Tranny shudders in 1st and free revs in D...
Any ideas?

So in D..no forward movement?

What color is the tranny fluid?
Does it have any metal flakes in it?
Does it smell burnt?

sounds like another 4T60E thats toast. what year and trim is the Bonnie?

That'* what I was thinking...but, giving it a benefit of a doubt

2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi

Fluid is a bit brownish doesn't really smell burnt, nor does it have metal flakes..
Tried filling up to dipstick max fill, didn't help.
Car has 68k miles
No movement at ALL in 'D'
Drop down to '1' and shudder up to 2k rpm then have to continually shift it manually.
Drove home around 75mph just fine

Could be a clogged filter.

That would be a symptom of a bad, snapped or out of place forward band. They key is that it will move in 1 or 2. The forward band engages the drum when the shifter is moved to D, 3, 2, or 1. When in 2 or 1 the manual 2-1 band is also engaged to keep you in the lower two gears. Having the 2-1 band engage is most likely the only thing moving the car.

Hence, a forward band problem is likely.

Any ideas in dollar figure for repair?
In shop dollars and DIY dollars..
Thanks

Usually more than one problem can be found when you crack a tranny case. You're best bet would be to get an estimate from a reputable shop, deduct the labor cost, take 20% off the parts prices and you will have a good estimate of what a DIY cost would be.

If you are not familiar with rebuilding a transmission, I would recommend that a DIY fix in this case would not be a good idea.

Agreed. when the shifter is in the D position, the transmission will go through the gears through the valve body. when manually selected, the transmission will shift with the band instead of hydraulically applyin the hold for the clutches to engage.