'87 LeSabre - Problems shifting 2nd->3rd when cold

Hey, my '87 is sure full of problems :)

Been meaning to ask this one for a while. When I start in the morning (or after work if I didn't use the car earlier), I have to wait for the car to warm up before driving, as it won't shift into third. It seems to go into neutral - if I drive it in 2nd, then it will shift into 3rd eventually, but I can imagine that this probably isn't so good on the transmission.

After it is warmed up, I can run it in drive with no shifting problems, no slippage, etc. Drives beautifully at this point. But with a cold front and always leaving a little too late for work, I can't wait around and be even later :)

Random note, seals and filter were done when my new engine was.

Any ideas on this one?

Internal, probably the seals for the affected clutch pack will not hold pressure or the shift valve binds in the valve body.

i have the same problem on my '89 lesabre, feels exactly like it goes into neutral and then into 3rd maybe a second or two later... the only difference is that is happens to me all the time b/c the tranny is shot...

my solution: drive in 2nd until you hit 80/90 then upshift to OVERDRIVE :D

Well, if I drive it even above 30 it sounds like it is going to blow up the engine. :p As I said, after it warms up (or I force it to by driving ~25-30mph until it shifts) it works fine. There is a very, very small leak ever since the engine guys redid it (speaking of which, my engine is now leaking oil, and it's brand new... warranty time :/). This is just one of the few problems I would like to fix (the other has to do with a damn ground and/or short problem that is probably somewhere behind the dash...).

whoa... i have the original 3800 in it and i can def. do 100 in 2nd without too much of a problem...really good engine, really bad tranny. :p