In the last few weeks I've had several odd things happen and now it's coming to a head! Help!
1st-my fan would keep running after I turned the car off
2nd-my cooling mode light came one-checked under my hood and no coolant in reservoir..added coolant Last week.
3-fan stopped , bad rains and wind last week and my check engine light came on but no noticeable issues
4-this week my car sputters when starting , had to start twice , then ran fine
5-had to leave work in a hurry yesterday and the car didn't want to start, sputters and starts after 3 times. When I hit the road it starts dragging and jerking when I stop at a light
6-I get on the highway and it is very hard to pick up speed, stays at 60 and then takes a while to pick up from there...
7-the engine has a loud motor sound like it is working harder than it should.
Took it in and got these codes from the orielly folks P0420 , P0016, and P0017 which were repeating themselves... orielly says it's probably a O2 sensor. One of the codes is for Cam shaft...
8 - I am now smelling antifreeze ( sweet smell) and it seems my overflow is empty again!
What could be causing all of this!? I don't have thousands to spend on repairs and I'm not sure what to get looked at without getting ripped off ! Please help ...

 

Welcome to the site!
The P0420 code
P0420 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold Bank 1 OBDII Engine Light Trouble Code | Engine-Codes.com

The P0016 code

P0016 Chevrolet Crankshaft Position vs. Intake Camshaft Position Correlation Bank 1 Fault OBDII Engine Light Trouble Code | Engine-Codes.com

The P0017 code

P0017 Chevrolet Crankshaft Position Camshaft Position Correlation Bank 1 Sensor 'B' OBDII Engine Light Trouble Code | Engine-Codes.com

Have a close read of these three sites
Note the references to low or dirty oil!!!
Ask yourself these questions and post your answers here ...
When was your last oil change?
Is your oil level correct or is it low??
Is my gas cap tight?

We're here to help you, don't panic and start changing parts as these codes can relate to similar symptoms

Post up your answers and we'll guide you through this, now breathe and relax!
Tomorrows Saturday take a minute and check your oil and get back to us!

If I lived closer I'd be there with coffees but naw I'm not up to a 10 hour drive!

 

When you checked the coolant reservoir did you also check to see if the radiator itself was full? Has it overheated? Use the digital temp gauge in the DIC rather than the analog gauge as it is not very accurate at all.

 

whopper is thinking along the same lines I am, a loss of coolant and the resultant overheating have "cooked" the engine.

Those codes, and the symptomology described, are not unknown on engines that have suffered terminal damage from overheating.

Unfortunately Tabbieangel, the Ecotec family of engines used in HHR's Will Not tolerate overheating without suffering damage.

When your DIC indicated that your HHR had entered "Cooling Mode" that's the last line of defense it has, it's a cry for help.

 

Cooling mode was on for a second then I immediately turned the car off. And it never came on again. I read it had to go to 217 for that to come on . I was in a parking lot at the time not driving.i turned car off as soon as that happened, would that cause terminal damage so quickly? Everyone seem to think it has to do with Oxygen sensor or air filter or fuel injector , fuel pump ... And this morning it smells like Gas! Not coolant ...

 

From the sounds of it you are loosing coolant still - and that is imperative for the engine. With any coolant loss, it is important to monitor/check it on a daily basis and monitor the digital temperature gauge as you drive.

Continuing to drive it with an unknown cause of the coolant loss, and for a week with the check engine light on before finding out what the light was on for may have been the kiss of death for the engine. I hope not, but I don't get a good feeling on the health of that engine.

You need a mechanic to check out the loss of coolant as the first step. If you're lucky it will be something simple like a hose or a simple leak - or more seriously it can run from a "simple" head gasket replacement, all the way up to replacing the engine.

Once the coolant issue is resolved, then the other error codes can be looked at.

If you are smelling gas - it probably is not a good idea to drive it.

 

This could help with the P0420 and that fuel oder
Our engines have this part on the drives or transmission end of the engine, test yours



As for the coolant loss check your recovery tank for cracks or holes, just one bolt to get at it

 

Took it in and I'm told the cam phasers ( I'm guessing cam positioning sensors) may fix it but maybe not , might need new cam ...then after he changed them he said it didn't work, needs new cams .... Wth is a new cam? A cam shaft!? Gears!? And a new catalytic converter! Can anyone help me figure out ...why would all of this go out at once ...and is it even worth the $ to repair?

 

I took my car in after several codes and all of a sudden my car started jerking while idling . Was hesitating on acceleration as well...
Check light came on Thursday today the mechanic tells me he may be able to just change the cam phasers( positioners I'm assuming) and that should fix it, if not it may need new cams. So he changed them and called back and said it needs new cams. And I asked if I could drive it. He said no cause after that is all taken care of I need a new catalytic converter because mines broken. How did all of this mess up on a few days? And how do I know I need a cam? Should I get a second opinion?

 

Take somewhere else! By the codes you posted In can see the VVT intake and exhaust actuators being at fault . But there are more issues here.
Does this dude even own a code reader?
Does he know about these quirky little Trucklets?