Ford Repair: transmission, double edged sword, trans fluid

Question
i just bought a 93 taurus station wagon  cheap. its hihg milage 141,000 its runs great except the transmission is gettin a little rough i have 2 different opinions from friends so far is it smarter to drain and replace trans fluid and filter and gasket or am i better off leaving it alone till it gets bad

Answer
Dave-
 
  Well...that's a double edged sword.  On one hand replacing the fluid could be a big help in smoothing out the transmission.  On the other hand, especially if it's been a while since the fluid was last changed, the detergent in the fluid could clean away any build up that may be helping hold everything together in which case it would actually make failure quicker.  And then you've got just leaving it alone which will surely result in failure.  I'm afraid I can recommend one way or another since you've got about a 50/50 chance of it working.  However, if it were me, I'd change the fluid but I'm an optimist...I'd hope it would hold out.  Hope this helps.

Steve