My car is screwed up...
 

Sorry I typed so much, but here we go...

It's been really cold here in Kentucky lately... and my car will hardly ever start (even with a new battery). Earlier tonight, after several attempts, it finaly started. Though the engine sounded like it was about to die.

I thought it just needed to be driven, so the engine could warm up (since it was so cold). I turned onto the highway... and before I hit 30, the whole car jerked really hard and slowed down. I heard a loud metal noise come from under the floor (like a banging noise). It sounded so bad that I pulled over, but didn't really know what to do. The check engine light kept flashing.

So I slowly started for home, but couldn't get it above 20mph. While pulling into the driveway, the exhaust didn't sound the same... like some of the cylinders weren't firing. Bottom line: the motor still runs... but barely, can't get above 20mph. Banging noises from floor, engine sounds bad. Transmission?

It's an automatic, and has never given me trouble of any kind before. (69,000 miles) No mods other than cold air intake a long time ago.

blew up your torque converter or destroyed your engine. Betting tq converter. Extreme cold doesn't help those.

Yea, it was running great in the summer. But now that it's cold, the whole car seems to have changed. I'll get it to a mechanic in a few days, then post what happened, incase anyone else has a similar problem.