"amyjay" <amyjay99@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:fc03a92721e7ae2f350e3f057efc1ef4@localhost.ta lkaboutautos.com...
> The engine stops revving despite pressure on the accelerator and the car
> coasts and then slows. Then, the problem will stop, the RPMs will
> increase and the engine will rev commensurate with the pressure on the
> pedal. The problem has been intermittent, so it might happen for 10 or 15
> seconds at a shot, though it's becoming more frequent. The car literally
> stopped moving while I was making a left turn across traffic the last time
> I had it out, and I was almost side-swiped. I kept my foot on the
> accelerator and a second later, it jumped forward.
>
> I've had it at my local Honda dealership for the repairs. Admittedly, I
> can only assume they know what they're doing, though I've only had
> positive experiences there before.
>
> Thanks!
>
I'm thinking fuel delivery problem, possibly a loss of power to the fuel
pump. (Fuel pumps themselves don't often become intermittent; they usually
just up and die.) My reasoning is that electrical problems, whether ignition
or anything in the injector control, is almost always very abrupt, like
turning the ignition off and back on.

The ECU in my '84 Nissan 300ZX went insane and decided the engine wasn't
running and would shut down the fuel pump every 30 or 60 seconds. It
produced symptoms like you describe - a fading away over a period of a
second or so, quicker at higher speed and slower at low speeds. But I would
more strongly suspect the Main Relay
(http://tegger.com/hondafaq/startproblems.html#mainrelay) in the Civic.

Mike