Chrysler Repair: transmission, hydraulic pressures, chrysler brand

Question
I have a '93 lebaron sedan with 3.0l v6 automatic transmission. my problem is that when my engine is cold my transmission doesn't engage - i have to wait till it warm up, once it is warmed up it works just fine. What is the problem with my car? Thank you.

Answer
Hi Jon,
Have you checked the fluid level in the transmission when it is cold, and when it is hot (there are separate marks on the dip stick for those two conditions). If it were too low, that could happen. Is the engine idling around 800 rpm while you wait for it to warm up; if not, then that might affect the transmission. Too high an idle might be the cause. If you haven't ever had (or recently had) the trans fluid changed, along with the filter, that might improve this problem. (Always use only the Chrysler brand of trans fluid, no substitutes.) If that doesn't do it, then some more serious diagnosis is in order: having a competent shop read out the fault codes stored in the trans controller, and doing a check for the hydraulic pressures, would be helpful. It might point to a need to clean the valve body. Other than that, every other explanation involves dismantling it and a very high repair cost. The last test would be to have the fault codes, if any, that are detected and stored by the transmission controller read out and analyzed. This might cost $75 but if it saved the cost of a rebuilding it would be worth it.
Roland