Hey there gang,

I haven't been on for a while because I've been in the process of moving back to the states. I'm in the middle of a drive from Jackson, WY to Mammoth Lakes, CA and my 1990 Montero V6 Automatic just crapped out in Battle Mountain, NV. There's only one mechanic in town and he admits that he doesn't really know what to do with it. I'd love your help in trying to figure this out a bit more before I pay for a $200 tow to the next bigger town.

Ok, yesterday morning I got a full checkup (everything ok)in Jackson and then drove 700 miles to Battle Mountain. On the way I stopped in City of Rocks, Idaho and did some offroading but I took it very easy the whole time. I camped last night and drove 15 miles into town for breakfast, with no apparent problems. I got back into my car after breakfast and started to drive down the road and the transmission instantly began to slip. The slipping was pretty smooth with very little jerking. I took it to a mechanic but he's not sure if it's something small or I need a whole new tranny.

Here's the facts:
1. I didn't drive it more than 1/2 a mile after it started slipping.
2. If I put it into park and then back into drive it doesn't help.
3. However, if I turn the car off completely and then turn it back on. the transmission grabs well and then starts to slip only after 30 seconds or so (at very slow speed.)
4. My dad mentioned to me today that when he got it inspected for me this summer the mechanic said the shift linkage was loose.
5. I never smelled any burning at any time.
6. There were no problems thru 700 miles but then suddenly this morning it acted up.
7. The mechanic here checked out the tranny fluid and said it looked pretty bad and smelled burned up. It's a little darker than it was before but I thought it smelled pretty much the same as it always has. Fluid level is good and there's no leaking
8. I called a bunch of places in nearby Winnemucca (70 miles away) and they all said that it could be a clogged tranny fluid filter (I've only had the car for the last 30,000 miles and don't know the history of the tranny fluid.)

So for now I'm going to get a full tranny service, hoping that there might just be a serious clog inside. This will also give me a chance to look at the debris that may be floating around inside and will tell me once and for all if I need a whole new tranny.
Does this sound reasonable? Am I missing something critical? What about that loose shift linkage? Could that be causing this?
Anyways, options for tranny replacement are extremely slim out here in the middle of the desert. The mechanic was talking about taking mine out, sending it away to be rebuilt and then reinstalling it:: it would take 5 to 7 days and would cost $1500 to $1800 PLUS labor (plus a motel room for me).
I would greatly appreciate any help and advice, first on the potential source of the problem, and secondly on options for a new or rebuilt tranny. In the meantime, I'll try to search the database to see what's been said before.

Thanks for your help everyone.
Matt
(in case you're nearby, my phone number is 240-994-1110.)