Mission accomplished. No problems except now 2 days and 45 miles later I get in the car and put it in D and step o n the gas and damn the engine revs and I go nowhere. Same for ALL gears. I pulled the vacuum line off the transmission modulator and all gears work now albeit with hard shifts. I just spent 2 hr * here and cannot find a conclusive diagnosis. Can I and how do I replace the modulator if y all think that would help?

Not to nitpick but I was talking about the refill process and not a cold transmission check. During the refill the fluid can be filled 3-4 quarts. Start the motor and run to put fluid into the upper areas. Tranmission levels are _always_ checked with the motor running. Check the fill that should go to the bottom of the check are on the dipstick and then drive until trans is warm .

When cold the fluid from the upper compartment drains into the lower portion of the transmission causing the fluid to be very high. On most transmissions a cold, anecdotal, check has fluid at the down * curve on the trans stick. When the trans fluid reaches a certain temperature (110 def. F.) that thermal drain valve closes off and the transmission reaches an equilibrium on the fluid in the upper vs. sump areas. That'* wh the transmission needs to be fully warmed up before finalizing the fluid level on the dipstick to the crosshatched area and the full marking.

I did something similar at about 85K on mine. I changed fluid and got 55% of the old fluid out based on quarts needed to refill and the rated volume in the service manual.
That left 45% of the old fluid in there. I drove for several thousand miles to allow the new fluid to pick up anything it would clean and for the filter to catch any larger particles. Then I drained again and put in new fluid. So I replaced 45% of the remaining old fluid with the second drain and fill. That left 20.25% of the original old fluid in the trans. i drove another 15K or so and drained again. The second drain and fill left 9.1% of the original old fluid there. The ddiffernce between 10% and 20% is trivial in most instances.

I'd go at least a 1000 miles to allow time for the new cleaners to pick up whatever they may clean. I'd also recommend using a synthetic blend (Pennzoil) the second time if available or straight synthetic for the 6-7 quarts it takes. I was told the synthetic is slightly better at cleaning--in case there'* something in the way of deposits that is causing your malfunction.

I suspect the pump in this topic is failing. The adjustable modulator may buy you some time, but will not fix the problem.

Do pumps fail faster from not having the fluid changed? or does keeping fresher fluid in the trans extend the wear life? My service manager suggested I should have changed fluid on my 98 before it got to 75 K miles. So I changed it a few times to get mostly fresh fluid in there. On my newer car I've been changing at 30 and now at 65K miles.

I ll start another topic. I work in retail auto parts and I am half way through a weekend. Any way I do have problems with my trans ANd I could use some help --

I need to figure out the problem with my transmission. I changed the fluid and filter as stated above. 50 miles later the transmission starts slipping completely. It goes no where in any gear at any RPM. Finally after removing the vacuum line from the transmission modulator I found it will easily shift but with a harsh hard clunk... not good. Also today I found that it will now kick into gear and function normally when I put it in first manually. MY best hope is that a new adjustable modulator will fix it. Worst fear is it needs a new trans. Very lengthy searches here have been very helpful but never conclusive. Kris

Somehow its good to know that jrs3800. Like hearing from your doc yep your sick and its gonna cost you a bundle. The worrying is at least over. I was pricing 4T60 e * at work... $1350.00 with my discount! Oddly its exactly 1000 x the price of the modulator. And get this... My parts computer said manual trans available. Oh silly computer.