Wont shift into 3rd

[x.x_bass.addict_x.x]

hello i am having problems with my car, when i reach 85km/h the car wont shift into 3rd gear. the car is a 1990 pontiac grand prix le with a 3.1L V6, and it has a automatic transmission. I broke the front right ball joint on the car and the axel pulled out of the transmission, and i got it all fixed and then this problem occured. Does anybody have any ideas on what could cause this?
Thanks
Dennis:confused:

[Mr T]

Check your shifter linkage. It could be binding up and when you go into D it is actually shifting into 2nd.

Check your fluid. Check your manual for the procedure. Normally it involves driving your car to warm it up, stop on a flat level surface, shift through all the gears slowly and check flud with the engine running.

If you have new fluid somewhere compare the color and smell. If its dark, or smells burnt, its time for at least a fluid flush/change.

You may have a burnt clutch/band in your tranny too, causing a gear to not engage. With older GM trannies, they are hydrolic(i cant spell) much more then others. It is essential to keep good fluid in them or things burn up.

Also check all your engine mounts. If your engine shifted when you lost your ball joint, it may be binding up.

Does it shift hard at all?
How many Km's.. (miles if you have the conversion handly) are on the car? Was the transission ever serviced/flushed?

[x.x_bass.addict_x.x]

there are about 127000 miles on the car, and the transmission fluid is full, well not full to the top but where it should be on the marker, and the fluid is a orangish brown color, and yeah it smells burnt. Also before all this happened even before i broke the ball joint, when you would have the car floored, off the line it wouldn't shift when it got to a certain rpm, like before when i first got it, you would floor it and it would get up to 4800 or something and shift, now it gets up to 4500 and wont shift unless you let off the gas, so i thought that would cause the fluid to burn up from slipping and what not. but when it wouldn't shift good like that it didn't bother me to much because it was still driveable now when your top speed is only 45mph it kind of sucks. if any of this extra info helps let me know.
thanks
Dennis

[Mr T]

3 options..

Get a fluid flush for about $100-125 and take a chance that it does nothing for your problem.

OR Take it to a well known transmission shop for a estimate. You can easily dump a over a grand into your tranny, sometimes much much more. Find out how much the estimate charge is in advance. Transmission repair can vary greatly from shop to shop. Many people dont know anything about trannies, and many shops know that you dont konw much about trannies, and may try to make a few extra bucks off you.

OR, your car is 15 years old now. This may be a good hint that it's time to replace it. GM's 3.1L engine doesnt really have any gold star's on it's grade card. The cost of repair will probably exceed the value of the car several times.

From what you described in your last post... I'd have to say that quite a bit of damage has been done. Option 3 is my choice.