87 honda prelude 2.0L SI - one fuel filter or two??

I have a 1987 Honda Prelude. As far as I can tell, it has two fuel
filters: one behind the left rear wheel and one in the engine
compartment on the passenger side. Of the auto service people I've
spoken to (Pep Boys, Jiffy Lube, AutoZone), all of them check their
little computer and say "It's only got one fuel filter," referring to
the one in the engine compartment. The Haynes repair manual says the
same thing. And yet I see that little can by the left rear wheel that
looks exactly like the service manual's photos for the 1987 1.8L
carburetor prelude. Is it a dummy? A fake?

Also, I have been having this problem where the car will start easily
and run fine for about 4 or 5 miles and then suddenly there's a
dramatic power loss as I wind it up to about 2500 RPM in any gear.
The car seems like it's going to die despite me flooring the
accelerator. The car never stalls, however. As soon as I let the gas
off, it idles just fine. The problem gets progressively worse until I
turn the car off and let it sit for awhile. I can baby the car along
at about 1800 rpm and continue driving it for some time. If the car
has been setting for a week, it might go 5 or 6 miles. What is this?

I had work done on the car about a year ago - new filters all around,
replaced some cracked injectors. The engine seems fine when it's
running well and doesn't leak or anything. I seem to recall that the
guy who worked on it said the tank had some rust or sediment in it or
something. I suspect the stalling is likely due to a heavily clogged
filter. I'm hoping it's not mechanical or electrical. Any tips would
be *much* appreciated. In the meantime, I want to change the filters
so any advice is much appreciated.

 

It sounds more like a heat-related problem or a blocked vent pipe. What
happens if you take off the fuel filler cap to release any pressure? Does
the loss-of-power problem go away?

It could also be the EGR control system and other emission controls, the
manifold absolute pressure sensor, the throttle angle sensor, the bypass
control system and so on.

 

Any flashing lights on the engine control computer?