I began to have an issue about 5 weeks ago with the engine dying. I first noticed that it would sometimes die at a stoplight, but it would re-fire quickly. Then, at another time, it died at speed, doing about 35. It would not re-fire for 45 minutes. My mechanic kept it for a week but could not reproduce the issue except for one time. Here is what they did:
I think the distributor is good, and I always thought that a bad main relay would just cause the engine to not turn over at all. Am I wrong? I don't want to throw parts at a problem till I'm confident of a solution.

 

I would start with a cheap option. Try some fuel system cleaner to see if your fuel system is gummed up..I'm doubting your distributor is the culprit, seeing as it most likely wouldn't cause an intermittent problem. Honda fuel pumps rarily fail, but the main relays are a common problem. I could see it sticking causing the fuel pump to look weak, or the no start condition.

I would start with fuel system cleaner, then the main relay. If after that, your fuel pump still appears weak
It's probably the pump.

 

Did the gauges also die or turn off when the engine stalled, if so it may be the ignition switch.
If the car fails to start or randomly dies then it may be the fuel pump or fuel pump relay or the wire harness to the fuel pump may be corroded.
Check your battery leads are clean and tight along with the grounds and bonding jumper connections.
Verify battery is holding a full charge and does not have excessive voltage drop.
Next time the car will not start, try banging on the fuel tank a few times and then try starting. If the engine starts then the fuel pump may be in need of replacement.
And do your best to keep the fuel level at 1/4 or more.
Fuel pumps use gasoline as a coolant and lubricant, if the fuel is level is left run low constantly the pump will eventually overheat and die.

 

Thanks for the reply.

The gauges stayed on, like turning the key back to the ON (not START) position.
The mechanic tested the electrical system, so I feel fairly confident that the grounds are OK.
The main relay is something I haven't thought about, because I assumed it would cause the engine to not turn over at all. I'll pull it out and test it.
I will have to check the fuel pump and the sending unit (as soon as the weather is better - cold and ugly here today).
Battery is less than a year old, but I will test it ASAP.
The trick is knowing when the car is going to die. Last week, I let it run for about 15 minutes in my driveway and even drove it around the block. Never had any problems. When it dies again, I will try hitting it.

Thanks again for the advice.

 

On my 1993, the distributor, namely the ignition control module inside it, has caused intermittent stalling. It has to do with the ignitor's inability to produce consistent fire to keep ignition going. It might start fine, run fine for a while, and then stall suddenly. Perhaps it will start back up right away, or sometimes take a while, but it is completely random. I have solved the kind of stalling the OP is experiencing a couple of times over the years by simply replacing the distributor. Could have replaced the ignitor, but for the trouble, replacing the distributor was always smarter.

 

If the ignitior is dying, you will notice the Tach dropping to 0rpm while the rest of the gauges still function.
If it was a fuel issue the engine would just drop in rpm or slowly die. Ignitor dies so does the tach signal and instant zero means no ignition functionality.