i have a 1991 tracker with auto trans and it delays shifting from 1st to 2nd for the first time when cold , after the initial high rpm shift it is fine , no slip or problems , it also delays in reverse when cold the first time   anyone have an idea i think it is an apply piston seal for the band that is hard and needs to be warmed up to seal and alow the shift but i cannot find any lit. on the trans

I had one with a similar issue once.  I did a complete fluid flush on the tranny and replaced the filter and it eventually started working again.  I think my problem was that it had crap in the valve body and some of the valves were initially sticking.

I have issues with reverse being slow to engage, but it has always been that way,
and I got the truck new, the hanging in 1 to 2 shift is valve body related, I had
an issue where after a freeway drive, no mater how long, when I would accelerate
after a stop, the trans would do a neutral drop kind of thing. I changed the fluid and
added a Slick50 Auto Trans treatment and it never did that again, don't know if it
was the fluid change or the additive.

The trans is a GM TH180a and parts are available for it, I would start with a fluid change,
but be prepared to drop the valve body after that if it doesn't get better or even gets
worse. The new fluid can dislodge old crud in the trans and make things worse.

Wild

thanks i have done that and it helped then came back i used lucas and it helped i will try it again and hope for the best but i cannot seem to find i good diagram of the trans circuits to trace it

http://www.suzukioffroad.com.br/tecnica//S_at2%20-%20Automatic%20Transmissions%203L30%20Sidekick%20and%20Tracker.pdf

Hopefully this link works.

I ran the trans X through a ford tranny and it helped greatly. I left it in for a couple thousand miles and then did a fluid change. I noticed the improvement within the first 100 miles!

.02
Kj

My Tracker has always acted that way when cold. I almost have to shift it manually ( with the throttle ) for the first few minutes. I got a big ass trans cooler on the front of my rig which I'm sure doesn't help with warm up, but once it does warm, it always works fine. 120k so far.
My Ford PU with a 140k on the clock so far, shifts like a drag car from 1st to 2nd, hard and solid. Fome there on up though it's all smoothness and subdued. Reverse takes a second to engage on it as well, maybe I'll try some of that trans x in it KJmac. I've been afraid of changing the fluid, bought it used with a lot of miles, but it ran so well and shifted fine so I changed the oil and looked at the trans fluid, smelled fine and was clean. Figured better leave well enough alone.