Lately i have been noticing that after my car has warmed up and running fine, that if I stop at a stop light or stop sign when I hit the gas to go the transmission seems to take a bit long to shift out of first gear and into second. None of the other shifts seem bad, just the first one. I have checked my fluid when hot and do see fluid on the stick up to where it should be, it’s not bright red, but there is fluid there. When I check the fluid when cold it is red. My car is a 98 Ford taurus 6 cyclinder/3.0 ohv automatic. It doesn’t do it all the time, and if cool it operates normally.
What is the mileage on the Taurus? When was the last time you had the transmission serviced? You should check your owners manual for the required maintenance interval and follow it to keep your vehicle in good operating order. Avoid the dealership and the chain shops when you take your Taurus in for maintenance.
It is at 135,000 miles.
I have never had it looked at, just bought it a year ago with 127,000 miles on it and until just the past few days have had zero issues with the trans.
Given the full history of this car, I would stick to what seemed to be your original plan. Just drive it till it falls apart. If you are lucky, the engine and the transmission will fail at the same time, some time from now.
Could a changing of the transmission fluid help resolve this issue though?
It certainly won’t hurt if by “changing” you mean pulling the pan & changing the filter.