Trans whines, slips, and bucks

[deflator]

Over the last 20 miles since I changed an axle cup seal, the trans has been slipping. Then it started bucking and whining. The atf was low, around the middle of cold on the dipstick, but filling did not solve it. Filter and atf are 45 miles old. Now it will barely move from a start and seems to not be able to cruise past 43mph without bucking. The engine loses the trans at the change to second and revs stop matching forward progress.

I am going to drop the pan but want insight. There was a lot of grey sludge in the pan last change. Other than that, the trans seemed fine before this. It was leaking badly out that seal on the axle.

Oh and I forgot to fill the torque converter with atf before installing, d'oh. Does this sound like a bad torque converter? I hope so because otherwise it must be a band or stripped gears.

 

[deflator]

There is also a clacking noise in drive, but not in park. All this makes me suspect the torque converter, but I need opinions before I start wasting this expensive atf testing the tranny.

 

[deflator]

Apparently nobody is reading this forum, but for future searchers:

I pulled the pan and it had clutch material and slivers along with burnt fluid. The clutches on the end pack were peeling along their entire area almost.

So it's a burnt up clutch pack, maybe more, and needs a rebuild.

There was a lot of sludge last change, and running while leaking and then with low fluid seems to have finished it off.

 

[filabob1]

what ATF are you using?

 

[deflator]

what ATF are you using?

Burnt $120 worth of amsoil synthetic atf

Just got another load of it now, time to refill and enjoy my completely f'n rebuilt car.