hey guys, i have a 97 accord, auto trans... sometimes it accelerates, but sometimes it doesnt... one mech said it could be a bad map sensor.. went to a japanese parts store, picked one up but the other mech said it is prob a slippin transmission... what do you guys think? everything is fine besides that..

 

A bad MAP sensor would probably set a Trouble Code and illuminate the Check Engine Light. A slipping transmission would reveal itself during a Stall Test. A bit of history on the vehicle, previous repairs? Are you pushing the accelerator pedal when it won't accelerate? The vehicle is an OBD2 car. A scan tool can be used to observe data while the symptom is taking place. Seek a shop that has such a tool to test drive your vehicle and provide an actual diagnosis. The dealer uses a good tool for this. The trouble is finding a tech who knows how to use it.

 

When I push the pedal, sometimes I need to be lucky in order for it to accelerate... If i push down and it doesnt accelerate, I take my foot off, put it back on, and it's fine. This has only been the "real" problem before. It's been well maintained... Nothing major has been done..

 

A map sensor (Manifold Absolute Pressure) wouldn't do this, but a TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) might.
I would strongly suggest finding someone who can road test this vehicle and not 'guess' about what may be going on.
I too would suggest finding access to someone with a professional grade OBD2 scanner. These can query the event files retained in the ECM's memory and may lend clues to what's going on.

P