Serious transaxle problems! Please help!

[Josh]

About two weeks ago my max started making this whining noise. At first I had no idea what it was. It made the noise in all gears, but not when the car was in nuetral. Using this I deducted that my transaxle fluid was low. Three days ago I added fluid. To my surprise the transaxle fluid was dangerously low taking 3.5 liters. After putting in 3.5 liters the fluid started to come out of the fill plug hole. I let it drip, then wiped it clean and replaced the fill plug. I did all this while the car was jacked up slightly. After doing all of this the noise was still there right after. I was surprised and confused on what the noise was still. After driving a bit the noise had reduced a lot but was still there. It is not as constant now but sometimes sounds worse than before. Tonight when I was driving the car it was very very very hard to shift into first and second. I am at a loss as to why this is happening and what the problem is. Also on a side note that could be related to this problem my speedometer started acting up around the same time the vehicle started making the noise to begin with. It would work when the vehicle was accelerating but not when it was coasting (in gear). It has also gotten progressivly worse to the point where it is not working at all now. I mention this because I know the speed sensor is located on the transaxle and thought that these problems might be related. If someone has any suggestions for me, please post them.