02 F250 issues

[BryanSR]

My 02 F250 80k miles has been shifting really hard for a while and, pretty regularly, it will flop back and forth before settling into the next gear. Recently, the OD light has started flashing on occasion when I'm not firm on the throttle, which usually leads to the back and forth flopping. Just last week on my way to work, the OD light came on while driving in a slower speed zone and never went off. When I got to the highway, it would not shift into the higher gear and the light was still flashing. I pulled off of the road and shut it down, and when I fired it back up and got back up to highway speed it was fine. When it was doing it before, the code was P0471, but I havent checked it since the last episode. Does it sound like the solenoid pack? As long as the OD light isn't flashing, does it hurt to drive it? Currently, it's my only vehicle.

I would like to try changing the tranny fluid, but somewhat scared of doing so. I did that recently on my 98 Explorer 5R55E for the same P0741 code, and it lasted about 100 miles before the transmission was fried!! Still trying to decide whether to fix that one or let it go.

Thanks