on my drive up to school which is about 200 miles on a single road i had the car cruising at about 75-80 mph and i noticed that when the speed is constant and the car isnt under any load (ie accelerating/going up hill) overdrive was fine, but the instant i had to accelerate the car would begin to shudder, but i found in order to stop it i had to downshift into drive and it would go away ( but absolutely anihilating my mpg :(). But anyway i was told by my father that there is a possibility that the lockup solenoid could be gone and thats like a 30 dollar part that can be replaced easily without a complet tranny overhaul...any suggestions as to where it is or if this is even the culprit??

I suspect an ignition problem, not a TCC problem. If your TCC solonoid had an issue, it would simply unlock and your rpm'* would rise.

The most typical situation to feel a mild ignition miss is under light load with the TCC locked.

Check your plugs, wires, and coils.

ok well i talked to my father and he told me he put new plugs in about 8000 miles age when we did the UIM, but he said he didnt do new wires because those were still fairly new, so how would i go about checking the coil'*?

...o and before i forget everything in the car is AC Delco

Check the coils per the procedure in Techinfo.

Check the resistance of each of your plug wires while you're at it, and pull at least the front three plugs to inspect them. All 6 would be better. If the misfire is only on one cylinder, one plug will look different.

It'* USUALLY a rear plug/wire that will fail first.

of course the hardest ones to check lol...ok will do thanks a lot

check #6 first. There is a good chance that will be the bad one.

Correct. It'* subjected to far more heat than the other 5, as the crossover comes around from the front three and joins the rear collector. It'* also exposed to the entire length of the rear manifold collector, and begins it'* short life as the highest resistance wire due to length to begin with.

Is the "shudder" a quick shudder, like driving over an old washboard, or a gravel road? I am just curious.

Thanks,
John

more like ur going over a gravel road and it stays untill u take the load off the car (ie letting off the accelerator)

Ok. I understand I think. I am just hoping it is an ignition issue, and not the torque converter itself going south. What if you are going around...say...55 MPH...and in OD and the TCC in locked position, and you start up an incline? Does it do the same thing? Does it do it under both warm and cold operating temps?

Thanks,
John