Hello WindstarMommy,
I'll do as much as I can to help, but to be honest I'm not an expert specially when talking about transmissions. That doesn't means I'll stop trying to help
.
As suggested before a fluid change is a good idea, my pontiac had the same issue I came to a stop and the car would just rev up but wouldn't move an inch, somehow the car started to move and I drove straight home. The fluid level was fine, but hadn't been replaced in some time, I was at college and couldn't afford to spend time working on my car with all the homework and projects I had to do..., I drained the fluid and changed the filter and everything went back to normal, the filter was being blocked by dirt and that kept the fluid from flowing properly within the transmission.
Changing the fluid isn't that hard to be done, but expect to make A BIG MESS on your driveway as oil starts spilling out of the pan, it doesn't matters how hard you try,it always gets spilled (at least in my case LOL). What I did was:
1.-loosen all of the bolts around the pan enough so you have a gap between the bolt's heads and the pan.
2.- Remove the front bolts
3.- Pry the pan off from the transmission with a small screwdriver, be careful not to damage it.
4.- This is when the fluid should start spilling, if you did it as I suggested, the pan will be hanging towards the front of the van and it will be easier to catch the fluid spilling out.
5.- Wait until the fluid stops, then remove the remaining bolts and remove the pan. Clean the magnet and the pan with rags and make sure you get rid of any dirt or debris.
6.- OPTIONAL This would be a good time to install a drain plug, Autoparts stores sell kits for this task.
7.- NOTE the position of the filter and remove it (it is important to note the position since sometimes it can be misaligned and that can cause problems too).
8.- Lubricate the seal of the new filter with transmission fluid and install it in the transmission, make sure it's properly seated.
9.- Install the new transmission pan gasket on the pan, you can use some sealant to hold it in place.
10.- Install the pan on the transmission and tighten by hand all of the bolts.
11.- Tighten the bolts to specified torque (in case you have a torque wrench) to 106 INCH Lb (12Nm) in a "star-pattern" sequence; if you don't have one just tighten the bolts enough so you don't chew the gasket, this will cause leaks again.
In case the pan gasket has gone bad it can be the source of your leak, if that's your case your problem should be gone after this. The other source of leaks I know of is the seal between the torque converter (situated between the engine and the transmission) and the transmission itself. It happened once to me, but it was because the guy who rebuilt it made a poor job, that's why I don't think this can be your case...
Oh by the way, there are no dumb questions; the fact that you are willing to learn and fix your van puts way higher than average people
, how can that be dumb?
. Just as an example my neighbors call the technician to have a light bulb replaced...
Best regards,
Oscar.
PS. Just in case your transmission can also be known as AX4S