*Edit* I would like to delete this post as my problem turned out to be... the fan clutch -.- I feel stupid now but greatly relieved.

Hey everyone; new guy here.

I have a 95 b3500 that I bought with 225k on the OD for $500. The engine runs great and the transmission (until recently) shifted well also.

Then one morning I was driving down a dirt road and it started making a bizarre squirting sound. I realized I had the shifter in 1 instead of D, but when shifted into Drive and got into town (I live in the van), it would make the horrible sound any time I gave it any gas and the engine was revving way higher than normal. I have towing on my insurance plan and figured I'd see how far I could get to another town I frequent, about 25 miles away, mostly flat. I actually drove it around town for a few days before I decided to brave it and see how far I could get.

Before this all happened, one thing I liked about the way this transmission shifted was that it would hold 2nd until about 35mph. Well, now it still holds until that speed but the engine is REALLY revving high, and first gear is seemingly shorter as well. The strange squirting sound has actually almost gone away, except for a chirp sound when I start it up. Once I get over 35mph, it will shift (just as firmly as before) into 3rd and then 4rth (or is it TC lockup?) shortly thereafter. It seems to firmly shift through all the gears. I also did make it the full distance from one town to the next and was cruising at 70mph at one point.

I should mention that this van also has the quietest engine I have ever heard and that I can't tell you if it sounds like it's over-revving at that speed now over the road noise. Now that I think of it, I should see if I can get up to highway speed again and press the overdrive button to see if I actually have 4rth or not.

The quote in my area for a new transmission and radiator was $4300, which I can't come close to affording. I'm hoping someone can tell me there is something in the valve body easily (relatively speaking) replaceable by dropping the pan. Also, I checked the fluid level and it was very bright red. I thought it was low at first and dumped in 2qts of +4 before I realized that for some reason the other side of the dipstick reads higher, and that according to that side it was already full (?). It hasn't leaked a drop of fluids in any of this.

Anyways, any advice would be appreciated!

Frank