94 - some issues

A few things on a 94 Grand Prix 3.1 I got a few months back:
* In the cabin, there is a sort of burning smell and you get headaches if the windows are closed. I read on Consumer Reports that this car has issues with the plastic valve covers, and there are redesigned aluminum ones to fix this. Might this be the issue, and is this very costly? Where would someone find these redesigned valve covers - PepBoys and another parts store did not have them.
* Was having a problem on first start of the day where it would not shift into gear until some gearshift manipulation. I had the alternator die, and had done a coolant flush. Was getting on the freeway, and it appears that now all the car will do is first gear, and the coolant seems to be gone. Any relationships here? Also, the transmission for this car had flags on Consumer Reports of a ground being messed up; could this be the issue?

Thanks!

Hi. Did anyone have any ideas on the issues? I'm an apartment dweller, so cannot make many fixes myself, but hoped to know how serious the current issues are.

Thanks.