well it started a year ago, my transmission would not engage in the morning/ took it to the dealer and they flushed and said there was nothing they could do for less than a grand.. (got better so i let it go, but still happened some) recently i noticed when going from 2nd to third there is a massive shudder - slip then connects .. and overall rough clunky shifting. now like 2 weeks later its even worse, but this is the weird part: when running for like 5 mins my car is like it's in neutral when its in drive and the only way to make it move is to manually shift 1-2 etc

my take is its the solenoid pack and the dealer didn't want to give me a clean answer to my question about what was wrong even after i paid for the 150 flush and check hmmm any ideas on troubleshooting or where i can get parts seems like everything is kinda shady when it comes to diy THANKS!

 

My car has similiar symptoms also, It gets sticky when going from 1st to second in the mornings and 2nd to 3rd most of the time slips then engages. When mine shifts from 2nd to 3rd it shudders.. it used to be worse but its gotten to the point where you can barely tell it happens... and sometimes it doesnt at all. And also, when i press on the gas to the point where it will downshift into a lower gear... the engine will rev like its in neutral and then give a kick and downshift but it also only does this sometimes. When it shifts at the redline it seems to stick a lot and wont shift for about three seconds. I was planning on getting my tranny flushed thinking that would work but from what you have said it probably wont. I do plan on taking it to my mechanic who is very trust worthy and see what he says. I just havent had the time! Ill let him know about the solenoid pack.

 

You could drop the valve body, clean and test the solenoid packs. Or you could give the valve body to a tranny shop to rebuild and test. If your clutch packs are still good, the tranny should be OK.