Transmission Question

This isn't a mustang question, but I posted in talk and nobody replied. 97 Escort(automatic). The other day after driving for about 30 mins. the the engine just started to rev and the car wouldn't move. I was stuck about 2 blocks from my house. I turned the car off and sat for a couple minutes, and then it worked. However, once the engine warms back up or you drive for a little bit it starts to slip again and the car won't move. Also after warming up it starts to make like a buzzing type noise and it's coming from the transmission pan. I checked the tranny fluid and it shows that there is fluid, but the fluid is really dirty... almost blackish(obviously it's supposed to be reddish). Does this sound like I just need to do a drain and refill, maybe change the filter also... or does this sound like my tranny is toast? I went out this morning to try and drain it but for the life of me I can't find the drain plug. Does anyone know exactly where/what the drain plug looks like on a 97 Escort?

Ugh... this had to happen right now!! Luckily I have my stang to drive or I would be SOL. anyone else have any ideas?

When it's cold it functions as normal. Once it warms up, I can take it out of park and put it in reverse and it doesn't engage. I can put it into any gear and it doesn't engage. It's like it's in neutral. It doesn't get stuck in any gears or not allow me to put it into gear. If I turn the car off for a couple mins and restart it, I can drop it into gear and it works. But after a few minutes of idling and it warms up, it goes back to like it's in neutral. The buzzing noise is coming from the tranny pan. I'm hoping it just needs a fluid change and filter change. It has 137k on it, and I don't know if the fluid has ever been changed. I have had the car for about 15k miles so. But the manual I got for the car shows the manual tranny drain plug, and says the auto plug is around the same area as the manual plug... but I don't see anything on the bottom of the tranny that looks like a drain plug. The only thing I found was a hex-bolt that is possibly the drain plug. I don't have a hex-wrench big enough to fit though. So I don't want to remove that unless I know for sure that's the plug. I talked to a buddy of mine and he thought it was just the fluid. He said he had a similar situation with a maxima he had. It's just odd to me that it works when it's not warmed up, but then doesn't after it's warm. Like theres not enough fluid in there, but according to the dipstick it shows there's plenty. So I figured I could drain it, refill it with the 5.7quarts it calls for and see if that fixes the problem.

That's what I'll do then. Drain it, replace the filter, and refill it. I'm hoping that's all it is. Anyone else have any ideas? Thanks for the input cobra!

Anyone else have any thoughts? Does it sound like the clutches are fried? Or does it sound like a filter change and fluid refill should do the trick? I am planning on dropping the pan and swapping the filter in the morning and refilling it. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't find a bunch of fragments in the pan and the filter and refill will solve the problem.

Ugh... I replaced the filter and threw in some tranny fluid. I drove it around for 20 mins.. checked the fluid and it was full. I had no problems with it. I drove it the next night a little while to pick up a pizza and come back home.... no problems. Today I drove it to my parent's house.. no problems.. Then when I leave about 2 minutes down the road... REVVVV!! WTF!!! I pulled over... sat for a few minutes and started it back up. I drove it back to my parent's and as I pull in the driveway it does it again...REVVVV..... So I told them what was going on and they were going to follow me to my house 25 minutes away( we were going out to eat so they were headed that way anyway) just in case they needed to tow me or something. So I start my trip home and have no problems. I don't get it? Anyone have any ideas what the heck is going on with this tranny? Is there a sensor or something that could be causing this? Is the tranny itself on it's way out? It just doesn't make any sense.