I have an issue with a 98' Contour SE Sport with automatic tranmission that began acting strangly over last weekend.
It revs high in 1st gear up to about 4500rpm then shifts to 3rd. 4th still appears to function, but it also revs higher than normal in freeway driving. I took it in to a respected autoshop and they tried a trans flush with no results.
Their conclusion is that the trans is shot and that 2nd gear "porks". The repair would be from $13-$18K total in&out. What is your take on this? It it a known issue that is masking as a bad trans, or are they likely being honest? At 155K miles I doubt the car is worth putting over a grand into it, especially since it also has a power steering leak.
Suggestions?
