thank you for feedback. the problem was the cooling system, it was not cooling effectively and apparently the gear problems above were due to overheating. with a new radiator in place and effective fan blowing, the problems have not re-occured.

as for the transmission, another issue has occured after the trans oil was changed.
Normally when rolling to a stop without throttle the transmission should shift into the highest possible gear to allow the car to roll freely, now it seems like it wants to stay in whatever gear its in and not shift up, leading to a speed loss as soon as I step off the gas.

I had my tranny fluid and filter replaced but actually its only after that I have noticed this problem...

does it make sense to do another "flush" ? could it be because of debris that was moved during the trans oil change and now needs to be flushed/cleared out?

which part of transmission is affected by this?