Transmission - Please Help

Sweet Jesus whats wrong with my transmission ??

I purchased my 93 transport two days ago .. body, interior, .. mint.
test drove for several miles .. city and interstate , very smooth ride .. not a shudder or shake ... about 10
miles after my purchase i approach a stop light .. slowly coming to a stop i noticed the transmission did not
downshit from 3rd .. to 2nd or 1st gear .

placing the shifter back in park the vehicle starts as normal ..
shift back into D she lunges forward an inche or so and engine shuts down ... repeating this several times i finally have to be pushed to a nearby parking lot .. i exit the vehicle and once again check the fluid for
volume color and smell .. moments later enter the vehicle and try again .. starts fine .. and goes into gear as normal ...

two stop lights later .. the same erractic behavior .. stuck in 3rd, engine shuts down .. after repeating
several times was able to get it to go in gear and get it about two miles away to a friends house where my new (used) vehicle was left ... bummed a ride home (about 40 miles away) . next morning my friend starts my van and it runs fine (goes into gear fine .. forward and backward) .. just as it did for me at purchase .

I .. living so far away decided rather than risk another eventfull trip , would have it towed to the local transmission specialist .
after two days "Stan" the owner of a reputable transmission shop reports ... the vehicle was driven 20 or so miles without a problem ... thought it may possibly be a stuck valve .. he suggests a fluid and filter change .. with a lubricating fluid that may prevent valves from sticking ..
I authorized the service and hoped for the best .. 140.00 for a service that anyone could have done for 30-40 dollars ... but since my vehicle was so far away i decided to just have it done there.

next day i pick up my vehicle and hit the interstate .. 40 miles of interstate driving without flaw .

Day three .. now i have somewhat of a greater confidence in my new (used) Van ... i set out with the family for a normal saturday night of burger king and a movie ..lol ... 6 miles away from my door step .. guess what happens .. yup .. thats right .. slowing to a stop sign the vehicle is locked up 3rd and will not budge .. where it sits this very moment.

now .. saturday nights budget is lost on taxi fair (and a six pack to calm my nerves) .. i turn to you gentlemen .. i consider myself very mechanically inclined but this one has me stumped ...im already into this vehicle 2,280.00 .. for a mint TranSport thats blocking traffic while it waits for my Towing buddy to arive..

I .. my wife and two sons really like to the way this van looks and feels ... now if we can just get it to drive as well as it looks we would be so pleased .. could someone give me a clue as to what to do next that wont be as expensive as what ive already invested .. cause frankly, that just isn't possible .

thanks for reading my novel

David

i should have added ... the diagnostics reported no codes .. no clutch or foreign material in pan .

It sounds to me like the TCC solenoid is not working properly. When they start to go bad they will lock the convertor and not allow the transmission to shift and will cause the car to stall at a stop. You can unplug the solenoid by removing the plug on top of the transmission. The other issue may be an internal one where the shift solenoids are not working properly. You can replace them yourself but it can be a taxing job. I would look at the TCC first it is not hard to replace and if the transmission works once you unplug it you have solved the problem and know where to start to fix it.

Thanks GTP Dad ... Im on it ! .. will post the results soon.

My 1991 Transport 3.1 with 3 speed auto started to lock-up a few weeks ago. Only happened after + 20 mile journey.

Changed oil / filter , and no debris came out of pan etc.

Still happens so I remove electrical connection from TCC solenoid and its never happened since. Revs are a bit high at +50mph without lockup but its no major problem.

I think the TCC solenoid can be replaced with the engine in-situ but you have remove the left side wheel/suspension components to remove the transmission side cover ( 3 speed auto only). Its appears a pig of a job, and if anything drops out of the transmission when the cover is removed
then big trouble.

I think unless you do megga mileage then its best left alone as the cost of repair is more than the vehicle is worth.

Thanks for the feeback King ..

yea ive disconnected the tcc and no problems as of yet ..
but i havent been driving it much more than around the neighborhood ..
i may try an venture out a bit to see how she does ..

thanks again

.... now over to the firebird forum .. my beloved 89 is acting up on me .. lol