The car still shifts out of first........it just doesn't do it until like 4k just accelerating normal. If I hammer on it, it doesn't shift until like 6200. It makes no difference if I try to shift it manually. But.....if I let off the throttle slightly, when it seems like it is hanging up, it will shift the second I lift.The fluid is a little on the orange side...not quite red (just looks like it needs changed) and it does not smell burnt at all. I was going to change the 1-2 acumulator this weekend. It's easy to do and less than $100 for all the parts. I have read like a million different articles saying that they are prone to failure and there was a TSB about it. I bought this car off of my neibor extremely cheap, because he is hurting for money. The mark VIII is really not "my thing", but it has cool body lines and a very cool motor in it. It has a leaking front airbag so he stopped driving it. He's a pretty honest guy, and swears up and down that there was nothing weird with the tranny when he parked it 3 months ago.