98 chrysler T&C -transmission dead
 

We loaned our beloved 98 T&C all wheel drive van to a friend, and naturally it puked up a transmission two states away. She said she had slowed down to 40 for a construction zone (5 miles), tried to speed back up and the tach raced, but the van didn't speed up. Has anyone had a similar experience, and if so what did you find the problem was?
I took her small car to her in Tulsa, rented a u-haul truck and trailer and towed our van back to New Mexico. I've been looking at it in the driveway for weeks and have decided it is time to tackle the repair. I used to be a mechanic in a former life, and have rebuilt several automatic transmissions.
Our repair manual doesn't say much about how to remove the transmission. Anybody who has done this please chime in about how to proceed.