Intex Saltwater Chlorinator issues

Good Morning!! I live in SW Louisiana. If I hadn't let my pool go to pot, we could almost swim year round. I have a 24' x 52" Intex with a sand filter and saltwater generator. Last year this setup was a breeze, but I am having issues opening it back up. First I megashocked the black lagoon to kill all the growth that was in it. I finally yesterday got most of the sediment out that was in the bottom. It smelled HORRIBLE, like sewage. I'm so ashamed!

But the biggest problem is the pump. I can't figure out if I have a salt cell going or not. After a few hours of running, the machine will yell Low Salt. But I took in a sample and it shows ample salt, but low chlorine. I finally bought a small testing kit. Yesterday, only 12 hours after adding 5lbs of shock per pool store, my chlorine was nil. If I took it directly from the outtake, I at least registered, but only barely. The hot louisiana sun really does a number on chlorine levels,s but I'm still sure this is too low.

The water is so cloudy that I'm still concerned about it's cleanliness. But at least it is no longer black. I just purchased an HTH Salt Pool care from walmart and am thinking it may help, but I'm just throwing money at this thing now.

Thank you very much for any help.
Amy in Louisiana