Our '95 Park Ave Ultra has been exhibiting symptoms that I've been told here
could be due to the torque converter clutch. When driving at steady speed,
e.g., 60 to 70 on the freeway, there is a short hesitation, sort of like
something
is slipping in the drive train. This has been happening over the last couple
months,
with increasing frequency.  I've had it to a transmission shop and my normal
service
shop, but it would not do it for them when they test drove the car. Not too
surprising
since it tends to happen only after driving for 20-30 minutes.

Then today I noticed another similar smyptom, but
while at a stop light, in drive with foot on the brake. Sort of like
something slipped
that caused the engine to loose speed. I watched it on the tach. It would be
idling
at about 1000 RPM (AC was on), then it would drop down to perhaps 850 for
a moment and then return to 1000. I suppose this could be attributed to the
AC clutch
kicking the compressor in and out, but I've driven this car nearly 10 years
and
never noticed it before. And it had an erie similarity that reminded me of
the
shuddering at road speeds, perhaps in the timing of the event.

So one question is are these two symptoms related? Someone here suggested
the
shudder might not be the TCC at all, but rather the engine having an
intermittant
missing problem.

The other question is how to narrow down the diagnosis. I'd sure hate to pay
for
a transmission/TCC overhaul or what ever (which sounds expensive) only to
have
the problem still with me.

TIA

Ed