reading the group archives, i see that changing the p.c.v. valve is
commonly recommended for hondas. well, i recently did this on my civic
because it had a "flat spot" on acceleration and i'd fixed everything
else that was possible. what an incredible difference!

/much/ more power
/much/ smoother automatic shifting
no more flat spot

thanks for the information everyone. it may also be worth noting that
the valve that came off was relatively new, but a generic aftermarket
version. the one i fitted was genuine honda.