I Need Help!!!

Hey guys.. I have a 90' Thunderbird SC. it's an automatic, the first automatic I've owned, ever.... Now I have to replace the tranny.. I found one at a junk yard for 225.. it's still bolted to a SC engine, so I'm pretty sure it is for the SC and not a V-6 or V-8 T-bird.. I'm guessing that it should be okay, atleast to get me mobile again.. but, I'm runnin short on money till the end of the month, yet I still need my car, so I've opted to change the tranny myself.. Now, I'm pretty machanically inclined, I've (helped) change a few tranny's, but I'm alittle nervous about this.. is there anything I should know about this job? Basically I'm changing this tranny out cause.. it won't go anywhere in drive, it just sits as I rev the engine.. sometimes it will slowly take off and sometimes it catches all of a sudden and leaves me chirping my tires through an interesection, which is no good seeing how I don't really want a ticket. Now also, I was driving down the freeway, and my overdrive went out.. so if I had 4 gears or 5, whatever the auto has, now I have 1 less.. so I use premium gas like a mother.. now, is this the seals or something in the auto or could it be a torque converter? I just need this new tranny to last atleast a few months till I can just upgrade or get something brand new.. Umm.. if there is anyone in The Idaho valley, IE.. Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Emmit, Caldwell or Eagle that could possible donate some time to help me out, it would be soooo much appreciated.. I can't pay right now, but come the first you will be re-embursed like a mother f*cker.. Thanks guys.. Doug
208 353 8658..

it's alot of work ..and new tranny may not be any better ...I wouldn't right off old tranny yet ..check fluid level first ..hot and in park... low fluid =low fluid pressure and tranny will drop O/D since there's not enough system pressure to hold it engaged...check colour and smell of fluid.. if it's black and smells burnt ..then yes it's pretty much toast ...but it seems like a pressure thing since you still have engagement ..beit sometimes ...which could be related to low fluid level ,dirty fluid .. clogging tranny filter or crap plugging up the valve body ..linkage from shifter @ tranny ...blocked tranny cooler or crimped lines ...then there's the TV cable ..on the throttle body .make sure there is no play in the linkage .still connected to tranny .. gromet on throttle body... wears out after time ...alittle play here can really screw with the tranny ... fine adjustments are needed to make it shift right ...and the wrong adjustments ..can burn the tranny up pretty quick ...though they can take a good beating ...I've pounded mine for over a year ....adjusted the TV cable to shift out of first WOT at 5000 rpm ....figured I'd have that 5 speed in by now ...but it takes a licking and keeps on ticking
check the simple things
fluid level .. high/low ..colour and smell
linkgage connections ... shifter and TV cable
cooler isn't block ....should beable to feel heat in the cooling lines
lastly change filter in tranny pan ...
these are things you can do ...if you did have some bucks ..best would be to take to tranny shop and let them pressure test ...best of luck ....dave