94 camry transmission problem(?)

juanfoot151

my automatic 94 camry 4cyl has 246k miles on it and just began to have tranny issues with it. It started slipping and the rpms were going way up before engaging into gear. Finally it would just fall out of gear and not engage at all once we slowed to a stop. I had to turn the car off and restart it to get it to engage and get going. Finally it just didnt go into gear. Last time i changed the fluid was approx 7 yrs ago but i've checked it periodically. Usually there was a small dark tint to it but it was still reddish and this time (after a trip from Boston to Austin) i noticed it mostly black but it was up to level. I didnt have any issues on the trip, however.

So some people suggested changing the filter and fluid, others said not to and to try additives, others suggested the shift selector/cable, the spark plugs, and even the air hose.

So i added some of the stop slip additives and changed out the spark plugs (which were about 3yrs old) and didnt work. I changed out the filter and the fluid and noticed the air hose had two huge tears on it so i repaired it with glue and duct tape (im a lil broke by now).

the car ran great for a couple of days giving me about 300 miles but when i put it in reverse, the engine shifted roughly. then i began to notice the rpms reving up too 4000 before going into 2nd gear. finally i stopped somewhere and it didnt want to go into reverse at all, only drive. I'm not sure what else to check and fix. I appreciate any help or other suggestions.