Vacuum Leak

If you do a fluid and filter change I highly suggest adjusting the bands too. Bands wear and need periodic adjustment for proper operation.

Adjust the bands? How do I go about doing that? Not to show my ignorance, but I've been changing transmission filters for years and nobody's ever told me I needed to adjust the bands. I'm not questioning you're advice, just asking if you can elaborate. Would band wear account for the fact that after changing the filter the tranny is still reluctant to shift into second?

I found a few pieces of shrapnel in the pan when I dropped it. Nothing big, but still more metal than I've ever seen in the fluid. I've always heard that when a transmission starts to go out, there's no easy fix. I hope that's not true 'cause I can't afford to have it rebuilt at the moment or in the foreseeable future.