Transmission problems

[Nitrus0nous]

I have a auto 89 hatchback with about 40k on the ka24e, and 128k on body/trans. Yesterday I noticed my rpms fluctuating during acceleration. Sometimes when it would reach the normal shift point, the rpms would rise rapidly like it was in neutral. Today i went out and it was much much worse. First i put it in reverse to back out of the driveway and it stalls. start it up again and everything seems fine. I get out to the highway, and my car will not shift into overdrive. It will run fine if i run in 1 and 2, but at the point when i would have to go from 2 to D, if i were to do so, nothing would happen. no power increase at all. i checked the fluid when i got home, but i'm not too sure how low it may be. fsm says it holds 8 quarts, but how am i supposed to know how low it really is.

any ideas as to what the problem might be? so far i only put 1 quart in because thats all i had in the garage, but i'll get more tomorrow when the shops are open.

[navysnail]

hmm, isnt there a dipstick to check the level?

the torque converter may be going

[Nitrus0nous]

yeah, theres a dipstick, and i checked it. i'm not that dumb. i just dont want to put too much in, and i was just talking about an accurate way of telling how much it needs.

[niznos]

Check trans. fluid with engine running, add half quart at a time until within range. If the fluid is old, you may want to change it altogether. Actually, you will want to check for leaks and fix them before doing anything.