98 Tranny Problems Need Help Before The Snow Flys

I have a 98 Windstar with a 3.8L the other day I started pulling out of the store and the tranny started to rapidly disengaging in 1st gear. I let off the gas and pushed back down and it kept going down the road. However when I came to the next stop light it did it again. I made it back to the house and I tried it in diffrent gears. I put in 2nd and it started off OK, so I drove around the block a few times and it work starting in 2nd and then putting it in Drive. Well I needed to get a couple of places and I chanced it with the van. However it started slipping when it was switching from 2nd to Drive and then 2nd would not engage at a stop. I made it back to the house and parked it since. It hasn't had any problems going in to Reverse yet.

I have checked the fluid and it is not low and smells slightly burnt. I did hear a noise kind of like a cross between a whining and a vaccuum leak coming from the drivers side only and when I climbed under the van to find it was coming from inside the tranny. I do have a CEL for an EGR problem, but no blinking O/D light.

My other problem is I found a 97 and glancing at the procedure to pull the tranny it looks like it not a simple remove the front suspention and tranny. It said I would need some special tools to remove the axles.

So I have 2 questions.
1- Does anybody have any ideas about the disengaging and noise?
2- How hard is it to pull and install a tranny?

1- Does anybody have any ideas about the disengaging and noise?

Yes, the transmission is slipping in 1st. The noise is maybe metal pieces moving in the trans. Now, the others gears seem to be gone.


2- How hard is it to pull and install a tranny?

This is a very hard procedure. Very very complicate.

Have a mechanic do it for you.