Car starts but wont catch gears
 

Im new to the forum i used it to figure out some of my car problems, but for the life of me i can not figure out this one. Okay i have a 1993 lexus ls400 and i can start my car just fine but when i go to put it in any one of the gears (R,N,D,2,L) it stays at its idle rev and doesnt move doesnt change sounds like it wants to catch or anything. I changed the shift solenoids and the fluid is proper level. Changed filter earlier this year so didnt think about it. What could be the problem????

One of 2 things, either the shift linkage is not connected, or the pump is not working.

And sorry i forgot one other thing right when i start the car i can shift ill sit there in reverse then a whinning sound starts goes away then you can feel car shift itself back to park (Well thats how it feels)
then it goes back to park idle.

Do you know where that pump is located?

Its in the front of the transmission behind the torque converter. The outer portion of the torque converter is always spinning with the engine and there is a hub with slots that engage the pump. So now you are saying it does go into reverse? You can have other problems with the pump still working like a massive seal ring leak allowing all the fluid pressure to escape. Also like any hydraulic system there is a pressure relief valve that also could be dumping the pressure. So I was a bit hasty in my first post. Did you ever clean or change the filter/screen? Really need to do a pressure check on it.

Sorry for not being detailed but at start up its changes gears 30secs after start up it whines kinda gives a slight pull then goes back to idle revs 750-1200 like its in park and does not.move at all.

I cleaned it on saturday..

What did the pan and filter look like?

Along with the good possibilities that dicer posted, you could also have a smoked O/D Direct Clutch, blown seals in the C0 accumulator that provides pressure to that clutch pack, or a valve body issue with a stuck regulator valve or something. The latter is fairly unlikely.

The line pressure test like dicer mentioned is your best place to start. You probably have little to none. A mechanical failure of the pump to where the thing isn't producing enough pressure to go into gear is fairly unlikely.

Personally, I doubt this issue is fixable without the transmission being removed from the vehicle to repair.

The pan and magnets wer normal grim. I was able to wipe off with a rag. And the filter wasnt bad at all. No metal shavings on dipstick all clear red fluids.

If you didn't have much clutch material in the pan or in the screen it may be worth pulling the valve body and checking the accumulator seals. But, like dicer said a line pressure check is the best next step. The groaning sound is the pump starving for fluid. Did the trans operate fine before you changed the filter? Did it start acting up right after you changed the filter a while ago or did this just start?

Just started. I changed the filter back in april..
And i drove to woodland,ca for a interview got off freeway still in drive and car started to slowly move reving at 3000rpms so i coast to side of the road then shut off car waited ten mins started car up shifted fine got back on freeway and 5-10mins on freeway im going 65mph and seems like ut slipped out of drive right into neutral revs up to 5000 and called a tow truck..

Both pressure regulators are in the valve body. One in the lower half, one in the upper half. It's possible that one of those has stuck but I doubt it.

the valve body is inside the pan right? Just drop the pan and unbolt the body??? Should i replace the whole thing or the pressure regulators?

Sorry to give such basic basic advice here, but really you should check the ATF level. These ATs are pretty solid, so I'd be looking for something else to be wrong. Did you use the right ATF when you did the filter change?

How much came out when you drained it? How much did you add afterwards? I'm sure you've already checked the dipstick, so I'm trying to suggest another check.

What I would do now is to drain the ATF, measure how much comes out, and then add whatever the manual says you're supposed to add when draining ATF.

I did not read everything super carefully, but I think low ATF level can cause some of the problems you're talking about.

Good luck.

When i drained it i filled up an oil drain pan.. So should i fully drain all 8-12 quarts out of the tranny and try it then??

Low atf can cause a whinning sound from tranny??

Yes i used type t-iv the same as always.