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

[TrueLyFE]

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?

[maxwedge]

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

[od1exx]

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

[TrueLyFE]

Well, if I drive it even above 30 it sounds like it is going to blow up the engine. 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...).

[od1exx]

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.