Sluggish and noisy

[BaldEagle]

Hey all, this is the 83 SX4 with AT I'm trying to diagnose. My wife and myself have both noticed that this car has a noticeable lack of power over our old wagon. Given that it's lighter weight, and has the MC2150 and TFI ignition upgrades, it really shouldn't be! It's sluggish to take off from a stop, and to accelerate, but does seem to shift through all the gears just fine. Tranny fluid is full, red, and not burnt, but I've not yet replaced the filter. The other major symptoms are  a moderately loud whining noise when it's in neutral especially, and somewhat in reverse, and clunking when initially put into gear, especially when cold. I'm suspecting the torque converter, but really don't know trannys that well. It seems like the tranny is just not getting enough power from the engine. Oh yeah.........the car is also running on the hot side, if that symptom could be related, but probably just needs a new radiator. I'd appreciate any ideas, tips, badmouthing, beer, or pictures that can be provided!
Thanks,
~E

[carnuck]

Sounds like mine before the converter dropped. Trans cooler was clogged up and dropped line pressure so the gears weren't fully engaging.
Gear ratio and tire size will affect it too.

[BaldEagle]

All right, I was thinking the gears were reverse that............2.7 installed and 2.35 to be put in. What Casper was referring to was mismatched gears between front and back. 4WD is NOT being used! Tire size should be pretty close to stock, 205/75 R15 I think. I should at least visually check the converter, though, because of the noise symptoms. IDK if it can be tested or not, but I hate throwing money blindly into cars. Can that be seen through the "access panel" I've heard of, or with the tranny's pan off while replacing the filter?
Thanks,
~E

[BaldEagle]

Okay, then I'll probably just replace the tranny filter and gears first and see if that helps.