Fyi: Low Transmission Fluid Symptoms

The last few weeks my '91 has been running, well, not like its usual self. Jumping on the gas would result in slow, hesitant shifts, s;uggish first gear acceleration, and sometimes it wouldn't downshift at all. No real slipping that I could notice, or unusual noise (had that once), but I knew something was amiss. Now, I know my tranny has a very slow, undetected leak - which is all good, as long as I remember to check it regularly, I always have fresh tranny fluid going in without a flush - so I didn't get all paranoid right off the bat and think my tranny was dying.

I checked the fluid and it was almost down to the dreaded "do not drive" mark . Topped things off and took it out for a spin - the car drove completely different. Flooring it at any speed now again results in IMMEDIATE downshifts (even a rare 3-1 dump ) and overall improved transmission response. That Diablo chip really does help, even on the older non-electronically-controlled transmissions.

In other words, if your tranny starts acting up, don't assume the worst right away - CHECK THE FLUID LEVEL. A properly filled transmission runs a lot better than one that isn't (obviously).