2001 DODGE STRATUS COUPE Electrical System Problems

WHILE PARKED AND TURNED OFF, MY '01 DODGE STRATUS R/T ENCOUNTERED AN ENGINE FIRE. THE ENTIRE ENGINE IS ALMOST BEYOND RECOGNITION. THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT ANYTHING OF THE KIND WAS WRONG; THE CAR HAD BEEN RUNNING AS USUAL. A SIMPLE GOOGLE OF "STRATUS ENGINE FIRE" TURNED UP AN OVERWHELMING OCCURRENCE OF STRATUS OWNERS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. IT APPEARS TO HAVE STARTED NEAR THE FUSEBOX, WHICH WAS ALSO THE LOCATION OF THE FIRE IN THE COUNTLESS SEARCH RESULTS. THE CAR HAD IDLED TOO HIGH FROM A FEW DAYS AFTER I PURCHASED IT. WE HAD THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE CHANGED AND THE IDLE SPEED ADJUSTED BY THE SHOP FOUR OR FIVE TIMES, YET NOTHING WOULD STOP THE HIGH IDLE. THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD DECREASE IT WAS TO TURN THE AIR CONDITIONER ON--WHICH BRINGS ME TO ANOTHER PROBLEM. THE DRAIN HOLES FOR THE AIR CONDITIONER ARE NOT SUFFICIENT FOR...

1. THE CAR BATTERY OF MY 2001 DODGE STRATUS RT WENT DEAD ON SUNDAY MORNING. I PURCHASED A CORRECT REPLACEMENT BATTERY AND INSTALLED IT ON THE VEHICLE. 2. UPON STARTING THE CAR AFTER INSTALLING THE NEW BATTERY, THE CAR WOULD NOT IDLE BUT WOULD ONLY SHUT DOWN. I TRIED THIS SEVERAL TIMES AND I COULD ONLY KEEP THE CAR RUNNING WHILE GIVING IT GAS. I TRIED DRIVING THE CAR AND IT DROVE OK UNTIL I RELEASED THE GAS PEDAL IN ORDER TO SLOW DOWN, STOP, OR MAKE A TURN AND EACH TIME THE CAR ENGINE SHUT DOWN. 3. I MANAGED TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE DODGE DEALER, STALLING OUT AT STOP SIGNS, STOP LIGHTS, INTERSECTIONS, AND TURNS. THE CAR WOULD ALWAYS RESTART AND BY GIVING IT GAS AND THROWING IT BACK INTO DRIVE, I COULD CONTINUE. AFTER A DAY, THE DODGE DEALER ANALYSIS WAS THAT BECAUSE I HAD CHANGED...

I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW OFF THE LOT ON 01/12/01 WITH 14 MILES ON IT. 04/14/02 I WAS DRIVING THE CAR WHEN THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT CAME ON AND STALLED OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. WHEN THE CAR WAS ABLE TO BE STARTED AGAIN, BLUE SMOKE WAS COMING OUT THE BACK. I PARKED THE CAR NEARBY AND LET IT SIT FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES, AND WHEN I TRIED TO START THE CAR AGAIN, IT WOULD NOT STAY RUNNING, AND THERE WAS MORE BLUE SMOKE COMING OUT OF IT. I CALLED THE DODGE TOWING SERVICE, AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE ORIGINAL DEALER THAT I BOUGHT IT AT. THEY "FIXED" THE PROBLEM AND TOLD ME I HAD DIRTY GAS PARTICLES. I HAVE HAD THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON 4 TIMES SINCE THAT, AND THE CAR STALLS WHEN IN IDLE WHILE THE LIGHT IS ON. THE...