Mitsubishi Repair: 95 mitsu. galant es transmission, mitsubishi galant, metal shavings

Question
as i was driving my 95 mitsubishi galant es the automatic transmission went out. the engine runs but the car will not engage into any gear. after having it towed home i drained and removed the transmission pan and filter assembly. after inspecting the inside of the pan i found very small metallic particles, the fluid was a darker shade of red but not quite brown or black. the fluid level seemed to be ok. the round bushing(i think the mount)at the front of the transmission is worn out(almost crumbled). in the days before i had noticed a grinding sound while accelerating from a stop, also it was slow shifting in between the gears. could the above problem be caused by the mount and a worn out filter, or i am i looking at bigger problem.

Answer
Will,
A dark red tranny fluid is normal for an automatic transmission.  And it's not uncommon to find small metal shavings in the pan.  It's normal wear and tear.

A bad motor mount will typically cause excessive vibrations, bad rattling, and sometimes bad cornering, but usually not a failure in gear shifting.  Your problem may be a bit more serious than just a bad motor mount.  You should have a transmission specialty auto shop inspect your transmission.  A regular local garage may not be equipped or experienced enough to handle working on your transmission.  Most towns have a transmissions only shop.  You may have some bad kick-down servos or a worn out torque converter.  But I think you'll need a real transmission specialist to confirm your problem.
Good luck!