i've been having somewhat of the same problem with my 98 rs and i pumped the gas because the rpms were dropping while i was in 5th gear then i downshifted and pumped the gas again and then the rpms jumped and the car ran fine. the car kept giving me problems and wouldn't start. it was would turn over and that was it. i bought a new batter and had the rest of the charging system checked and it still did it. i talked to my friend and he was telling me to check my ecu connections. i disconnected and reconnected it and it starts fine and hasn't died out since.