So I've been posting here and there with various issues that have arisen, and now I feel like just posting all of the others that I can think of, just to get it out of the way

1. Burning oil- I smell it all the time, especially when the heat is on or when I go a little high on the accelerator. The engine does have major oil leaks, so I guess thats not much of a suprise. But should I be smelling it from the vents? I dont even know if it is oil I smell, but my dad says it is. I think it kind of smells like a vacuum when it goes bad, you know what I mean?

2. The heat. The heat only works on my passenger side all the time, and on driver side it will lose heat when ive been running it for about 10 min. Like driver will get cool, but not cold air, while the passenger vents will be hot. Any Ideas?

3. I have no defogger right now. I checked the fuse and that'* fine. What else could it be?

4. The transmission is still shifting hard occasionally. Its random when it does, but usually after driving for half an hour. When I let the engine cool for a while, it does fine.

1. Fix oil leaks (replace gaskets) and see if the smell goes away. If not ur prolly burning oil.
3. Defogger? Front windsheild vents or Rear window heating element? If u mean Windsheild vents, this could be related to problem #2. Try accessing blower fan and see if the fins are clogged with crud.
4. Check Trans Fluid Level. Top it off and see if things improve. If not, try a trans flush and filter replacement.

Burning oil smell...is it more like a sweeter smell??? your heater core might be going up on you...that may eliminate two out of four of your issues...defroster could be any number of things...(i.e. bad switch, or a short)

as far as for your trans. what does your fluid look like?? does it smell/look burnt?? have you done a transflush lately? drop the transpan and change the filter and fluid...check the magnet and see how much metal shavings are on it...

hope any of my ramblings help!!!

If it is a sweet smell its gonna be anti freeze,
Not sure if burning oil really smells like a burning belt on a vacuum, that almost sounds like an electrical short

The oil burning smell, if coming from the engine bay, is most likely the valve cover gaskets leaking oil that drips onto the exhaust manifolds and burns up instantly. The gaskets are fairly inexpensive but it will take a while to get to the rear valve cover. We can walk you through it if you're interested in doing it yourself. This is actually a VERY common problem.

The biggest cause if your loss of heat is either your thermostat is too cold, your thermostat is stuck open (what are your operating temperatures?), you have air bubbles in your cooling system, or your heater core is clogged. Try bleeding the air out of the system using the bleed screw on top of the thermostat cover. Let me know if you want more specific instructions.

Check for damage at the defogger wires. If one of the leads is damaged, you'll have to fix it. They sell defogger repair kits at auto stores.

As mentioned earlier, have you checked the trans fluid level? When is the last time you had the transmission fluid and filter changed?

About the trans, just because its on the top of my mind right now.
I've had the car for almost 2 years/ 5K miles (I dont go very far) And I never had it done. My uncle who owned it before can't recall if he ever had anything done other than oil changes, and my other oncle who is the family mechanic doesn't recall either. So, I guess it may be time for a change. Perhaps I'll have my dad drop it off this week while I'm at school.

With the little light I had left I went to take a look at the exhaust manifold or whatever it is- while the sides and everything away from the engine are rust colored, the top is noticably black. I guess I have found the culprit for the oil. Now what does a repair like that entail?

There'* a very good chance that your valve cover gaskets are to blame. You can get new gaskets and grommets for as little as $20, if you're lucky.

Installation: The front one is dead simple; I did it in complete darkness with only the light of my cell phone. The rear one will require either a contortionist or the removal of a couple brackets, and maybe the alternator if you have big hands.

Ok, Can someone point me in the direction of what I need, like links? And then can I get intstructions? If it is easy enough to do, then Ill do it. Nothing Like fixing a car problem quickly and cheaply!

I'm going to give you a disclaimer that you need to consider heavily.

The #1 reason for most transmission failures is lack of proper maintenance. The transmission fluid should be changed every 60k-80k miles. You've doubled that. If you're now having problems due to the fluid being old, change the fluid ASAP. This can cause a lot of problems. Be ready for a disaster once you change the transmission fluid. I would recommend that you find a transmission shop to do a complete fluid change, NOT a flush. Make sure that they don't use pressure to put new transmission fluid in and push out the old. This can dislodge gummed up deposits in the transmission, which can get stuck in your valve body and cause a plethora of failures and ultimately require a rebuild. I recommend the shop because if you drain it yourself, you'll only drain 8 of the 12 quarts that the transmission contains. But like I said, don't be surprised if the transmission goes soon if the cause of your erratic shifting is old fluid.

Should be around $20-$25 for the valve cover gaskets on rockauto.com, but I'm sure a local store won't be much more expensive. Get the FelPro gaskets. As quoted above, you'll be getting the grommets with the valve cover gaskets in a kit.

The front may require you to unbolt the ignition coil bracket to get it out of the way. Aside from that, you just unbolt the 6 or so bolts around the valve cover and lift it right up. Its fairly simple. The rear may require you to remove the alternator and possibly the bracket that it bolts do. You might be able to just wiggle it out of there. Unbolt the valve cover bolts and try to wiggle it out and you'll figure out what may be getting in the way. Don't over-tighten the valve cover bolts when installing them again. I would recommend purchasing a Haynes manual for your car as a good reference guide. You'll need an inch-pound torque wrench for the valve cover gaskets. I don't remember off the top of my head what the torque spec was.

Shoot me a PM if you think you'll need help with this and I can give you my number and walk you through any part you get stuck on.