Pleasehelp/SingleMom/Terrified/2002 impala problems?

:frown:I need serious help, I'm not too sure what else to do, I hope writing this may bring me some clarity. I inherited this car from my mother who passed two years ago, she was the only owner. Had minor issues. The car has been great for me, but always had electrical issues as long as I can remember (lights on saying "trunk open" "Door open" stuff like that). So, around a month ago the check engine light came on reading a "exhaust gas" code? Something like that, I was told, I could still drive it but eventually need to get it fixed. Two weeks ago the transmission started to shift hard on and off (if I drove 4 times that day, will shift hard 2 times out of the 4 small trips). Ok, so then my air was not blowing out hard at all and it gets very hot in NC so I changed my air filter, which had a lot of cotton on top of it (????) and a dirty filter, and blows out harder. The low coolant light popped on last night and I added coolant and then this morning, the air (changed filter last night) is blowing hot to cold and the low coolant light is on again. I added some more coolant. Does anyone know if these issues tie into each other? I absolutely cannot afford to take it to a shop and it is my only transportation. I am terrified it will leave my 4 year old son and I stranded somewhere or just stop working one day soon. Please help if anyone can shed any light at all on these issues, more and more problems just keep popping up on this car everyday. I am terrified. :frown: :/ Thank you for reading this, I hope it isn't too confusing! God Bless!!

I need serious help, I'm not too sure what else to do, I hope writing this may bring me some clarity. I inherited this car from my mother who passed two years ago, she was the only owner. Had minor issues. The car has been great for me, but always had electrical issues as long as I can remember (lights on saying "trunk open" "Door open" stuff like that). So, around a month ago the check engine light came on reading a "exhaust gas" code? Something like that, I was told, I could still drive it but eventually need to get it fixed.

That tells us nothing.....we need the exact code, in the form of PXXXX......

Two weeks ago the transmission started to shift hard on and off (if I drove 4 times that day, will shift hard 2 times out of the 4 small trips).

The car could be shifting hard because a PCM(computer) code is set....certain codes, will cause the PCM to command the tranny to run at FULL LINE PRESSURE....this will cause harsh shifts......You can go to places like Autozone, who will read codes for you for free......

Ok, so then my air was not blowing out hard at all and it gets very hot in NC so I changed my air filter, which had a lot of cotton on top of it (????) and a dirty filter, and blows out harder.

Ok, when you find "foreign" material like that on a filter, it's usually caused by a rodent building a nest....

The low coolant light popped on last night and I added coolant and then this morning, the air (changed filter last night) is blowing hot to cold and the low coolant light is on again. I added some more coolant. Does anyone know if these issues tie into each other?

The low coolant light coming on means, you have a possible leak...would help to know if you have a 3.8 or 3.4 engine.....If you have a small leak, adding coolant can keep you going for awhile, but it needs to be fixed before it gets much worse.....also, just adding coolant is not the answer.....when you have a low coolant condition, it creates an air pocket in the engine...adding coolant does not get rid of this air pocket and can lead to overheating....When the air out of your registers gets warm, check to see if your compressor is running....it's possible you are also getting low on freon(which has nothing to do with the low coolant situation, or with the air filter), or you may have a problem with your cooling fan in back of the radiator, if it's not running....

I absolutely cannot afford to take it to a shop and it is my only transportation. I am terrified it will leave my 4 year old son and I stranded somewhere or just stop working one day soon. Please help if anyone can shed any light at all on these issues, more and more problems just keep popping up on this car everyday. I am terrified. :/ Thank you for reading this, I hope it isn't too confusing! God Bless!!

There are a lot of people in your situation......however, if you just let problems add up on the vehicle, it could be more costly to fix down the road.....

The engine air filter has no connection with the air conditioning, only a pro can diagnose and repair the a/c. Loosing coolant can be serious as many of these cars had bad intake gaskets, 3.4 engine?, also someone needs to check where the coolant is leaking from. Go to Autozone or any place down there that will scan for codes free and post back results, sorry to say but none of these issues are normally addressed in a driveway. For now the hard trans shift is the least important issue.

you have to get some money to properly keep the vehicle running properly which in most cases will reduce vehicle failures.

I am guessing that over the 2years you only put fuel in it. now the vehicle is soon to turn into a hunk of junk.

if this is true then trade in for another newer , higher miles per gallon vehicle with operating costs you can handle. Also read the owners manual, find a good repair shop to have the vehicle serviced for fluids/oil changes / transmission/coolant servicing.
over the years/decades this saves you money and you will have reliable transportation.

as an example I have owned 4 vehicles since 1967. I average well over 10 years per vehicle. no engine or transmission failures. 200,ooo miles on the vehicle is no big deal, if you keep up on the fluids ETC...

the code the car computer is throwing could be anything in the emissions from what it sounds like. Make sure the gas cap is on tight, that can cause a Check engine light. The A/C may need serving, could be as simple as a can of 134a or something major. The hard trans shifts could be as simple as a trans service/flush or more likely the PCS solenoid in the trans. PCS is the pressure control solenoid . From what I gather the solenoid pushes on a rod in your trans that connects/diconnects channels the fluid flows through, for some unkown reason the fluid leaks past some of the "O" rings on the rod and the trans fluid pressure sensors sees this as low pressure so the PCM (car computer) commands firmer shifts to protect the trans. also can do this if the shift takes longer than it should, the car computer sees this and commands a firmer shift. Also remove your dipstick and look at the oil, it should have no coolant ( milky white, grey or mayo looking suff) in the oil and no oil in the coolant. Look in cooland overflow with a flash light...should just be the red stuff in there , don't open the radiator especially if HOT. IMO I would not go to a dealership, but that is just me. Although I am brand loyal to Chevrolet , I don't like their dealerships. I would find a trustworthy independent and have them go over your car and evaluate its condition. new cars are great and they are expensive, buying another used car can be slightly expensive to get something good. To be totally realistic you should and everyone reading this no matter what brand because all brands are affected, check your 4 jack points under the rocker panels. I have a 2003 Impala and one is rusted my floor jack prong whent right through. Depending where you live this may be something that is inspected along with emissons. I have heard that Vancouver, for one, you have to get rusted out jack points repaired to pass state inspection. Having a car is well having a car, so few people open their hood and check their fluids or even walk around the car while they are getting gas. Good luck and happy motoring ,,,hope this helps.

The coolant issue should be dealt with asap. Take the oil cap off and look to see if you have a milky residue on the cap. will look greasy white. If you do have the residue it is an intake manifold gasket that is blown. that could solve your coolant issue. Make sure the fluids are up to the current levels in the Tranny. When is the last time it was serviced?. Check the color of the fluid. Should be reddish. If it smells burnt, time for a change. Get the check engine light code read and report back to us. I had in my old car a P0175 code which was the heater in my left bank O2 sensor. Firestone tried to rip me off for an intake gasket for 900.00 bucks. I ran 100000 miles with no issues. Look for the obvious. A sweet smell from under the hood indicates a leak somewhere after it was driven.

Tell us the following... Is it the Impala base? 3.4 or 3.6 engine. How many miles.

Good luck
John