Originally Posted by Maroon 300D

Ah, OK. Disconnecting that white valve shouldn't cause it not to shift to a certain gear, I don't believe, so I would think your disconnection of it was unrelated to the fact that it then shifted into third or fourth, or whatever gear it was. I would also guess that your recent vac pump work is purely coincidental to the issues you're having as I don't think they're vacuum related.

Also, I would think your shifts should have been clunkier without that white valve (I think it's actually called the white bleeder valve) connected. If they weren't and if they just tend to be clunky, you might have a vacuum leak somewhere.

Changing the fluid and filter is always a good idea when your tranny is doing strange things, it would seem, so that's an excellent place to start. Have you checked your fluid level? Trans fluid at an improper level has been known to cause strange things.

Hopefully it's a relatively simple issue. Good luck sorting it all out.