97 metro tranny problem

bought a used tranny from auto wrecker had rust on tc not sure if it matters. had it put in drove it home seemed fine next morning wouldnt go into reverse put into drive then reverse and it worked also doesnt seem to down shift into 2nd or 3rd. its 4cyl auto.

The tranny may have been sitting around for a while before you bought it and so the hydraulic components may have dried out and sticking. First things to do would be a fluid & filter change. Try to also drain the torque converter so that all the fluid is removed. Change filter also and clean pan magnet. Add some friction modifier and this may help loosen any stuck valves. If this does not work remove valve body and clean out throughly.

The problem may be also with the ECM/sensors/wiring/ but since this happened after replacing the tranny I would look at that first. Only thing on the tranny that is part of the ECM control system is the shift switch - if that is malfunctioning the ECM may not get the signal.

If you have all the gears (even though it may not be shifting into them at the right time) at least this means that the hard parts of the planetary gear system are fine.

to get it to downshift you may need to adjust the cable going to it, also your not shifting into right gear might be shifter cable, are you sure its in tight and has the clip that holds it in place?

bought a used tranny from auto wrecker had rust on tc not sure if it matters. had it put in drove it home seemed fine next morning wouldnt go into reverse put into drive then reverse and it worked also doesnt seem to down shift into 2nd or 3rd. its 4cyl auto.
i had filter replaced when i had tranny put in. my wife was the one who told me about the problem. i drove it and it seemed fine to me. i put some lucas in tranny drove around and drained going to do that again then add lubegard red. thank you for your replies. ill check back.