I bought a used 2002 Dodge Stratus SE (Automatic) a few months ago and recently all heck seems to be breaking loose. First the battery died, but we were able to charge it back up again. Ever since then however, it appears as though the idle speed is out of wack. When approaching slow-downs (such as lights or stops), the car will just shut down, unless I keep my foot on the gas and use the other foot to brake. Additionally, a few times now, the car will only produce a fast clicking sound when I go to turn the engine over. The first time it happened, I was waiting for a chance to get it to a mechanic and for some reason a few days later everything (aside from the problem with slowing down) was fine again. This time that it has happened however, all I get is the fast clicking sound. All electrical systems appear fine and lights, radio, door alarms, etc all are working fine, just the fast clicking and it won't turn over.
Does anyone have any advice or ideas what this could be and any thoughts on how I could fix this easily without tons of cash?
Thanks a ton for your help.
Xavier