Trouble after transmission flush

Hi,

I'm hoping someone can give me some helpful information or advice.

I have a '96 Olds Cutlass Supreme, 4-door, 3.1L, 4-speed auto, ~120,000 mi. I've owned the car a few years and bought it at roughly 60,000 miles and had never done a transmission flush. I know, well overdue.

Before I had a transmission flush, the tranny would hesitate shortly before changing gears. The old fluid was a dark reddish color, but no smell or shavings whatsoever.

I went to an autoshop yesterday that I've known for years and trust to have the flush done. Afterwards, however, the transmission has major problems shifting into second gear. I have to let off the accelerator for 1-2 seconds before it will shift.

Is this normal? Should I wait and see if the tranny just needs to adjust to the new fluid, or is this a major problem?

Thanks for your help.

Your first mistake was having the transmission flushed. In my experience on this forum practically everyone who has had their transmission flushed has ended up with more problems after they had it done than before and usually end up replacing the transmission. I would check the fluid level and make sure it is proper. You may want to add some Lucas transmission treatment to the fluid if needed to see if things will get better but don't count on it.

Well I was hoping this car could last me at least 40-50 thousand more miles and it did need the flush badly. I checked the level and it was very low. I ended up adding three quarts of Dexron III fluid before the level was even into the crossmarked (?) section on the dipstick. The transmission is running beautifully now. Better than when I bought the car. Thanks for your advice, though.