Misfiring problems in 1994 Pontiac Grand Am

Car was fine on a trip. Next day it starts and out comes a gas smell (smoke from exhaust). Later it starts rattling and making a wierd noise that appears to be coming from right side under hood. As I was driving, the brake all of a suddent went out and then the car was dead. I pushed it to the side and then tried to restart. Nothing happened (no sound). Tried again a few minutes later and it started to turn but didn't catch. Third time, about five minutes later, it starts with seemingly no problem. It still is making a horrible sound at this point. I decide to try and make it home so I didn't get stranded in a strange neighborhood. The noise lessened as I accelerated but if I let off or pushed break it would slow and it shut off a few times (when breaking completely). If I tried to accelerate it would take a few seconds before doing anything. Made it back safely but it is still rattling under the hood and there is still the gas smell coming from the exhaust. I called someone and they say it might misfiring which would cause the gas to expel from exhaust because it wasn't being burned up. They said a few reasons why it might be misfiring but because they live out of state there was no way for them to completely diagnose it. I am a college student with a lack of mechanic skills ( although I can check and refill oil, change tires and so on but not much else). I was wondering if by looking at symptoms if anyone could throw some guesses my way. Someone did mention that it might have to do with some ignition plate or something that might have moisture on it. They said something about my possible model might not have a regular distributer but something else that acts like one. I have no clue what that means. PLEASE BE KIND AND HELP....Thanks. God bless

Due respect here, but the tone of your question tells me you need to get it to someone who has the equipment and knowledge to check this out, I believe you are only going to bury yourself trying to deal with this.

There are many items that could cause your problem. The noise you speak of could be anything too although it could be due to misfires. If you have limited ability to work on the car you may want to take the car to a mechanic to have it diagnosed. Some of the items I would check are ignition module, coils, wires or plug connectors (depends on size of engine). You may also want to check the fuel system for leaks and replace the fuel filter if it hasn't been changed recently. There is also a possibility that the timing chain tensioner has broken causing the noises you hear. It could also be causing internal damage if the timing is off slightly.

These are some things to check but once again you may need a mechanic.

Welcome to the forum!!