2001 Honda Civic LX
Check engine light on, loss of 90% power, high rpm rev into a jerking shift. This has happened a couple of times and each time i turn car off and wait about an hour and start it again and it runs fine. I took it in to a dealership the first time and they said it was an 'intermittent failure' and reset check engine light. Explanation? How do I stop this from happening again?!

 

Did they tell you which code was set? Whenever the CEL comes on, there is a numeric code for what the ECU sees as an abnormal situation (e.g. sensor readings that don't make sense, suggesting a faulty sensor). The code is read out with a "scanning" device.

 

From the invoice:
'Verified check engine light on and found DTC P1361 TDC sensor circuit'