1G 1991 Plymouth Laser RS engine lagging when cold

[GhostSeption]

1991 Plymouth Laser RS automatic, no turbo

basically what the title says, the car turns on perfectly fine, idles fine, just when its left overnight or in cold days it will be very sluggish. i step on the gas and its very stiff, my rpm climbs to 2000-3000 but my speed is 10-20km/h. it takes a solid 2-3 minutes of driving around the block till it warms up enough to run perfectly.

the engine has been replaced with another 1991 Plymouth Laser engine with lower mileage but i doubt that could be the main problem as the engine has been replaced 6-8 months ago but the lagging has started very recently (a couple of weeks ago).

if anyone has any solutions or possible fixes it would be appreciated.

if you have any questions, let me know.

 

[waltah]

Probably we can help you figure out what's wrong. First, is this a manual or an automatic transmission?

And does the car idle properly when cold? That is, does it start promptly and the RPM go up to 1200 or so until it warms up some?

 

[GhostSeption]

Probably we can help you figure out what's wrong. First, is this a manual or an automatic transmission?

And does the car idle properly when cold? That is, does it start promptly and the RPM go up to 1200 or so until it warms up some?

its automatic. and yeah, it idles more around 1000 rpm but tends to go to 1200 while idling. it starts as soon as i turn the key

 

[waltah]

its automatic. and yeah, it idles more around 1000 rpm but tends to go to 1200 while idling. it starts as soon as i turn the key

Okay, 20-30km/hr at 2000-3000 rpm is pretty clearly a slipping automatic transmission isn't it?

Has the fluid level been checked recently? Has fluid been added that you know about? If so was the proper Mitsu fluid -- SP III -- used?

When the car is driving well (after a bit of warm up) can you feel each of the shifts as you accelerate gradually?

 

[GhostSeption]

Okay, 20-30km/hr at 2000-3000 rpm is pretty clearly a slipping automatic transmission isn't it?

Has the fluid level been checked recently? Has fluid been added that you know about? If so was the proper Mitsu fluid -- SP III -- used?

When the car is driving well (after a bit of warm up) can you feel each of the shifts as you accelerate gradually?

i thought it could be that. i dont exactly know how to check the trans fluid level so if you could tell me how,ill check it, i can look through some reciepts to see when the last tranny fluid change was too